What To Do With Vintage Valentines
What Are Vintage Valentines?
Vintage Valentines are any Valentines that are from twenty-five years ago or longer. They may be stored in your attic, found in your Grandmothers scrapbook or framed as treasured family heirlooms.
What To Do When You Find Vintage Valentines
First, determine if the valentine is really vintage. Try to find a scrawled, hand written date or a date printed by the manufacturer. Next, decide if the vintage valentine has any sentimental meaning to you or anyone in your family.
If they were found in a box of belongings from the previous owner of your home, you may want to try to contact the rightful owner. If you decide that you can stand to part with them, look onto specialty markets for vintage items and check for collectors on auction sites like Ebay.
Try to handle the papers gently and place them in a good quality zip lock type bag for storage individually. Carefully inspect the Valentines for mold, insects or other problem areas. Store them in a cool, dark area away from all moisture to help maintain the integrity of the paper.
If you decide your Vintage Valentines have a great sentimental value for someone else in your family, consider taking it to a specialty frame shop and requesting a high quality frame of shadow box with treated glass that will protect the Valentine from sun damage. Giving a framed vintage valentine as a gift is a special way of preserving past loves and memories. It may become a treasure possession to be passed down through the generations of your family.
You can also have your vintage valentines scanned and loaded onto your computer. In digital format, your prized valentines can live forever without aging another day. You can also utilize the digital images as clip art type files and create specialized cards, calendars, t- shirts, gift bags or other items to be used for great gift ideas for friends and loved ones.
You can also email the digital impression of your vintage valentine to loved ones and friends far away, or use them as documentation if you are selling your collection online or posting an add in a local paper or trade magazine.
Whatever you choose to do with your collection of valentines, use care in handling the delicate paper to avoid damage. Some collectors may pay top dollar for a well-preserved memento from days gone by. |
