Golf Valentines
There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts say it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.
Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. Written Valentine's didn't appear until after 1400, and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be generally celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.
Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, inspired by a Valentine she received from England. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) In addition to the U. S., Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
There is a valentine for everyone--sweetheart, spouse, children, parents, teacher and even your pet! And, of course – the golfer in your life. When golf began to influence the design of greeting cards in general and Christmas cards in particular, it also influenced Valentines. We find golf-themed Valentines in the U.S. beginning around 1900. Golfing terms even became innuendoes for lovers, as seen in the poems that appear inside many golfing valentines.
Several golf collectors have significant collections of golf-themed valentines. They are more often found in antique stores and trade shows for paper or greeting card collectors, rather than at golf trade shows. A variety of interesting examples are shown here.
Photographs courtesy of Steve Whitney
