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used/unused

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:43 am
by rory462
I am new to this hobby and greatly enjoying it. I would like to ask the 'experts' what the difference in value is between 'used' and 'un-posted'? Any guidance would be very welcome.

Re: used/unused

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:13 pm
by Moonraker
I don't claim to be an "expert", but I've seldom noticed much difference in prices between used and non-used cards.

The latter can be in better condition, but for me the former are far more interesting and often better value. Postmarks can give clues about the date of an anonymous scene- but can also mislead: too many vendors don't realise that a card can have been posted miles away from the scene it shows and on a date months or even years after it was purchased.

And the messages can be interesting historically, as indeed can the addressees or senders. I have one card that had been sent by the grandfather of "Games of Thrones" hunk Kit Harrington.

One of my early "finds" had a commonplace scene but the message had been written at a farm in the middle of a military training area.

I spend far more time researching a used card than an unused one. I've just bought a card showing a Wiltshire scene but addressed to a building that no longer exists in the main street of my town - so I'll spend a little time finding out where it was.

In short: a used card can be far more interesting than an identical one that is unused - but the prices can often be the same.

Re: used/unused

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:44 pm
by rory462
Great - that's a help. Thanks a lot.

Re: used/unused

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:32 pm
by oldpostcarder
rory462 wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:43 am I am new to this hobby and greatly enjoying it. I would like to ask the 'experts' what the difference in value is between 'used' and 'un-posted'? Any guidance would be very welcome.
I am no expert, but to a Topographical collector it makes little difference, other than a clue to date the view, if it is postally used. To the subject collector the condition of the card is paramount, so if it has been used in the post it may have some marks/damage which detracts...
:D :D

Re: used/unused

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2019 9:29 pm
by Moonraker
Perversely and conversely, to me (a subject collector) the condition of the card is important (provided this is reflected in the price), but I don't mind trading a crumple or two for an interesting message or postmark. About 15% of my cards show very visible damage, but I've yet to see duplicates of two-thirds of them.

Re: used/unused

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:47 am
by rory462
Thanks to you all who replied. As it is such a huge subject I thought I would confine myself to Raphael Tuck 'Royal Navy' and 'British Army'. Now, these are much bigger than I anticipated so was wondering how 'used' and 'un-posted' affected these.