Selling picture postcards

Generally speaking, pre-1940 picture postcards are of greater interest to collectors, a fact that is reflected in the prices they fetch. For our auctions, we are mainly looking for large collections – as a rule, we do not accept individual picture postcards. If you have built up or inherited a large picture postcard collection, we would be happy to have it assessed by our experts free of charge.

Philatelic sending forms may also be of interest to us, e.g. standard postage in the German Empire: a 5-pfennig stamp is far more interesting if sent by registered post or with numerous forwarding notes.

No, as with all collection material, the value is determined by supply and demand. A hand-painted postcard by artist Gerhard Richter is sure to fetch a solid four-figure sum, even if it is only 4 or 5 years old. The kind of photo card that was common up until the 1950s can often yield a far higher price than a very attractive mass-produced card. For example, a black-and-white card depicting food being distributed to Hereros at a detention camp in 1905 that has been genuinely postally used is likely to secure a higher price than a coloured lithograph from German South West Africa in 1895.

If you wish to wind up your collection or to sell an inherited one, your first priority should be to seek professional advice. It is often possible to determine very quickly whether the collection is valuable or not. It is important to find the right buyers for the collection fields in question. With Felzmann and its international clientele, you will be in the very best of hands. Through strategic advertising and professional presentation, we can put forward your collection in the best possible light.

This depends on the motif, condition, age, rarity and – in the case of collections – the number of postcards contained. For instance, a collection of over 2,000 “Neanderthal” picture postcards is worth more than 2,000 separate cards from this area. This is due to the enormous amount of time involved in putting together such a collection – in each case, the picture postcards in a collection must be examined and valued individually, as no two are the same.

At present, there is a very high demand for German territories up to circa 1950 (small formats) and for German colonies and lithographs.

Quality is of the utmost importance, i.e. cards that have not been postally used should be in pristine condition, without any dog-ears, writing, discolouration, etc. Needless to say, the same standards cannot be expected of cards that have been postally used. Only collectors themselves can decide whether and under what conditions these are worth acquiring. If they absolutely “have” to have a specimen, they may be willing to accept a lower level of quality if the issue is very rare.