Album Marks -
Discoloration or heavy indentations on the
corners of the cards from the acid, leaching out of the antique
album pages, or from weight.
Archival
- Any museum quality material that will protect
postcards for extended periods of time.
Artist Signed - Any postcard that has a printed signature of the
illustrator. This does not mean that the postcard artist
autographed the card, although examples do exist. If the
publisher has printed a byline clearly identifying who did the
work, the card is considered artist signed.
Chrome -
Any card after 1939 with a shiny paper surface.
The term is derived from Kodachrome.
Condition - Refers to the physical condition of the
postcard. Terms often used are Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good,
Good, Fair and Poor.
Deltiology - The study of postcards; the person doing
the research, a deltiologist. Randall Rhodes of Ashland, Ohio,
first used the term. It means (from the Greek) the science or
study (logos) of small pictures or cards (deltion).
Die Cut
- Any paper cut by the publisher into a shape
other than a rectangle, such as the shape of an angel, Santa, or
animal.
Die Cut Hold to Light - Hold to light (HTL) postcard that transforms
from day to night when a bright light shows through the tiny holes
cut on the surface of the card.
Divided Back - A postcard back with a center line to divide the
address from the message. Divided backs appeared in 1902 in
England, 1904 in France, 1905 in Germany, and 1907 in the US.
This helps to date unused postcards. Cards before these dates
have undivided backs.
Embossed - Postcards that have designs slightly raised
above the card's surface. Heavily embossed postcards have almost
a papier-mache style, that stands greatly above the surface.
Ephemera -
Any printed or hand-written paper item, such as calendars, postcards,
trade cards, die cuts, menus and valentines.
Foxing - Yellow spots on the paper's surface. These are spots
of mildew, penetrating the paper which cannot be removed by erasing
but may occasionally be removed by bleaching.
Gelatin (Gel) - A card with a varnish-like coating producing a
glossy surface. The surface can crack or shatter as it ages.
Golden Age of Postcards - From 1898 to 1918.
Government Postal - A postcard that has a preprinted stamp on the
back. The post office issues these postcards and
publishers use them to print designs and advertising messages.
They were especially used before the Act of Congress 1898.
Hold to Light - Any postcard that creates a different image if
held to the light. Some are as simple as day to night, others as
complicated as Winter to Summer. There are also die cut hold to lights
and transparencies.
Installment - A series of postcards designed to be sent one a
day. The completed set forms a picture. Some installments are
vertical, such as an Uncle Sam figure; others are horizontal,
such as a running horse.
Linen - Postcards published in the late 20s through 50s,
using a textured paper with a cross hatched surface. The surface
resembles linen fabric. The cards romaticized the images of gas
stations, diners, hotels and other commercial buildings. Using
the photographic image of an establishment, all undesirable
features, such as telephone poles, junk yards, and background
clutter and sometimes even cars and people were removed by air
brushing.
Mechanical - Postcards that have moving parts. It may be
simple as a die cut top revealing a different idea of the
previous image when opened. It could be as complicated as pulling
a tab for a curtain and totally changes the picture. Some
mechanicals have wheels that change the faces on a body or dates
on a calendar.
Miniature - Postcards as a novelty during the Golden
Age. They were about 1/2 the size of the standard 3½ x 5½
inch postcards. They have a stamp box . The most desirable are those
by the Scandinavian artists or the USA publisher John Winsch.
Novelty - These cards include mechanicals and ones that
have items attached, such as bags of salt, real hair, metal
medallions, paper applique, silk or even pennies. Some novelty
cards are die cut shapes or have holes in which fingers can be
inserted to make the postcard figures appear to have real arms,
legs or even a nose.
Oilette - A term used by the Publisher Raphael Tuck and Sons
of England. Oilettes often looked like oil painting, with noticeable brush
strokes.
Over-Sized - The standard modern postcard size is 4
by 6 inches. Any card larger than these sizes is considered
oversized. Modern postcards are often called continentals
PVC - Poly
Vinyl Chloride, polymers derived from vinyl chloride used to make
plastic pages and sleeves. These can cause damage to postcards
overtime. Often Acid Based.
Pioneer - Postcards issued before an Act of Congress in
1898. They carry instructions on the back, such as, Write
the address only on this side - the message on the other,
or Nothing but address can be placed on this
side or This side for
address only.
Postcard - A card specifically made with the intention to be
used by itself as a mailed message or souvenir.
Private Postal - Postcards produced, not by the government, but
by private business or publishers.
Puzzle Cards - An European term for installments. In America, it
refers to hidden picture cards, jigsaw puzzle cards, rebus cards,
or anything that is a puzzle to solve.
Real Photo - A term coined to distinguish between
commercially printed photographic images and an actual photograph
printed on photograph paper with a preprinted postcard back. Real
photo cards are more desirable than commercially printed
postcards. Most real photos are one of a kind, while commercially
printed photographs were produced in large quantity.
Rebus - A puzzle postcard on which words, phrases or
sentences are represented by pictures of objects and signs, the
names of which, when sounded in sequence afford the solution.
Sepia - A dark brown color applied to photographs or
other prints. Inky secretions of the cuttlefish produce this
coloration.
Series - Groups of postcards that belong together in a
collection. The individual cards may or may not have been printed
at the same time. More than just a common topic, a series has a
common artist and publisher.
Sets - Postcards
published in a group of 4, 6, 7, 8 or 12. These were sold in
packets or individually. Examples are: days of the week or months
of the year.
Silk - Postcards
with silk fabric applied to the design, or the total image is
printed on silk fabric, then attached to a postcard back.
Topics - Postcards that are not views, but are
subjects such as baseball, kites, cats and golf.
Trade cards - Advertising cards issued before 1900. Store
keepers gave then away in products or with the purchase of a
product. They were very popular before the postcard and were
often times glued into large scrap books with die cut
scrap.
Transparency - A type of Hold to Light postcard that creates
its transformation with many thin layers of paper. A total change
in image is caused by strong light behind the postcard. There are
no die cut holes in the surface to achieve this transformation.
Undivided Back - A postcard back without a dividing line to
separate the message from the address. Undivided backs on
postcards help date the cards (see divided back).
View Cards - Postcards that feature cities and places within
cities, such as parks, main streets, depots, store fronts,
bridges and roads. They are not topics such as Halloween, cats,
or kites.
The Encyclopedia of Antique Postcards © by Susan Brown Nicholson
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