Two words, 'postcard' and 'place name' are actually sufficient to generate most early bids on vintage postcards offered on eBay. But there are other things many collectors need to know which influence their decision to bid and to buy.
They include:
* DATE: You should be looking for old postcards, the older the better, preferably pre-1939, so there's more chance that places have changed appearance, or changed name, perhaps they no longer exist or the postcard feature events and people that are little known about today, all of which increase demand and stimulate high finishing prices.
* PUBLISHER: Some people collect by publisher, especially firms that specialised in their own local topographical area and rarely, if ever, created postcards of views more than twenty or thirty miles from base. So you'll find people collecting postcards of Newcastle and Gateshead but only those created by Johnston and Son of Gateshead who were renowned for quality, highly detailed postcards under their trademark name 'Monarch'. Other famous publishers include Brittain and Wright who worked in Stockton-on-Tees and were famed for the 'Phoenix Series' and have a popular following today.
* CONDITION: Condition is important to purist collectors, people who collect postcards per se, but less important to people seeking 'view cards' for whom the scene depicted, not the postcard per se, is the main motivation to buy. To satisfy both collector types you must give an assessment of condition backed with a clear and detailed image of the card.
* PRINT AND PRODUCTION TYPE: Some people collect only photographic postcards, some accept printed items, others seek artist impressions of their topographical area. This should not over concern you right now because plentiful collectors exist to buy whatever topographical postcards you list of whatever production type.
* FORMAT AND SIZE: The earliest postcards were 'Court' size and smaller than most postcards printed from about 1900. Very early postcards were undivided back, that is devoid of line down the centre to separate message part from address section and this also helps date a card in the absence of other clues. Postcards were and still are produced in other sizes and formats, such as bookmark size, giant postcards, lettercards like a concertina of pictures, and others you'll learn as your knowledge grows about selling vintage postcards on eBay.
Avril Harper is an eBay PowerSeller and author of BANK BIG PROFITS SELLING VINTAGE TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEW POSTCARDS ON EBAY which you can read about at: www.sellpostcardsonebay.com and MAKE MONEY TEARING UP OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AND SELLING THEM ON EBAY which you can read about at: www.magstoriches.com. She has produced a free guide - 103 POWERSELLER TIPS - which you can download with other freely distributable reports and eBooks at www.avrilharper.com
