ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Postcards and Paper Ephemera

Postcards, posters, vintage photographs, tickets, menus and other everyday printed matter.

Ephemera is paper that was never meant to last: postcards, posters, tickets, photographs, menus. Because most of it was thrown away, what survives is a vivid record of everyday life - and the details of printing and use tell you how old and how rare a piece is.

Getting Started

Advertising, its paper included - trade cards, labels, calendars - has its own section: Advertising and breweriana.

Collect a place, a topic, an artist, a publisher or a period. Local history collections - every view of one town - are especially rewarding.

What to Record

Condition

Note corner wear, creases, tears, pinholes, trimming, fading and stains. For posters, record folds and restoration; for postcards, whether they are used or unused - both are collected, for different reasons.

Care and Storage

Store paper in acid-free sleeves, albums or boxes, flat and away from light and humidity. Frame posters with UV-filtering glazing. Never use adhesive tape, and keep photographs away from PVC sleeves.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Postcards & Paper Ephemera

The Data Sheet for Postcards & Paper Ephemera

The 22 fields worth recording for postcards & paper ephemera, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Title Text
The title or name the object is known by, as given by its maker, publisher or catalogue.
Subject Text
What the object depicts or is about.
Date / period Text
When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).

Physical

Height (cm) Number
Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.
Width (cm) Number
Width, measured from the front.
Materials Text
Materials the object is made of, main material first.

Condition

Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
  • Mint / as new
  • Excellent
  • Very good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026