Post Cards Bear Historical Message

Question: What value is there to old post cards? Actually, what I have probably could not be called post “cards” as they are made of leather.

I have six of them, dated 1906 and 1907. I have questioned people about them, and no one seems to have much information to offer. They were mailed by my uncle in Oakland to my mother and grandmother in Iowa and Minnesota.--P.P.

Answer: Post cards are popular in this country and abroad. They fall into a number of categories, including those that advertise products, greeting cards, those sold in conjunction with expositions, photographic cards and the common holiday variety.

Because there are so many categories, collectors advise those new to the field to specialize. Also, they urge beginning collectors to attempt to build their collection on cards only in top condition.

Prices are generally pegged to condition, rarity and, of course, how many cards of a particular category were printed or circulated. Artistic reproductions signed by the artist can command a premium.

The so-called “golden age” for post cards is considered the era from a few years before the turn of this century to about the end of World War I. Cards printed during that period usually attract the most collector demand.

Post card prices range all over the lot--from a few cents per card to several hundred dollars for rare cards, according to dealer catalogue quotes.

As for cards made of leather, we have not seen any examples; but that doesn’t mean there is not a market for them. If any of our readers know anything about your uncle’s unusual cards, you can be fairly sure they’ll write us.

Mailbag

A baseball-card swap meet will be held at the Discovery Museum in Santa Ana as part of a Fathers’ Day celebration June 17.

The swap meet is in conjunction with an old-time baseball photo exhibit and a display of baseball memorabilia, according to a museum announcement.

The museum is located at 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: $1 for adults, 50 cents for children.

For more information, call (714) 540-0404.

While on the subject of baseball cards, we recently received a baseball card book based on the famous Topps collection. What the Los Angeles-based publishing firm has done is break down the Topps baseball card collection for each major-league team.

The 26-book series has color reproductions of more than 21,000 Topps cards covering the years 1952-1988, and a brief summation of what happened to the team for each of these years.

The book we have displays baseball cards for the players on the Dodgers’ 1952 pennant-winning team, including such “boys of summer” as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Duke Snider.

Each book is $9.95, plus $2 for shipping. The address: Price Stern Sloan, Cash Sales, 360 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90048.