Esther A. Howland, of Worcester, Massachusetts, a Mount Holyoke College student, became one of the first U.S. manufacturers of valentines. In 1847, after seeing a British valentine, she made some of her own. She made samples and took orders from stores.  Employing other women, Howland expanded her business into a $100,000 -a-year enterprise. 

Many valentines of the 1800's were hand painted. Some featured a fat cupid or showed arrows piercing a heart. Many cards had satin, ribbon, or lace trim. Others were decorated with dried flowers, feathers, imitation jewels, mother-of-pearl, sea shells, or tassels. Some cards cost as much as $10. 

From the mid-1800's to the early 1900's, many people sent comic valentines called penny dreadfuls. These cards sold for a penny and featured such insulting verses as:

'Tis all in vain your simpering looks, You never can incline, 
With all your bustles, stays, and curls, To find a valentine.

Penny dreadfuls and other old valentines have become collectors' items. Read more about the History of Valentines.