There are many Postcards that reproduce photos by various printing methods that are NOT "real photos"..same methods used when reproducing photos in magazines and newspapers.The best way to tell the difference is to look at the Postcard with a magnifying glass.Curt Teich & Company opened in January 1898 in Chicago, Illinois and closed in 1978.

Curt Teich & Co., a postcard printing company, operated from 1898-1978 and specialized in view (postcards that have scenic views) and advertising postcards.In 1898 Teich moved to Chicago, Illinois and started his own firm Curt Teich & Company.Teich is Perhaps best known for its "Greetings From" postcards with their large letters with local scenes inside the letters.Most Real Photo Postcards, abbreviated RPPC, have information on their backs to help in identifying the manufacturer of the photographic paper that was used by the postcard publisher.

If you can identify the paper manufacturer, you can approximate the age of the old postcard.

The rate of postage for postcards has changed throughout time and can be used to find an approximate date for postcards.