What to Do With Old Postcards & Ephemera

Old postcards and ephemera are the category where "you don't know what you have" is most true — most cards are common, but a real-photo postcard from the early 1900s can be highly collectible, and you usually can't tell at a glance. Don't sort it, don't toss it, and don't give the whole box away unseen. Bring it all to me — I check every piece, flag the gems, and there's almost always something good in the box. Postcards, letters, photos, brochures, the whole shoebox.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 702-496-4214

Why this category is different

With encyclopedias or old textbooks, the honest headline is "mostly low value." Postcards and ephemera are the opposite kind of problem: the average card is cheap, but the field is real, the gems are genuinely valuable, and they're almost impossible to spot if you don't know what you're looking at. Postcard collecting even has its own name — deltiology — and it's one of the most popular paper-collecting hobbies in the world. That combination (low average value, real sleeper finds, hard to identify) is exactly why so many valuable cards get sold for pennies or thrown away.

Which postcards are valuable

Real-photo postcards (RPPCs). These are actual photographs printed on postcard stock — not printed/lithographed images — and they're the heart of the valuable market. The "Golden Age" (roughly 1900–1919) RPPCs are the most prized, and small-town street scenes, occupational portraits, disasters and historical events, and unusual subjects are highly sought-after by collectors.

Place, subject, and era. Pre-1920 cards generally; holiday cards (Halloween especially); cards tied to a specific town, railroad, or event; and — right here — New Mexico, Route 66, Pueblo and Native, and Southwest-tourism subjects, which collectors actively chase.

Most printed cards, though, are common and common and worth very little — which is fine, because you're not the one who has to separate those from the genuinely collectible RPPC.

Ephemera: the rest of the shoebox

"Ephemera" is the collector's word for everyday paper that was never meant to survive — and a surprising amount of it is collectible. In the same boxes as postcards you'll often find old letters and correspondence, trade cards, advertising, brochures and travel folders, photographs and snapshots, maps, tickets, programs, menus, and documents. Old photographs and letters tied to a person or place can have real genealogical and historical value; early advertising and trade cards are collected as graphic design; travel ephemera ties into the whole Southwest-tourism story. Don't throw the "junk paper" out — it's frequently the good part.

Why thrift stores can't handle it

Thrift stores aren't equipped to identify or price postcards and ephemera, so they either reject it or dump a box of mixed cards out for a flat price — which is exactly how a genuinely collectible real-photo card ends up in a bargain bin. The skill to recognize the gems is the whole point, and it's what I bring to every box that comes in.

I take all of it

Postcards, real-photo cards, letters, photographs, trade cards, brochures, maps, programs, the whole shoebox or trunk — any amount, any condition — free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. I go through every piece, flag and protect the genuine gems, and keep or responsibly handle the rest. You don't identify anything, you don't risk giving a treasure away, and there's almost always something worthwhile in the box.

Frequently asked questions

Are old postcards worth anything?

Depends on the card — most are common and worth very little, but Golden-Age real-photo postcards (1900–1919), especially street scenes and historical subjects, can be genuinely collectible. You can't tell at a glance, so bring them all.

What is ephemera and is it collectible?

Everyday paper not meant to last — postcards, letters, trade cards, brochures, photos, maps. Much of it is collectible, especially older pieces and anything tied to a place, person, or event.

How do I avoid giving away a treasure?

Don't give a whole box away unseen. Real-photo and pre-1920 cards are the ones to pause over — or just bring it to me and I'll sort it honestly.