Oil
The Spindletop gusher near Beaumont in 1901 launched the Texas oil age. Later booms at Sour Lake, Goose Creek, Burkburnett, Ranger, Desdemona, Breckenridge, Mexia, Borger and the East Texas field created boom towns almost overnight, with forests of derricks and crowded, muddy streets. Real photos of oil fields, gushers, boom towns and workers are among the most sought-after Texas cards.
Ranches and cowboys
Cattle ranching shaped much of Texas, and real photos of roundups, branding, chuck wagons, cowboys, ranch headquarters and cattle drives to the railroad are popular with Western collectors. The King Ranch and other famous ranches appear on cards.
Cotton and courthouse squares
Cotton was king in much of Texas, and market towns had gins, compresses and wagons lined up on the streets. Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state, and many county seats have elaborate courthouses on squares. Real photos of squares on market days are popular with collectors of these towns.
Galveston
The 1900 Galveston hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in American history, destroyed much of the city. The disaster came just as private postcards were becoming common, and views of the destruction, the seawall that followed and the grade raising that lifted the city are collected.
The border
El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville and other border towns appear on cards, along with the Mexican Revolution era of the 1910s, when photographers along the border made real photo postcards of battles, refugees, soldiers and military camps. These revolution cards are a distinctive and collected subject.
Cities
San Antonio's Alamo and missions, Houston's ship channel, Dallas, Fort Worth's stockyards, Austin's capitol and El Paso appear on many cards. Printed landmark views are common; real photos of street life, businesses and events are more interesting.
Places and subjects to look for
- Oil boom towns: Spindletop, Ranger, Burkburnett, Mexia and Borger.
- Ranch country: West Texas, the Panhandle and South Texas.
- Cotton towns: gins and courthouse squares in Central and North Texas.
- Galveston: the 1900 storm, the seawall and the grade raising.
- The border: El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville and revolution-era views.
- The Panhandle: Route 66 towns such as Amarillo and Shamrock.
- German Hill Country: Fredericksburg, New Braunfels and their towns.
The Hill Country and immigrant towns
German, Czech, Polish and other immigrants settled towns in Central Texas, and real photos of their churches, main streets and celebrations are collected by heritage and local collectors.
Real photos versus printed views
The Alamo, city landmarks and later chromes were printed in huge quantities. Real photos of oil fields, ranches, courthouse squares, border events and small towns carry most of the value in a Texas collection.
What is common
Printed Alamo and mission views, city skylines, the capitol and later chrome highway and motel cards are plentiful.
Why Texas real photos are so collected
Texas has a very large, active community of collectors who focus on individual counties, towns, oil fields and ranches. With 254 counties and hundreds of small towns, many places were photographed only a handful of times. Real photos of a boom town that lasted two years, or a courthouse square that has since changed, can draw interest from collectors across the state.
Military camps
Texas hosted many Army posts and training camps, including Fort Sam Houston, Camp Travis, Camp Bowie and Camp MacArthur during World War I, and early aviation fields such as Kelly and Brooks. Real photos of camp life, soldiers and early military aircraft are collected.
Questions about Texas postcards
Are Texas oil boom postcards valuable? Real photos of oil fields, gushers and boom towns are among the most collectible Texas cards.
Are Galveston 1900 storm postcards collectible? Yes, views of the destruction and the recovery are collected.
Are Mexican Revolution border postcards worth anything? Real photos of battles, soldiers and refugees are collected.
Do you buy Texas collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.