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RobertSReal-Photo postcards refer to cards that actually are photographs, developed on photographic paper the same size and weight as traditional, publisher-issued postcards. Like other postcards, Real-Photo cards feature a postcard back complete with stamp box.
First popularized in 1901, these postcards can be identified by the images themselves, as well as by the stamp boxes, which identify the manufacturers of the photographic paper. More common names are AZO, Cyko, Velox, and later EKC and Kodak.
Because these cards could be made simply by purchasing paper and developing a photo directly onto it, most Real-Photo cards depict semi-pro and town teams. However, some of the rarest postcards of this type feature Major Leaguers, often in candid poses.
For more information and for a gallery of Real-Photo baseball postcards (and a link to a cheat sheet on how to tell the age of a real-photo postcard), you can check out www.vintageball.com/realphotos.html .
**note: this site is not a comercial enterprise, it is intended as purely informational.