Are old unused postcards worth anything are there any web site I can go to look at them?

Answer 1

I believe the older the better. But the answer to your question may rely on what the photo on the post card is of. And if its a used post card, the value may have a lot to do with who's names were hand written on it. GOOD LUCK! The Missouri Crack Shot.... Value of Old Postcards

• Many people collect old postcards.
• There are clubs and magazines devoted to this hobby.
• Visit some antique shows and shops. Browse paper items at vendors' tables and see what they are charging.
• Many sell in the $3.00 to $10.00 range.

• With old postcards, the value is often NOT affected by whether they have been postally used or not. Obviously, the postcard may often be much older than the postmark. On the whole, cards that are real photos (especially of places) tend to be more popular with collectors than printed cards.

Note that cards of well known, well established tourist sights and so on, are often not worth very much. By contrast, a lively street scene dating from say about 1910 in a small town could be worth much more.

For a beginning collector cards of just about every imaginable topic are out there for 25 cents to $1.00.

Age, condition, subject matter and rarity are key factors that mean different things to things to different people. Views of the Grand Canyon or Niagara falls

are plentiful and usually cheap. Imagine a real photo postcard scene from 1905 of a horse drawn ice delivery wagon! Likely worth $ 50.00 because it's a rare scene. If a name and location are on the wagon a local historical society would prize it for their collection and could pay over $100.00, if it was your great-grand fathers ice delivery business it holds sentimental family value and could be worth hundreds of dollars. Another item to look for are the cancellations: many rural post offices and train stations had their own cancel stamp. Long forgotten closed office and station cancellations are sought by collectors.

More Information

I'm a newbie too, and have done some research, and I agree with much of what's been said. About 1 1/2 years ago, I bought a rather large lot (over 1,000 cards) from an estate sale for a total of something under $25. The sixth card I sold on eBay -- with a starting price of $.01 -- sold for $98.99, plus freight. It was a Halloween card from 1911, and happened to be the one of a series that a collector in Maryland wanted very badly to complete his collection.

Answer 2

Certainly, as long as the postage is equal to or more than the current post card rate.