Fold-down Coronation-type carriage with large quantity of doves. 11 1/2"X 14 1/4". Value: $165-180.

The Victorians loved flowers, attested by the appearance of flowers on almost every valentine manufactured. The rose was especially suited to the romantic theme of valentines. Rosebuds, tea roses, and cabbage roses appeared singly or in bouquets adorning valentines in baskets, wheelbarrows, and with birds, hearts, and hands. Other flowers commonly used in valentines included pansies, violets, lilies of the valley, lilacs, and even orchids. Embossing gave these flowers a very realistic quality.

Rather than flowers- now children, cupids and women often appeared on valentines. Children appeared alone with other children in natural settings with adults, and dressed in every conceivable form of attire. All these scraps conformed to the Victorian idea of beauty: flawless porcelain complexions, tiny noses, rosebud mouths, huge and heavily lashed eyes, and thick heads of hair.

"Germany" or "Made in Germany" are usually the only identifying marks on many of these fold-out valentines. No matter where they were designed, where they were eventually sold, or whose trademark they might sometimes possess; these cards were printed in a German factory. The greatest number of these manufacturers were located in Berlin, although other German cities: including Hamburg, Breslau, Leipzig, Dresden, and Frankfurt- also housed valentine and other card manufacturers. However, one major firm, Emmanuel Heller, was based in Vienna.

Countless single pieces of scraps were required to produce these very large, elaborate valentines. In an effort to save money in a period where so many scraps were needed for card manufacturing, publishers designed sheets in such a way to minimize the amount of tool making. By placing a larger number of scraps in a single sheet and increasing the size of the sheet slightly, they saved much effort and money. After printing and embossing, the scraps were separated into 1000 sheet swags, for wholesale distribution. The degree of complexity involved in the printing and manufacturing determined the final price.

Originally, these cards entered America via importers who often purchased paper goods. However, as the demand for these cards increased, German companies found it profitable to set up offices in the United States, particularly New York City. U.S. Firms which imported materials included George C. Whitney, Louis Prang, Dennison Manufacturing Co., and the Hebrew Publishing Co. Many of the early German printers were Jewish and it might seem strange that they be involved in valentines. But this company's involvement is easy to understand. Their popular Jewish New Year's cards often were changed slightly and used as valentines, thus gaining a large portion of the market. Some valentines were marked and these include those made by Ernest Nister & Co., the largest lithographic establishment in Germany, based in Nuremberg. Some English manufacturers who often marked their cards were the Artistic Lithographic Co. (1891-1914) who was operated by the Obpacher Brothers and Davidson Brothers (1883-1912) which produced both cards and valentine greeting booklets.

Siegmund Hildesheimer and Company of Germany specialized in early fold-out cards. An 1884 advertisement in The Stationery Trades Journal boasted of "Valentines, Tasteful in Conception." With offices in London, Manchester, and New York, they produced countless fold-out and other three-dimensional valentines. Unfortunately none of their valentines were marked, but their distinctive large, dimensional fold-outs with themes of transportation are attributed to this company through oral historians who have interviewed workers in this prestigious firm.