Most ordinary family snapshots have little resale value, but their historical value can be huge — and some old photographs are genuinely valuable: early formats like daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes; cabinet cards and cartes de visite; real photo postcards; images by known photographers; and photos of identifiable historical people, places, or events. Don't throw any of it away. Unidentified old photos are exactly what's lost forever in cleanouts, so the right move is to keep the boxes intact and let someone sort them.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
The honest truth about photo value
Let's set expectations: the shoebox of 1980s vacation prints isn't worth money, and that's fine — its value is to your family, not a market. But scattered through old albums and estate boxes are photographs that are collectible or historically important, and the people clearing a house almost never know which is which. That uncertainty is exactly why so much gets thrown out — and why so much local history disappears. The answer isn't to become an expert overnight; it's to not discard anything until someone who knows has looked.
Which old photographs actually have value
Value comes from format, subject, photographer, and condition. The categories most likely to matter:
Early cased images (1840s–1860s)
Daguerreotypes (mirror-like image on silvered metal, in a small hinged case), ambrotypes (on glass), and tintypes (on thin iron). The earliest photography; often the most valuable, especially with identified subjects or striking content.
Card-mounted photos (1860s–1900s)
Cartes de visite (small, calling-card size) and cabinet cards (larger mounts). Common, but valuable when they show notable people, occupations, Native American subjects, or identifiable Western and New Mexico scenes.
Real photo postcards (early 1900s)
Actual photographs printed on postcard stock (“RPPC”). Town views, Main Streets, disasters, and small-town life can be sought after by local-history and postcard collectors.
Subject & photographer
Images of historical events, identifiable figures, railroads, mining, military, and work by named studio or art photographers carry value across formats. New Mexico territorial and early-statehood images are especially collectible regionally.
A quick way to tell formats apart
You don't need to master this, but it helps to recognize roughly what you're holding: a daguerreotype shifts between positive and negative as you tilt it and reflects like a mirror; an ambrotype is on glass and reads positive against its dark backing; a tintype is on metal, so a small magnet will cling to it; and cartes de visite and cabinet cards are paper photos glued to card stock, often with a studio name printed at the bottom. Format helps date the image, and date plus subject is most of what determines value.
How to keep them safe
If you're holding onto photos, a few habits protect them: handle prints by the edges; never write on the back with a ballpoint pen (use a soft pencil in the margin if you must); keep them cool, dry, and out of direct light; and get them out of old “magnetic” self-stick albums, whose adhesives and acidic pages slowly damage prints. Archival sleeves and boxes are inexpensive insurance. The same climate logic that protects books protects photos — see the preservation & storage guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are old family photographs worth anything?
Most snapshots aren't worth much money but can have real historical value; early formats (daguerreotypes, tintypes), cabinet cards, real photo postcards, named photographers, and historical subjects can be genuinely valuable.
How do I identify an old photo type?
Daguerreotype = mirror-like on metal in a case; ambrotype = on glass; tintype = on iron (a magnet sticks); CDV and cabinet cards = photos mounted on card stock. Format helps date and value it.
Should I throw away photos I can't identify?
No — unidentified old photos are what's lost forever in cleanouts. Keep them together and let someone sort them; the valuable and historic ones can be saved.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). What to Do With Old Photographs & Albums. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/what-to-do-with-old-photographs
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.