Heart-Racing Valentine’s Day Auction Results
Looking for some Valentine’s Day inspiration or for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetheart this year? Sometimes the most exceptional love tokens appear in unexpected places – like under the auction gavel! Take heart and check out these recent – and totally terrific – Valentine’s Day themed auction results that caught the eye of the Auction Daily editorial team!
Cupid is universally recognized as a Valentine’s Day ambassador, and is often pictured as a chubby, winged, and playful toddler. On November 8, 2025, Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH of Ladenburg, Germany, sold lot #2031, a Steiff Cupid Kewpie prototype doll. Estimated at €850-€1,700, it realized €8,060. This fully jointed, naked doll from 1913 was made from felt and measured 37 cm tall. It featured sideways glancing eyes; small, dimensional ears; painted cheeks and lips; and small felt wings on its back shoulders. It came directly from the Steiff archives in Giengen, Germany and was sold with its original Steiff archive tag.
This doll, which never went into production at Steiff, is likely based on artist Rose O’Neill’s Kewpie cartoon characters. These impish children debuted in the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal in 1909. By 1913, O’Neill’s Kewpies were being manufactured as dolls and other playthings and took the world by storm. Steiff always kept an eye out for popular cultural trends for possible new product designs and introductions. As such, it was no surprise that the German company produced a Kewpie style doll to try and capture some of this business. It is not known why this doll did not go into production, but it is possible that licensing issues got in the way.
Not all Valentine’s Day greetings come in the form of paper cards. On September 3, 2025, William Smith Auctions of Plainfield, NH, sold lot #0134, a 20th century, double sided Sailor’s Valentine. Estimated at $400-$600, it made $3,750. This octagonal shaped example was housed in a 11-1/2” x 11-1/4” dark stained wooden mahogany case which closed with a latch. Its interior was skillfully decorated with shell art with the inscription For The One I Love on one side, and a collage of hearts and flowers on the other.
Sailor’s Valentines date from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries. They were typically produced by gluing shells in detailed and geometric patterns onto a cotton batting. These mosaics were then encased under glass and presented in an octagonal, wooden frame. Common themes included hearts, flowers, ocean-related images, and other loving (and sometimes naughty) symbols and wording. Sailors would bring these as souvenirs to their loved ones upon their return home. However, for the most part, they did not make these items themselves. Most were purchased at port stores in the southeastern Caribbean, often Barbados, and made by women in local cottage industry workshops.
Hearts of all sorts are often noted on fine glass decorative items, probably because they translate so well in traditional glass blowing and decorative processes. On October 25, 2025, Woody Auction of Douglass, KS, sold lot #0319, a Gallé French Cameo vase with a floral bleeding heart decor. Estimated at $750-$1,250, it traded hands at $2,040. This pedestal vase measured 9″ x 5-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ and was signed Gallé on its side. It was made from frosted white and yellow glass and was decorated with cutback heart shaped flowers and leaves in various shades of cranberry.
French artist Émile Gallé (1846-1904) and his company are best known for their production of fine decorative glass artworks in the Art Nouveau style. Many Gallé examples, like this one sold at Woody Auction, feature nature-inspired coloration and decoration, as well as innovative (at the time) surface detailing techniques. Gallé showcased his award winning style at many international fairs including the 1878 Paris Universal Exposition, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition. After he passed away from leukemia in 1904, Gallé’s family continued operating his glass production facility through the early 1930s.
Hearts and art go hand in hand – literally – with the word ART making up the majority of the letters in the word heart! On February 1, 2025, Antiques & Modern Auction Gallery of West Palm Beach, FL, sold lot #0104, Jim Dine’s 33 Hearts mixed media assemblage. Estimated at $800-$1,200, it made $4,290. This framed work measured 25-1/2″ x 21-1/2 and featured 33 hand painted hearts hanging from five vertical strings. Three strings had seven heart and two strings had six hearts. It was signed by the artist on the lower right and dated 2011.
Jim Dine (American, b. 1935) is an American artist, teacher, and poet. He often incorporates found or everyday items in his artwork production. On October 4, 2024, his Cheer Up, My Sisters from 1988 was sold through Hill Auction Gallery in Sunrise, FL and realized $71,500. Dine’s work is included in the collections of numerous museums, including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA – among many others.
And finally, designer and fashion muse Coco Chanel once said, “Wear perfume wherever you want to be kissed!”… a perfect quote for Valentine’s Day! On April 19, 2025, Perfume Bottles Auction of New York, NY sold lot #0089, a ruby red, Baccarat Art Deco bottle for Ybry’s Desir du Coeur/Heart’s Desire brand perfume. Estimated at $6,000-$8,000, it delivered $17,500. This extremely rare bottle, made in 1925 for the French luxury perfume brand Ybry, measured 7-3/4″ tall and was made from pink and white cased glass with a gilt metal collar. It was sold with its original and matching enameled stopper cover and stopper.
Ybry was founded in 1925 by Simon Jaroslawsky in France. He produced four different perfumes, Topaz, Emerald, Ruby, Amethyst, under The Jewels of Perfume brand banner. Each was presented in a monumental, luxurious, jewel toned Baccarat bottle aligned with its name. Ybry perfumes were confidently advertised as the most expensive in the world and were the “it” fragrances of affluent celebrities in the know. Their distinctive and oversized bottles appear regularly in movies from the roaring 20s era. Ybry ceased production in the early 1930s due to poor global economic conditions.
Curious about Valentine’s Day and the history of paper Valentine’s Day cards? Check out this Auction Daily article on Collecting Valentine’s Day Cards With Category Expert Nancy Rosin.
