Funny Valentines
Topps released their Funny Valentines cards starting in 1959. There were 132 cards in two series.
Topps had a lot of success with their humorous card sets, especially the ones where a punchline was set up on one side of a card and delivered on the reverse. The Funny Valentines series was tailor-made for smart-alecky kids to give to one another to show how they really felt.
The card fronts showed a piece of color artwork, usually surrounded by an ornate, frilly border, like valentine cards of many years ago. A punchline caption is given, such as the one on the right: 'I love the way your hair grows down your back... '
The card backs ended the gag, usually without the ornate border, in a monochrome cartoon. At the bottom is the card number (in a heart) and a 'To:' space for kids to write the recipient's name. And the gag is concluded: '...Too bad it doesn't grow on your head!'
The illustrations for this series were done by the inestimable Jack Davis.
Value: Cards in this series, in Excellent condition, can usually be purchased for about $1.50 to $3.00 each, with a full set (of either series) available for between $85.00 to $125.00.