How To Date U.S. Postcards by Postage Amount - Playle

A handy reference chart from Playle's that helps collectors approximate the age of U.S. postcards based on postage rates. The guide covers every postage rate change from 1898 through the modern era, making it useful for dating both used and unused cards.

The page also explains how to use publisher addresses as dating clues, including the introduction of two-digit postal zones in 1943, five-digit ZIP codes in 1963, and ZIP+4 codes in 1983. Part of the larger Playle's site which also offers real photo postcard identification, Curt Teich archives, and postcard checklists.