Love is in the cards
The Valentine cards, that is. This story dates back to 2016 and it’s coming to you by request.
Tracy Valiquette (yes, she’s my cousin) asked if I still had a copy of this article I’d written back then. It’s got some sentimental value to her for more than one reason.
For one, the article talks about her grandfather who was a collector of Victorian Valentines.
The second reason, a sadly sentimental one, is that Tracy and her husband Scott lost everything in a house fire in December. Her grandfather’s collection was one of the many mementoes lost.
Leah Carson is also mentioned in the article and I checked in with Leah. She confirmed that she still sends Valentine and still gets a Valentine card and gift from her husband. What a lovely tradition for this couple!
I had some problems with my original newspaper version of this document so I’ve chosen to edit the piece and post it here as part of this post rather than including the link to the article.
And so the story begins
According to a survey by the online offer company RetailMeNot.ca, only 11 per cent of Canadians will celebrate Valentine’s Day with their families this year.
And yet in 2013 alone, Canadians exchanged nearly 40 million valentines. In fact, according to a report from Hallmark Canada in 2013, Valentine’s Day was the second-largest card-sending occasion with only Christmas topping it. Hallmark produces a whopping 1300 valentines—and that’s just one company.
With 83 per cent of Canadian men and women saying that people put too much pressure on Valentine’s Day, you have to wonder; who’s sending all the cards?
The Hallmark lady
One of the people could be Leah Carson who says she’s been dubbed “the Hallmark lady” by one local store where she regularly purchases greeting cards to send to family and friends.
But Leah not only sends cards, she receives them and keeps them too. That includes the Valentine cards her husband Glenn has given her over the years—one for every year they’ve been together.
“I always get a card,” she says. “And if Glenn’s working out of town, he gives it to me early.”
While she maintains greeting cards can be costly, she doesn’t mind spending the money. In fact, she really likes doing it.
As for the cards she receives; “I love re-reading the verses—some of them are so beautiful,” she says.
Recycling Valentines
Because her card collection is growing, she’s thinking of recycling some of the cards. Perhaps she’ll cut out some of the verses to use in her own handmade cards. And she might use some of the images to decorate her family scrapbooks.
There’s always a way to use them. She once cut verses out of Valentines to scatter on tables at a church Valentine Tea.
“I like to think of it as being able to share them with people all over again,” she says.
In 2016, Leah mailed out about 14 valentines. She buys an average of 20 cards a month for all different occasions and at Christmas she mails out about 70 cards. Sometimes she sends cards when she hears of someone who needs a little cheer or a congratulations.
“I’ll keep doing it as long as the postage doesn’t get any more outrageous,” she says. “And besides, everyone likes getting a card in the mail.”
A brief history of Valentines
Valentines have been popular since the Middle Ages with written Valentines appearing after 1400. By the 16th century Valentines were common in England and other western countries and by the 1700s, the increasing popularity of Valentines hit North America.
In the mid-1800s, fancy lace Valentines were introduced and soon after, ribbons were added to the cards. Manufacturers of paper, lace, and cards were all eager to promote Valentines as a means of increasing their sales.
Late 18th century cards were often religious, depicting such objects as the Sacred Heart and angels. That may well be where the Valentine heart and Cupid both originated.
By the time of the Victorian era, the post office had implemented penny stamps so mailing Valentines became more feasible. This brought about the popularity of collecting and trading penny postcards.
A treasured collection
One such collector of penny postcards was Stanley Dixon, born in Dunn’s Valley in 1905. His collection is now in the hands of his granddaughter, Tracy Valiquette, who was surprised to find it existed.
“I didn’t even know my Grandfather collected these postcards as a child,” says Tracy, who came into possession of the cards when they were discovered in a closet after her mother’s death.
She moved the collection out of the original weathered album into protective plastic sleeves where they’re easier to look at. The penny postcards, over 100 in all, include seven Valentines as well as cards celebrating such occasions as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Some of the Valentine cards were inscribed to the young Stanley from “Grandma Singleton”. And some of the one-cent cards also have one cent stamps on them, affirming that nickname, penny postcards.
One of the Valentine-themed cards, dated February 10, 1913, was mailed to the then 9 year-old to Dunn’s Valley. Another reads, I love my chewing gum but oh you lollipop and is dated 1912.
Some of the cards even have elaborate touches including ribbons woven through the edges and touches of hand embroidery and embossing.
Tracy spent a lot of time at her grandparents though she admits she was around her grandmother more and doesn’t recall a lot of details about her grandfather.
“I certainly never knew he had these cards from his childhood,” she says.
Though Tracy is among that 89% who don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, she will keep her collection of postcards for sentimental reasons. And once in a while, she wonders if the more than 100-year old collection holds any other value.
A few final statistics
Back to those statistics from RetailMeNot.ca, 42% of men and 32% of women admit to waiting last minute to purchase Valentine gifts. And almost one-quarter choose to celebrate on a different day to avoid crowds.
So there you have it; it may be late but you’re still on time to show your love to your Valentine this year. But choose those cards wisely; you never know who’ll be looking at it in 100 years.
—end—
Do you send Valentines? Got a favourite Valentine memory? Tell us about it in the Comment section.