The Most Valuable Postcards in the World

Postcards are among the three most collectable items in the world, along with coins and stamps. Deltiology (postcard collecting) is particularly interesting, as you can trace world history through the pictures - from famous places and people, to popular holiday resorts and landmark buildings.

Postcards became popular not only because of their commemorative value, but also because they were cheaper to send than a standard letter, making it easier for people to keep in touch, particularly while on holiday, before the days of mobile phones. They were thinner than a folded letter and therefore cost less to post.

The birth of postcards

Before the Penny Black (the first postage stamp) was issued in 1840, postcards as we know them today didn't exist. Usually hand delivered, they were a rarity - early examples were plain, small cards made using lithograph prints and wood-cuts.

The first decorated postcard was made in the United States in 1861, by Philadelphia inventor John Charlton. He obtained a copyright for his invention, which had a small decorative border. Picture postcards were being manufactured in the US and Europe by 1870, with the first multi-coloured designs launched in France in 1889.

The first picture postcard of a famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, went on sale the same year, heralding a new era of postcards with real photographs at the turn of the century. Some were advertising cards, while others featured famous entertainers or family members.

Twentieth century

Eastman Kodak produced an affordable pocket camera in 1906, so people could take their own photos and have them printed off as postcards. The launch of rotary drum printers in the US led to mass production, as they could print thousands of postcards a day. Racks of them with photos of tourist attractions sprang up everywhere.

Black and white photographs were hand-tinted to produce colour images - a labour-intensive, expensive process. In 1930, with advances in technology, the mass production of bright, vividly coloured postcards became possible.

In 1939, new “Photochrome” cards of colour photographs were mass produced on glossy card. Dominating the marketplace by the 1950s, they are still produced today. Saucy seaside postcards were also popular, with cartoons featuring stereotypical comic characters and Carry On style innuendo selling 16 million a year.

Collectors' postcards

The first Postal Head Quarters collectors' postcards were issued in 1973, beginning with an image depicting the famous English cricketer, WG Grace, born in 1848. The stamps were issued to celebrate 100 years of county cricket in Britain.

Since then, commemorative postcards have been issued to celebrate many occasions, including the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday in 1980, navigation and astronomy in 1984, classic Hammer Horror and Carry On films in 2008, and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, to name but a few.

Has email replaced postcards?

Despite the innovations of the internet, texting, email and instant communication, postcards show no signs of dying out any time soon. In the golden era, between 1905 and 1915, in Britain alone around 750 million postcards were sent every year, equating to some two million a day!

In those days, there were seven daily deliveries! It was commonplace to arrange an appointment later in the day by sending a postcard in the morning. Then the recipient could respond on the same day via a return postcard.

Royal Mail says postcards are still popular today, with an estimated 134 million sent during the summer months each year in the UK. The majority are seaside holiday postcards, with the top five locations for postcard-sending being Brighton, Scarborough, Bournemouth, Blackpool and Skegness.

World's most valuable postcards

The most valuable postcard in the world is also the oldest, depicting "Penny Peanuts". It sold for a staggering £31,759 at auction in 2002. It has been confirmed as the most expensive postcard ever by the Guinness World Records.

Dating from 1840, it was sent to Fulham-based writer Theodore Hook, with a Penny Black stamp. It was sold at the 2002 London Stamp Exchange auction to Latvian postcard collector, Eugene Gomberg, for £31,758.75 and is around 20 years older than any other surviving postcard.

Postal historian Edward Proud had unearthed the card. It is hand-coloured and carries a caricature of post office "scribes" with giant quill pens, sitting at tables surrounding a huge inkwell. It was addressed to "Theodore Hook Esq, Fulham", a well-known novelist and playwright of the era.

The second most valuable postcard is called simply "African American Mother and Son" and features a young mother and her toddler son in the 19th century, pictured with the Stars and Stripes American flag. It was valued at auction at £16,000 because of its age and subject.

Third on the list is a 1905 Cleveland Indians baseball postcard. It is a true rarity for baseball fans and has been placed up for auction several times over the years. The last time it was sold, it went for £11,000.

A 1908 postcard depicting a photo of young boys working at a pump house at Kern River oil fields in the US was sold for £6,000 at auction. It is rare because it shows child labour - which was of course later outlawed.

Another postcard that never loses its value was released in 1912 to celebrate the launch of RMS Titanic. The postcard - containing a photo of the mighty ship leaving Southampton dock before its fateful journey - has been valued at £2,000.

If you collect postcards or other small valuables, it's important to have somewhere suitable to store your treasures. Solent Plastics' large variety of storage products includes clear plastic boxes that enable you to quickly and easily identify the contents. The range also includes really useful boxes in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Please contact us for further information.