TRADE CARDS

Dubuque merchants used trade cards to advertise their businesses. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

TRADE CARDS. Advertising used between 1880-1900. Tradecards were about the size of a 3x5 index card and generally had nice pictures with advertising on the front; there was often full advertising text (and sometimes testimonials) on the back. In the late 1800's and early 1900's thousands of different trade cards were produced for the American public. Because of the coloring, they became highly desirable and many ladies started to collect them. Some trade cards were beautiful. Others were funny, and some had puzzles.

Trade cards could be classified into two types. Generic cards could be applied to any product. The backs were generally blank so they that could be printed by the advertiser. There was also usually a blank box on the front for the advertiser. The same stock card could be used by multiple advertisers. Custom cards were produced by or for specific companies which did not share their designs with other firms. These cards often pictured the product being advertised.

Local merchants handed trade cards out for free as a cheap and effective way to advertise products and services. Almost every type of product or service imaginable was advertised in this way. Trade cards for patent medicines and various practitioners such as physicians, dentists and optometrists are among the most prized to collectors.