Tips for Collecting Valentines

Vintage valentines can be very valuable, especially Victorian era pop-up honeycomb ones. Values vary and can range into the hundreds of dollars up to thousands. Check Kovels Valentine’s Day collectibles Pinterest board for examples and values.

I am a valentine card collector. If you think you might be interested in becoming a collector, here are some tips on how to start.

What should you look for?

1. Valentines that relate to the news of the day
2. Valentines signed by someone significant
3. Older homemade cards
4. Victorian three-dimensional valentines
5. Postcard valentines
6. Die-cut school-type valentines from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s
7. Mechanical valentines with moving parts from the 1950s

Hairstyles, clothes, cars, or trains pictured in older valentines will help date the card.

Where should you look?

1. Old scrapbooks
2. Keepsake boxes for letters are stored for sentimental reasons
3. Old heart shaped candy boxes
4. Flea markets or ephemera shows
5. House sales, garage/tag sales and thrift shops

Are contemporary valentines worth collecting?

The simply answer is yes if  you look for certain characteristics according to Terry Kovel of Kovel’s Antiques, Inc.

1. Cards should reflect current news, pop culture, and/or historical events.
2. Cards depicting characters from Disney, children’s’ books, cartoons, movies, and television shows.
3. Be cautious about new technology cards. Those record-your-own-voice cards will stop talking as they age.

Learn more about valentine collecting from these sites: National Valentine Collectors Association or The Ephemera Society

Here are examples from my personal collection. I love displaying them each February.