The United States begin issuing postal cards in 1893.  Privately printed cards were charged a higher standard rate compared to the cheaper rates of government issued cards.  The government issued cards were called “Postal Cards” because the postage was printed right on the card.  Private cards needed to have postage paid for and affixed, and therefore were more costly to mail.

In 1898, the Private Mailing Card Act eliminated the differences in the cards.  However, writing was not allowed on the address side or back of these cards.  The term “Postcard” was not allowed until December 24, 1901.  From 1902-1907 undivided back postcards were most common.  The back or address side was limited to only the address.  Any message or greeting had to be on the front.  Also, real photo cards were very popular.

Beginning on March 1, 1907, divided back postcards were permitted.  This allowed messages to be written on the address side.  An easy way to date cards is by looking at the type and where the writing was.

Leather postcards are one of the earliest types of postcards in the United States.  Leather postcards are not uncommon, but are rarely mentioned in price guides or books about postcards as a collectible.  Produced between 1903 and 1910, they were often hand-tinted and usually created from deerskin.  The United States Post Office banned their use in 1909 due to the difficulty in processing them with the increasing use of mail sorting equipment.

Shown here are a variety of interesting golf-themed leather postcards courtesy of GCS member Steve Whitney.