Chinese propaganda prices: Postcard vs. Poster

Vintage Chinese propaganda postcard: "White Rabbits" Theater Play". C. mid-1950s.

To complete for the time being the issue of Chinese propaganda collectibles, and assuming that you're as fascinated with these relics as we are, let us examine the question of what to collect.
Posters might naturally seem more attractive, but genuine vintage Chinese items from 1950s-1970s might be rather difficult to obtain, and collectors should be very careful as the market is abundant with quality, often very sophisticated reprints imitating age wear; sadly enough, unscrupulous sellers may sometimes conceal that they are in fact selling replicas.
According to our survey of eBay, world's largest online auction, Chinese propaganda posters usually sell for anything between 7.00 in case of known replicas to dozens of U.S. dollars. In this context, one definitely must not be confused by the low auction starting prices of around USD 0.99 per poster, since some sellers of such items set the shipping price with obligatory insurance at a staggering USD 25.00-27.00!
A poster collection, no doubt, is a good and visually attractive investment but if you're embarking on such an enterprise consider that a single framed poster may look good on the wall but a poster collection requires storage space, restoration etc.
Postcards are like small posters and have several advantages: their very size, lower prices and the fact that one is by far less likely to encounter any replicas or reprints. While a collection of several hundred genuine posters would require serious investment and extensive storage space, a similar collection of postcards will easily fit into one or two albums. As to prices, the current range in most cases is between USD 8.00 to 20.00, with some exceptions in the down and upper layers, and it is fairly easy to predict that prices will rise within several years as they did since 1990s. Our auctions of Chinese propaganda postcards usually open at less than USD 10.00, which we feel is the right starting price.
Finally, as a great introduction to the subject of Chinese propaganda, its history, artists and symbolism which pertains both to posters and postcards, we heartily recommend the richly illustrated and informative Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages (see our Links section).

More on Chinese propaganda - postcard sizes and posters

Our previous post was devoted to classic Chinese propaganda postcards and this seems to be a proper opportunity to speak of postcard sizes.

Most old postcards from the late 19th and the first third of the 20th century come in the standard size which is about 8.5 or 9 by 14 centimeters (3.5-3.5'' x 5.5''), unless the postcard is of an unfolding, oversized or small variety which was relatively rare at the time. Many postcard dealers even don't provide a note of this size, assuming that to be self-understandable while referring to pre-1920s cards.
However, one may note that those Chinese classics are somewhat larger - about 10 by 15 centimeters (4'' x 6''). This format is pretty much standard for most modern glossy cards but it came into being quite long ago, emerging as of late 1920s in European countries such as Germany. Among postcard collectors and dealers, it is known as the continental size. Thus when you next encounter the term in postcard descriptions you'll know right away what dealer talks about, as well as have some indication of the card's age.
One more word about descriptions: it is customary among dealers not to state the size of the card in question unless it is continental, oversized etc. A description that is not accompanied by postcard dimensions is an indication that the card is of standard old size.

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The Chinese of course not only produced propaganda postcards but also posters. The Dutch International Institute of Social History presents a nice collection of vintage Chinese posters (make sure to browse their Soviet and Cuban collections as well), accompanied by a fascinating article on Chinese poster hunting authored by the collector himself, Stefan R. Landsberger, and titled "Confessions of a poster collector".

Classic Chinese propaganda postcards

Classic Chinese propaganda postcards from the times of Chairman Mao are emerging from one-time obscurity to capture a prominent place among paper collectibles. These little gems printed in 1950s are surprisingly innovative, funny, interesting and can no doubt serve as an inspiration to many an artist and designer - not to mention their historic and aesthetic value. Prices of these cards are rising as well, often advancing into double figures (naturally, depending on image quality and card condition). The one shown above is titled "The Harvest is Rich and the Children are Fat".