To better understand this popularity, think of these cards as 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" original high quality prints, which they are, instead of as postcards. This rarity, combined with the skill of the artist of this period, make these cards very popular among collectors today. Unlike the view or greeting card, most art cards were special interest cards when they were printed and in most cases brought a much higher price. Art Cards The art card is probably the most important category in antique postcards. Often the historical significance of a card comes form the message written by the sender. This is especially true of disaster cards depicting floods, fires, wrecks, etc. Often this type of card was made of a real photograph with few copies being offered for sale. This is a wide open field with much to offer anyone interested in twentieth century history. These cards offer much to the serious collector in the way of increased value. Historical Cards Historical cards are printed to commemorate events such as war, social problems, expositions, parades, coronations, politics and so on. Publishers competing for sales, printed cards using intricate embossing techniques, high caliber art work, superior inks, expensive lithographic processes and even novelty additions such as glitter, ribbons, metal, silk and feathers. Early greeting cards are some of the most beautiful cards every printed. For example some choose Christmas cards depicting Santa in green robes only. Today most collectors choose a topic within a specific holiday in order to limit their searches. However some greetings such as the "Labor Day" cards, are considered scarce. Christmas, Easter, Birthdays and most other holidays and special occasions were well represented and are fairly common. Greeting Cards The greeting card is almost as basic as the view card in the earlier eras, though as the time graph has shown, its popularity declined in later era's. The messages written on the cards often give us insight as to the picture shown or the sentiments of the day. The earliest cards offer much in the social history of the times as we look at early forms of travel and the beginnings of telegraph, telephone and power lines. Even views produced in the photochrome (chrome) era may no longer look the same. View cards offer historic reference to buildings, streets, and even towns which may no longer exist or that have changed significantly over time. People have long collected and traded cards of their home towns and places they have visited. Postcard Types View Cards View cards have, since postcards began, been the mainstay of the collecting field. They are often classified as a smaller type of oversized card. Modern Size These are about 6 1/2 X 4 3/4 inches. The advantage is of course the more detailed view of the scenes shown on the cards. Although this size of cards is popular with postcard companies and tourists, many collectors do not want them because they are more expensive, not easily filed, cost more to mail, and harder to trade with others. Mostly 5X7 inches, but some can be found in larger sizes. OverSized Anything larger than a continental size. Continental Size 4X6 inches (15 cm X 10.5 cm) Many of the new cards you purchase today are of this size. Used By Permission from Susan Brown Nicholson - Sizes Regular Size Regular (or Standard) size: 3 1/2 X 5 1/2 (9 cm X 14 cm) Many of the older cards are of this size. Source: The Encyclopedia of Antique Postcards© The Size of the Postcard is displayed on the Big Image after Clicking Thumbnail. Our Sites Consist of 95% Regular Size Postcards 3 1/2 X 5 1/2 (9 cm X 14 cm)ĥ% Continental Size Postcards 4X6 inches (15 cm X 10.5 cm) Our Web Sites use different shopping carts and have to be ordered separately