| Curt Teich postcards are easy to date from the company production number printed on the postcard. A guide to this dating system (PDF file) is available.
Dates for real photo postcards can sometimes be determined from the stamp box. For more information go to http://www.playle.com/realphoto/.
Approximate dates can also be determined by looking closely at the image. Look at the type of transportation – are there automobiles or horse-drawn vehicles, and look at the way people are dressed, these are clues to the date. If the card was sent through the mail, look at the date of the postmark.
The style of the card can also give you a clue as to the date of the card. In the United States, the Private Mailing Card was authorized by Congress in 1898 and could be mailed for the same one-cent rate as government postal cards. The cards were stamped ‘Private Mailing Card’ and were printed from 1898 – 1901.
From 1901 – 1907, cards were labeled either “Postcard” or “Post Card” and had an undivided back. Usually the image side of the card had a small white area for writing the message, and only the address was allowed on the stamp side.
Beginning March 1, 1907, both message and address could be written on the stamp side of the postcard. From about 1915 – 1930, cards with white borders were very popular.
The linen-style postcards began about 1930 and lasted into the late 1940s, although the Curt Teich Company continued to print linen cards through 1959. This type of card was printed on a high quality paper, which looked like linen. White or colored borders were popular.
Chrome postcards began to appear in the late 1940s. These cards are the same glossy picture postcards available today. About 1970, the larger 4” x 6” Continental cards began to appear.
|
