A Look at Something Rare : A Book of Vintage Valentines from the 60s

Follow Up 2020 : Hi. Thanks for dropping by. I used this book as part of our vintage Valentine decor this year, found here , if you’d like to see. xo

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate, and happy Wednesday to those who don’t!

In honour of the day, I thought I’d share a rare item I found on ebay a few months ago. It’s a completely intact book of Valentines for children, lithographed in Scarborough in the sixties. (If you’re wondering, Scarborough is the suburb to the east of Toronto.)

As mentioned last week, I mail Valentine cards to the young people in my life every year, so I put a bid on this book of 200 pieces (around 110 valentines, plus extra bits to go with them), fully intending to use it if I won the auction.

I really didn’t need any more vintage Valentines, as I already had a good stash, however that never stopped me from looking. I was surprised when this came up in my search, as I’d never seen one exactly like it. What I could see in the few photos the seller included, this was a special deluxe version. It was hard to resist, so I put in the minimum bid of $20.

I was particularly interested in this book because I already had copies of some of the cards in it, in my collection. Those came cut apart and a little beat up when I got them as part of a mixed lot years ago, (also from ebay), Regardless of being torn here and there, though, I’ve loved and displayed them every year — they’re hanging much like they were in this post right now.

So, as you can see, I won the auction. These types of vintage Valentine books go for over a hundred dollars when they are in good shape, so I was pretty surprised about that.

And, now that I’ve seen it and realize that it might very well be the only example of its kind still in existence today, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to bring myself to break it apart. hmmm.

Here’s a look …

↑ A paper doll “Miss Valentine” with four outfits, plus accessories! ↑

↑ The backs of the card are decorated too. ↑

↑ I had a copy of the cat on the bottom left and have always been curious to know what was supposed to fit into the little slot cut into its paw. Now I know it’s a little envelope that says “Just For You” ↑

Thank you for taking a look.
Sending love your way,
xo loulou

These stories were linked to.

Valentine’s Decor 2020 : Thrifted and Handmade

A Handmade Valentine Display using Vintage Cards