The Antique Valentine’s Day Cards Collection, 1948-1950, consists of thirty-two decorated cut-out valentines, two pop-up valentines, one large valentine, one newspaper clipping from 1950, and three notecards with written information about valentines. This collection is arranged in two series: Series I: Antique Valentines, 1948; and Series II: Documents to Antique Valentines, 1950.

Valentines were handmade until the 1800s. They were designed with lacy paper backgrounds, romantic scenes, and cut-out cupids. By 1858, fourteen firms were mass producing valentines and profited nearly $300,000 a year. During the Civil War, valentines embarked upon an era of simplistic design. In the 1920s they were fanciful and clever. In the mid-1950s, delicate lace paper cards, made from elaborate dyes, continued the tradition. In the 1980s, some valentines sold for as much as $50 apiece. In the 1990s, silk fringes and corded tassels enhanced the verses on valentine cards.