Street View & Small Town RPPC's

Street view & small town RPPC's have become highly sought after.   Many of these cards show pictures of buildings and landmarks that have long been destroyed and a great number of them were very limited in production.  Many collectors in this area are highly specialized and tend to focus on one area or town. You will also find many people interested in local history, such as museums & historical societies seeking these cards.  It's hard sometimes to tell what drives the price on these type of cards since the have so many different type of admirers with just as many reasons for collecting.  A great way to get started with this type of collection is begin with your home town or one you have knowledge of and then branch out from there.  Also get a good magnifying lamp and study every detail of the card.  I try to identify what signs if any, what type of businesses, what type of vehicles, what are the landmarks, is there anything unusual etc...  A great way to find local cards are at estate sales and on ebay. You may be able to pick up some as low as $5 to $10 but don't be shocked if some of the more rare cards and smaller town go for up into the $100's.  Again I can't emphasize this enough, price is irrelevant if you buy only what you like and what you are interested in.

Paper Moon Postcards

Late in the 19th century on into the late 1920's having your picture taken with a fantasy backdrop such as these of a "Paper Moon" was all the rage. Most of

these photos were taken in small studios at arcades, amusement parks and carnivals so the quality on many of them is sometimes poor.  Collecting Postcards of portraits taken on the "Paper Moon" has become quite popular and some can fetch a pretty penny. while most sell between $15 & $45 it is not uncommon for some to reach into the $100's.  Just as with any postcard the price varies on several factors. The quality of the card is a factor but on these not always the main factor, other factors that are considered are is the location or studio identified, what is the subject matter,(one person, a group, a soldier with dog etc...), is the photographer identified, is it a mass produced  or a one of a kind portrait? All of these are factors to take into consideration while purchasing "Paper Moon" postcards.  The main thing of course as with any collection is collect what you like and the price is only relative to how much you like it.