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I am selling this super pretty vintage embossed fancy postcard. It says "wishing you a bright and happy Easter" and it has a boy feeding chicks and a girl feeding lambs and so it's a farm themed postcard with raised designs - or embossed designs. The backs side shows it was send to someone in 1908 in New Jersey- and it gets even more interesting ...
So here's the deal. I got this from an estate sale mixed in with other things and from all the searching I have done I think this is a super rare postcard and more importantly the stamp on there seems to be super rare too. I have see it for sale for as much a $8,000!!!!!! I have not idea why but there were several listings for postcards from this timeframe with this same stamp - it's a green one cent Benjamin Franklin stamp - and they are all priced for thousands of dollars plural!!!
I was so surprised. I would be so happy if that is the case and it is really worth that. Al thought I am not going to be charging anywhere near these prices. But I was going to show you the listings just to show you the prices too and you can see is the identical stamp. So this stamp seems super rare.
I got this at an estate sale, and the nature of estate sales are such that you often never really know the source of the items that you are buying, you have to do a lot of guessing as to the age and values. So I am not sure how old this is or what exactly it is worth but I do know that it is really pretty and in really good condition.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you for looking at my listing.
SHIPPING:
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RETURNS:
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A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare.
In some places, one can send a postcard for a lower fee than a letter. Stamp collectors distinguish between postcards (which require a postage stamp) and postal cards (which have the postage pre-printed on them). While a postcard is usually printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant postal authority (often with pre-printed postage).[1]
Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[2] As an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular.[2] The study and collecting of postcards is termed deltiology (from Greek deltion, small writing tablet, and the also Greek -logy, the study of).[1]
Golden age of postcards (ca. 1890 to 1915)
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Cards showing images increased in number during the 1880s. Images of the newly built Eiffel Tower in 1889 and 1890 gave impetus to the postcard, leading to the so-called "golden age" of the picture postcard.[7] This golden age began slightly earlier in Europe than the United States, likely due to a depression in the 1890s.[7] Still, the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 excited many attendees with its line of "Official Souvenir" postals, which popularized the idea of picture postcards.[1][16] The stage was now set for private postcard industry to boom, which it did once the United States government changed the postage rate for private cards from two cents to one in May 1898.[1][16]
Spanning from approximately 1905 to 1915 in the United States, the golden age of postcards stemmed from a combination of social, economic, and governmental factors.[1][16] Demand for postcards increased, government restrictions on production loosened, and technological advances (in photography, printing, and mass production) made the boom possible.[1] In addition, the expansion of Rural Free Delivery allowed mail to be delivered to more American households than ever before.[1] Billions of postcards were mailed during the golden age, including nearly a billion per year in United States from 1905 to 1915, and 7 billion worldwide in 1905.[17][18] Many postcards from this era were in fact never posted but directly acquired by collectors themselves.
Despite years of incredible success, economic and government forces would ultimately spell the end of the golden age. The peak came sometime between 1907 and 1910 for the United States.[1][2] In 1909, American publishers successfully lobbied to place tariffs on high quality German imports with the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act.[1] The effects of tariffs really started to make a large impact, and escalating hostilities in Europe made it difficult to import cards and ink into the United States.[1] The fad may have also simply run its natural course.[1] The war disrupted production efforts in Europe, although postcard production did not entirely stop.[20] Cards were still useful for propaganda, and for boosting troop morale.
It is likely that postcard collecting first began as soon as postcards were mailed. One could argue that actual collecting began with the acquisition of souvenir postcards from the world's fairs, which were produced specifically with the collector (souvenir hunter) in mind.[16] Later, during the golden age of postcards, collecting became a mainstream craze.[16] The frenzy of purchasing, mailing, and collecting postcards was often referred to as "postcarditis", with up to half purchased by collectors.[45][19] Clubs such as The Jolly Jokers, The Society for the Promulgation of Post Cards, and the Post Card Union sprang up to facilitate postcard exchanges, each having thousands of members.[17] Postcard albums were commonly seen in Victorian parlors, and had a place of prominence in many middle and upper class households.[16]
Today, postcard collecting is still a popular and widespread hobby. The value of a postcard is mainly determined by the image illustrated on it. Other important factors for collectors can be countries, issuers, and authors. Online catalogs can be found on collector websites and clubs.[46] These catalogs provide detailed information about each postcard alongside their picture. In addition, these websites include collection management tools, trading platforms, and forums to assist with discussions between collectors. The oldest continuously run club in the United States is the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City, founded in 1946.
