The study and collecting of postcards is called "deltiology." Postcards were first printed in the 19th century, but it took some time for them to gain in popularity; many people did not like the idea of writing notes which anyone could read!The value of old postcards is dependent on a number of factors, including their condition, rarity, age, and subject matter.m & french pop/rock Le Tour de France: cycling tactics introduction a general history of postcards other means of dating postcards postcards in the united kingdom postcards in the united states of america postcards in france postage stamp values to aid dating postcards glossary of words and terms end notes You find a pretty and interesting postcard in a secondhand bookshop, maybe in France, or on e-bay.But the correspondent did not date their message and the postmark franking on the stamp is smudged. To help make some sense of being able to date old postcards, first we give a short general history of postcards.However, it is important to remember that these dates and time periods are not concrete—they are only generalizations of trends in the postcard industry.The rate of postage for postcards has changed throughout time and can be used to find an approximate date for postcards.This is be followed by more detailed listings for some countries - Great Britain, the United States of America and France.

No part of our website publication may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or stored in any retrieval system of any nature, without our prior permission.Postcard producers printed cards that followed the current trends of postcards.Dates can be approximated by the material and design of a postcard.Deltiology, the hobby of collecting vintage postcards, is one of the fastest-growing collectibles hobbies.Old postcard collections interest collectors of antiques, memorabilia and ephemera; collectables such as old vintage postcards are used by museums and historians to document what was.