Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Make sure you are purchasing authentic vintage Valentine cards. There are many reproductions that look very similar to the vintage cards, so do your research and find out the marks to look for on authentic Valentines. If you have a Valentine that the dealer says is from between 1740 to 1840, you can almost be assured it is a fake, since most of these are in museums.
Set a budget. You are going to find more than what you can display in your home. Setting a budget allows you to narrow your scope. For instance, a vintage Valentine card from the Victorian era will cost on average 50 or 60 dollars; if you have room for three cards in your display case, then set your budget at 150 dollars.
Determine the kind of vintage Valentines to collect. The types to consider are postcard types, the traditional greeting card types and special 3 dimensional Valentines. You can also select your collection by what era the Valentine was produced. Depending on the era and type you can expect to spend from about 1 dollar to upwards of 100 dollars or more.
Decide on a theme for your vintage valentine collection. Cards portraying things such as cherubs, cupid, heats and flowers are common, but you can choose to select themes of cars, trains and boats. These later themes usually come from the Victorian era and are mechanical, meaning they have a moving paper lever or other such movable part. The mechanical cards are valuable since it is difficult to find them intact.
Read the greetings on your collection. These hand-written notes to loved ones give us a glimpse of history in its most vivid form. Use the collection as a springboard for studying the history of St. Valentine with your children. Collecting vintage Valentines may be fun, but collecting moments together with your family is priceless.