Is It A Find

Dear Dan, I found this postcard of Santa in a box of greeting cards that were in my mother's estate. I thought it was different because he was not dressed in his traditional red color outfit. The date on the back of the postcard is 1911. I placed it in the window of my living room on a shelf and noticed that light can shine through the card adding a very cool effect. Could you please tell me more about the card? Thanks P.W, Alstead, NH Greetings P.W, Your "hold to light" postcard was made in the early part of the 20th century in Germany. It was not until about the 1920s that we began to see that Santa's dressed in primarily red color outfits. Earlier postcards and images of Santa Claus prior to that showed him dressed in a wide variety of colors, ranging from brown to green. Hold to light postcards can command a good monetary sum depending on the condition and the rarity. There were many varieties made, some featured buildings and street scenes where the windows and lights would illuminate. I find them quite fascinating. Your postcard could retail as much as $100 as it is a scarcer example to find. Please avoid placing the card in direct sunlight over long periods of time as that can fade the colors. The translucent paper in the center of the postcard is fragile. I would suggest getting a hard plastic sleeve to store the card. Thank you for writing in with such an interesting question.