The Lovers playing cards
Reproductions of old postcards with romantic messages for Valentine’s Day.
Greetings cards for Valentine’s Day started to become popular in the early 19th century. By 1841, around 400,000 were being sent every year in Great Britain alone. Postcards, such as the ones reproduced in this pack, became even more popular than greetings cards because they were cheaper to post. Angels, putti, children, hearts and roses figure prominently amongst the 54 different designs. All are in vertical format.
Above: The Lovers playing cards published by Lo Scarabeo, Turin, Italy, 2003. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 title card + 5 extra cards with explanatory text in English, Italian, Spanish, French and German, in tuck box. Size: 58 x 88 mm. © 2003 Lo Scarabeo
The first edition of these cards had a pink back and a pink box. A later edition had a red back and a (slightly smaller) red box. See the boxes►
I'm also including scans of six Valentine's Day postcards from my own collection. These images are not included in the pack but all have playing cards in the design. They date from c1910-12.
By Roddy Somerville
France • Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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