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All information is both welcome and requested. The purpose of this site is to provide a place where Stevengraph Collectors, or Antiques Collectors in general, can view a wide variety of Thomas Stevens products and similar products by other manufacturers. There are about 1, items currently illustrated here so far with more to add. Please consider selling your collections or single items to us so that we can offer the most complete history of Thomas Stevens. I was born in Coventry and was there when the Stevens factory was bombed during the Second World War.

We sometimes receive e’mail from postcard collectors wondering how we know the date of an unused postcard. While a date range can only be supplied with most unused old postcards, post cards published by Curteich (known as Curt Teich in earlier days) from the mids through the s have an easy-to-understand built-in dating system.

The value of old postcards is dependent on a number of factors, including their condition, rarity, age, and subject matter. Factors Affecting Value Similar to other types of vintage and antique collectibles, postcard values are based on a specific set of criteria that affect the value of antique and vintage postcards. The following are the most important. Condition One of the first things an appraiser or collector will notice about your postcard is its condition.

Cards in fine shape, with no discoloration, foxing, tears, or other damage fetch the highest prices. Some cards had flocking, glitter or gilding, and those sections of the card need to have as much of the original material as possible. A card which looks perfect could be a reproduction, so be careful when buying.

Damaged cards bring less money or can make the card nearly worthless. Posted in , the postcard’s value lay in its significant age, as well as the fact that it was among the earliest cards printed and mailed. Pioneer postcards, which were printed before July 1, in the U. The cards were used as advertising pieces which is still done today , and often carried information about a shop or a sale.

They had writing on only one side, since U.