The roadside world
Route 66 opened in 1926, running from Chicago to Santa Monica, and it became the most famous of the highways that carried Americans west by car. Along it, and along other named routes like the Lincoln Highway and the Dixie Highway, a new roadside economy grew up: places to eat, sleep, buy gas and stop for a curiosity. Businesses competed for drivers' attention with neon signs, unusual architecture and postcards they sold or gave away at the counter.
When the interstate highways bypassed the old routes from the 1950s onward, many of those businesses closed. Their postcards became one of the few records of what the road was like.
What collectors look for
Named businesses. The core of roadside collecting: a specific diner, motel or gas station, identified on the card. Businesses that closed long ago, and those with distinctive architecture or signage, are the most sought after.
Motor courts and tourist cabins. Early lodging before modern motels, often shown as rows of small cabins with cars parked in front.
Gas and service stations. Stations with period pumps, oil company signs and cars are popular with petroliana and automobile collectors.
Diners and cafes. Counter-and-stool diners, drive-ins and roadside cafes, ideally with signs and interiors.
Trading posts and attractions. Snake pits, reptile farms, giant statues, trading posts and other roadside oddities.
Town main streets along the route. Small towns that depended on highway traffic.
Real photo roadside cards. Some businesses ordered real photo cards, which are often scarcer than printed linens.
Linen and chrome
Most roadside postcards are linens from the 1930s and 1940s, with their bright, painted look, or early chromes from the 1950s and 1960s. Linens of roadside businesses are often the most popular, partly for their graphic style. See linen postcards and chrome postcards.
Other historic highways
Route 66 has the largest following, but collectors also seek roadside cards from the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road for automobiles, the Dixie Highway between the Midwest and Florida, U.S. 1 along the East Coast, and many other routes. A collector of a particular state often wants every roadside business card from its highways.
What keeps a roadside card common
- Generic highway scenery and desert views.
- Large chain motels and restaurants printed in big runs.
- Later continental-size chromes.
- Duplicates from souvenir packs.
Roadside cards in a collection
Roadside cards usually arrive as part of a family's travel cards from the 1930s through the 1960s, often from a trip west. I count them with the rest, and any named businesses get a close look.
The postcard publishers of the road
Many roadside linens were produced by large publishers, such as Curt Teich of Chicago, from photographs supplied by the business owners themselves. The business ordered a few thousand cards, gave them away at the desk or sold them for a penny or two, and travelers mailed them home. Publisher codes on the back can date these cards precisely. See Curt Teich postcards.
Lost landmarks
Some roadside businesses became famous enough to survive or be restored, while thousands of others vanished without much trace. Postcards of the lost ones, a motor court on a stretch of road that no longer carries traffic, a cafe in a town the interstate bypassed, are often the most meaningful to collectors and preservationists, because the card may be the best surviving image.
Roadside real photos
Some roadside businesses, especially in small towns, ordered real photo postcards rather than printed linens. These were made in small numbers by local photographers, and they show the business exactly as it looked, without the retouching of linen cards. They are among the scarcer and more desirable roadside cards.
Questions people ask
Are old Route 66 postcards valuable?
Many sell for several dollars to tens of dollars; specific lost businesses in fine condition bring more.
What years are Route 66 postcards from?
Mostly the 1930s through the 1960s, with linens dominant early and chromes later.
Are motel postcards worth anything?
Common chain motels are worth little; distinctive independent motels and motor courts, especially long closed, are more interesting.
Do you buy roadside postcard collections?
Yes, as complete collections.
Are gas station postcards collectible?
Yes, especially with visible pumps, signage and period cars.
Why the road still fascinates people
Route 66 became a symbol of freedom, migration and the American road trip, celebrated in songs, novels and films. Today travelers drive surviving stretches of the old road, museums and preservation groups restore its landmarks, and collectors seek the postcards that show it at its peak. That enduring interest is what keeps demand strong for roadside cards, especially those from the route's most famous states, such as Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Cards from the motel desk
Many roadside businesses printed postcards to give away free to guests and customers. The back often carried the business's address, phone number, rates and a line such as "air cooled" or "steam heat", along with directions for travelers. These details make the cards fascinating historical documents of what travelers valued at the time.
Photographing roadside cards for a quote
Photograph a few of the named businesses close enough that signs and captions are readable, plus one or two backs. A single photo of the rest fanned out shows the quantity.
Are Route 66 real photo postcards worth more than linens? Often, because they were made in smaller numbers, though popular linens of famous businesses are also strongly collected.
Which Route 66 states have the most collected cards? Collectors seek cards from every state the route crossed, from Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to California.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service: Travel Route 66
- Newberry Library: Curt Teich Postcard Archives collection records
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By state: Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and all 50 states.