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An exceptional and highly collectible original 19th-century Victorian embossed paper-lace Valentine / greeting card, dating to approximately the 1870s. This is a deluxe, premium example of the period featuring multi-layered tactile elements and exquisite craftsmanship.**Deluxe Features & Construction:**
- **Applied Fabric Texture:** The figure's purple jacket and black trousers are embellished with a distinctive, fuzzy "applied felt/velvet" texture that remains completely intact.
- **Embellishment:** Adorned with a rare, genuine miniature metal button applied to the waistcoat vest.
- **Sentiment & Motifs:** Features a paper tag reading "I cling to thee," elegantly framed by vibrant pink roses and blue forget-me-not florals.
- **Border:** Features an ornate, deeply embossed cream-coloured paper-lace scalloped border.
- **Reverse:** Blank with no handwriting, signatures, or postal marks, as was traditional for hand-delivered Victorian Valentines. Shows the clean mechanical reverse of the deep embossing.**Condition:**
Very good antique condition for an item over 150 years old. The colors are wonderfully vibrant, the paper lace border is beautifully preserved with no major tears or folds, and all delicate 3D elements (felt, hand slot, and metal button) are fully intact. A magnificent, clean addition to any advanced social history or ephemera collection. Please review the close-up photographs to fully appreciate the texture and condition.
