Valentine crepe heart, ca. 1900.  Simple yet elegant use of delicate crepe paper to create the pop-up.  Most of the Valentine cards from this period were designed in England, but were printed in Germany which had the best printing facilities at the time.

French Biedermier Card, ca.1820 (Biedermeier refers to work in the fields of literature, music, the visual arts and interior design in the period between the years 1815 and the end of the Napoleonic Wars 1848).  Joints and pivot points are made of string and card is had tinted painted with watercolor.  Numbered at the top, indicated one of a series.
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Love’s Telephone, ca. 1880.  As the new century approached, people were fascinated with new technology including one invention that would change the way people communicated.  This card even allows for a variety of messages as the wheel is turned.

Flower Girl, ca. 1900.  Delightful surprise in the transformation from heart of flowers to costume for the girl.  Also, the metal rivets used as pivot points for the limbs are made steel, an improvement over copper, which developed a patina quickly and stained the paper.
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Exchange of Hearts, ca. 1900.  Double-movement, surprise pull-tab. Very rare mechanism due to the wide range of movement.
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Wipe on/off Loving Thoughts, ca. 1890.  Wonderful and sweet wheel.  Especially unique because no faces are shown (very rare in Valentine’s cards).  The most important element, literally, is the written message, which “magically” seems to appear on the chalk board.
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Pop-up Valentine car, ca. 1910. And surely one of the greatest inventions of the early 20th century finds it’s way into Valentine’s cards! This spectacular greeting was even meant to be opened and displayed for all to admire. A nice little accent is the crepe flower located at the front tire.

Little Sweethearts, ca. 1890.  Terrific double-movement, delayed reaction card.  Also unique for its printed representation of lace and for the 18th century be-wigged children in the reveal.  Gold ink inside adds a final touch of elegance.