posted on December 21, 2003 08:50:13 PM new
I have dabbled in post cards for a long time. I have never spent any real time researching them. I know a few basics from trial and error. Post cards in my area have been going pretty high at auctions. About three weeks ago there were about 30 albums of cards that went up for auction. The collector had put them into categories, pretty ladies, trains, small towns here, small towns there, foreign scenes, thanksgiving, Xmas, etc. I think the highest an album went was $1,500 but there were others that went over $500. I don't think there is any way the dealers could have come out on the cards unless they knew something I don't. I know a postcard dealer that sets up at a local antique show sells a lot of town reprints. He gets around $6.00 on the reprints I have seen. Is this the way the market is going? Buy the cards at any cost and then reprint them until you get your money back? Are many people seriously interested enough to pay $6.00 for a print? Thank you for your views.
[ edited by kasue on Dec 21, 2003 08:51 PM ]
posted on December 21, 2003 08:58:02 PM new
Here is a thread on snipeing but farther down they talk about him and his reprint postcards. Check out his auctions I think most of the cards he sells are reprints.
I think postcards are coming back again. I think the interest is in the unusual holiday cards which if reproduced would be useless, at least in my book, but also the small town ones and since they are almost extinct people will settle for reprints. Not me though.
posted on December 21, 2003 11:01:58 PM new
I sell postcards on Ebay. And, I too get outbid at our local auction. Gave up on renewing stock a long time ago. I can't believe what some of the local dealers are willing to pay.
But, my daughter went to a postcard show in Dallas and she said there were tables and tables of ten cent and 25 cent cards with just about everything you could imagine.
So, like you, I wonder why people are paying so much at the auction houses for these?
posted on December 22, 2003 03:25:49 AM new
Im not sure why the postcard buyers choose to pay for the older postcards ,im just glad they do
i sell postcards and some has went as high as 21.00.
please visit my site if you interested in any postcards or cool items.
i have postcards dated from 1800's till now and i put new ones on daily....so keep looking.
i still have tons not listed.
if your interested in postcards visit my site i sell boats,ships,landscaping ,famous people,automobiles ,old buildings,antique cars ect.
take care
faye
my ebay website is http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/[email protected]/
posted on December 22, 2003 03:42:07 AM new
I sell postcards on eBay too. There may be a market for reprints of certain postcards (ie: local interest) as "art" but certainly not for collectors. THere are people selling notecards from postcards on ebay and others selling cd's of images with some success. I think those items appeal to the general public but hold little interest to collectors. I doubt that is why those albums brought such nice prices at auction.
Some of the Santa and Halloween postcards are sold for $500+ at paper/antique shows - there are some artist signed postcards from the 1930S that are valued at $1,000+. Every dealer dreams of coming across an album in somebody's granny's attic full of those kind of cards!
I don't deal in those kinds of postcards but I would if I could find a treasure trove in somebody's attic!! My niche is view postcards and I do a happy dance when I get competitive bids!
I'd be happier if the word "repro" were in the title but it doesn't seem to be disappointing the buyers (if you look at the feedback)
[ edited by neglus on Dec 22, 2003 06:58 AM ]
posted on December 22, 2003 07:32:24 AM new
I imagine someday the repro's will be collectible but they don't do anything for me. I like to see old ones even if the corners are bent or maybe a wrinkle that doesn't bother me. I just like the old ones. I have over 100 Santa cards not all in good condition but condition good enough for me. I honestly don't think you can reproduce a Winch card to the quality of the original. Even the paper is different now a days. I didn't realize there were so many postcard sellers. Good Luck to you all.
posted on December 22, 2003 08:10:54 AM new
i think the buyers can reprint these postcards themselves using their pc and printer,dont they have those blank cards in stores ??
-sig file -------the lobster in the boiling pot of water who tries to prevent the others from climbing out.
posted on December 24, 2003 11:47:31 AM new
I still don't understand why these repro sellers don't get into copyright trouble. Anything printed after 1926 is under copyright. Probably most of the copyright owners couldn't care less, but based on principle I would think Ebay wouldn't allow it. Somebody explain this to me!
posted on December 24, 2003 12:07:01 PM new
It is not ebays responsibility to examine each and every auction nor to protect the copyrights of others as doing either would be cost prohibitive not to mention making them potentilly liable in lawsuits. Copyright hollders can contact ebay and have offending auctions pulled themselves.
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If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
