Condition

• Postcards in excellent condition are the most desirable. According to "The Postcard Price Guide," dirty, creased or worn postcards are valued mostly as placeholders in a collection until more desirable postcards with no defects come along.
  
  

Themes And Collections

• Collectors avidly seek vintage Santa Claus, children, Halloween and postcards in a series. Highly desirable postcards also include collections built around themes, such as hometowns, African-American memorabilia, World War I, colleges and transportation. Libraries seek historic postcard collections.
  
  

Historical Connection

• Vintage postcards captured scenes of family and town life, industrial progress and disasters. Collectors appreciate this connection to history and culture, according to a 2009 workshop at Brigham Young University presented by archivist and private postcard collector Jay Burrup.
  
  

Artist's Signature

• Postcards that bear the initials or signature of the original artist are highly collectible. Highly sought-after works include those by Philip Boileau and Raphael Tuck.