The Smithsonian Institution houses the National Valentine Collection. One Valentine, a stand-up mechanical card, required removal of adhesive on its base and verso. The card is composed of embossed, die-cut chromolithographic prints or scraps on glazed, coated papers. In combining these various characteristics, which will be discussed further in this article, this Valentine is in essence the product of two parallel innovations in the mid-19th century: the increase in mass communication through the exchange of greeting cards, and the development of mass color printing through chromolithography, called the democratic art by Marzio. Unfortunately, the literature on greeting cards, and chromolithography provides little information of use to conservators on the manufacture, composition, or deterioration of chromolithographic cards. Virtually no literature exists on the analysis of conservation treatment of chromolithographs, although there are some relevant references on the conservation of pigment- coated papers. The following brief history of Valentine cards, and the technology used to produce them, represents a review of the available literature. -- CAL