Be Mine

I hope everyone's wearing their neck brace, because we're going from Halloween to a head-snapping Valentine's Day post.  Somehow, Thanksgiving and Christmas was lost in the shuffle.  

Truth is, I'm always burned out after 31 days of Halloween posting.  So I'll try to kick-start things with this post of Valentine's I found in the past year.

The majority of these came from a garage sale where I waited patiently as another person ahead of me cherry-picked the best of the lot.  After going for seconds, I saw the first person return and put back the Valentine's they had chosen, so I quickly grabbed those as well.

Most of these Valentine's date from the 1930's through the 50's.  Some are German made, others USA.  There's even a Canadian-made one.

Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy!

That's What You Get From Cracker Jack...Checkers

A few years back, I posted some students' Valentines sent to a teacher named Peter Blank in the 30's and 40's. Included in the box were some sheets of paper with little poems and illustrations.  They appeared to have been tied to Cracker Jack, possibly as prizes.  Only one is Valentine appropriate, but I've included the rest below.

The first is a criticism of "spooning" in public. 

Are you too stupid and senseless to know

That this sort of thing makes a sickening show?

About spooning in private I've nothing to say,

But to do it in public proclaims you a jay.

Won't You Be My Frankenstein?

Today being the 14th and the season of Halloween makes for the pefect day to show this oddball Valentine.  Marked "Valentine No. 37" and copyrighted by "CVC", I'd never seen one like it before.

For the Love of Pete - Day 14

I've saved the creepiest Valentine for last. 

For the Love of Pete - Day 13

For the Love of Pete - Day 12

For the Love of Pete - Day 11

No signature

For the Love of Pete - Day 10

Time to move a few more Valentine's today featuring more plays on words.

For the Love of Pete - Day 9

For the Love of Pete - Day 8

To Mr. Blank From Ronald Paule

For the Love of Pete - Day 7

This Valentine appears to have come from the same company as this one.

For the Love of Pete - Day 6

As we near Valentine's Day (I know, it's only Day 6), I will need to start blowing some of these out in groups. I have more than 14 Valentines to showcase. STOP SIGHING!

For the Love of Pete - Day 5

Again, it might seem a little creepy today sending your teacher a Valentine suggesting a little "neckin'", but it's done in a humorous way. 

For the Love of Pete - Day 4

In case you're just joining (ah, who am I kidding. Hello? Anyone out there?), I've been showcasing Valentine's sent to Peter Blank, a teacher from Freeburg, Illinois in the 1930's and '40's.

For the Love of Pete - Day 3

For the Love of Pete - Day 2

You know this kid got beaten up at recess a lot.

For the Love of Pete - Day 1

This past year I bought a box of vintage Christmas cards and Valentine's. I previously posted the Christmas cards here.  These Valentine's were all sent to a teacher named Peter Blank who lived in Freeburg, Illinois. From the look of the cards, they all date from the 1930's or 40's. I have a pretty good supply of them, so I thought I'd drag them out enjoy them one at a time over the days leading up to Valentine's Day.  A few have articulation, so I've included a gif showing them in action.  It's a look back on an innocent time when "love" was used much more freely, even among students and teacher.

Looking for a Valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  Here's hoping you have someone to Be Yours on this day.  Below are a few Valentine's I picked up this past year.  Not as big a haul as previous years, but a few cute ones.

These two cards to Marchella probably date from the 40's.

This card has a slide that pops the letter out.

For the Love of Theresa

Last Valentine's Day, I premiered Charlotte's scrapbook by way of her childhood Valentine's.  Coincidentally enough, I found another batch of vintage Valentine's at an estate sale this weekend.

These date from approximately the same era as Charlotte and are also from a home in Oakville, Missouri.  I had hoped for the ultimate coincidence of coming across Valentine's from Charlotte to this girl, Theresa Perowdosky. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  I'm not even sure if Theresa went to a local school or simply moved to Oakville at a later date.  But at any rate, here they are for your enjoyment.  In the case where there is text on the interior, I've included it.  Some cards have art of the back and I've included that as well.  I've tried to keep all images together: front, interior and back.  Some are simply fronts.  At some point it appears all of these were tacked up and displayed.

The Many Loves of Charlotte

A number of years ago (I'm starting to lose track), I was at the estate sale of a family friend.  Actually, it was the estate sale of his wife Charlotte whom he had married in later years, he himself having passed on several years prior to that.  The only thing I found that day was a scrapbook for $1, but a quick glance through showed it was well worth the dollar.

Inside was a snapshot of Charlotte's early years dating back to the late '20's through about 1945.  Among its pages were her childhood Valentine's.  She attended Oakville School, which at the time, based on her report cards, was  located in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and these were the Valentine's she and her classmates exchanged.  Written on the backs of the Valentine's are names familiar to long time residents of Oakville -- Heimos, Earley, Winheim, and others.  It reminded me of how innocently "love" used to be tossed around, boy to girl, girl to girl, boy to boy, teacher to student, student to teacher and it made me smile and remember.

Charlotte graduated from Hancock High School in 1935 and, sometime not too long after that, married Gene Weyler, known to her as Darling Gene, while she was known to him as "Shorty" and "Horseyfoot."  One can only imagine.  Gene ran an auto shop that still operates as such at Lucas & Hunt at St. Louis Avenue.  Gene received a deferment in WWII and worked for Robertson Aircraft Corporation, the company for whom Charles Lindbergh flew as an Air Mail pilot.  The memories in the scrapbook dry up around the late '40's.  I don't know what became of Gene.  I will detail more of the scrapbook in a later post, but for now, enjoy the Valentines.