Cape Cod - Index

Cape Cod - travel_guide_2008 - Index

■ shopping cape & islands
■ SAILOR’S VALENTINES
PEOPLE ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THESE
SOUVENIRS OF OLD.
BY JENNIFER DEFOE
The idea of toting souvenirs home from vacation is nothing
new. Long before the days of T-shirts and saltwater taffy,
travelers sought out trinkets made by local residents of faraway
places, carrying them back to remember their travels and to share
the experience with family and friends.
One such example is the sailor’s valentine: a wooden box
with intricate shell designs that often featured a saying or
someone’s name. The term “sailor’s valentine” is frequently
misconstrued. Sailor’s valentines were not made by bored sailors
for their sweethearts, as is often suggested. In reality, the
intricate creations were typically made by islanders for the
sailors to bring home to loved ones.
“Most were made in Barbados,” says Richard Kahn, a
Chatham dealer specializing in maritime antiques, “and, as sailors
traveled, they would bring them back to a sweetheart or to Mom.”
The traditional sailor’s valentine is an octagonal box made of
wood, frequently mahogany, lined with paper, on which shells and
seeds were glued in repeating mosaic patterns. A valentine
would typically use hundreds of individual pieces in creating the
design. A glass cover was then added to protect the work. Most
boxes were doubles, hinged at the center, but occasionally singles
were made.
Although sailor’s valentines primarily came from the
Caribbean, many were made in England, Kahn says, “because the
Victorians loved shell work.”
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Cape Cod Travel Guide Annual 2008
Artist Sandy Moran spends between 60 and 70 hours a week in her
Yarmouthport studio crafting contemporary sailor’s valentines. DAN CUTRONA
Brad Finch, owner of Spyglass Antiques in Brewster, says
that, although they were most frequently intended for a
girlfriend, sailor’s valentines incorporated a number of
sentiments, such as “Welcome Home” or “I Love Mother.”
The production of sailor’s valentines was at its peak in the midto
late 1800s and is believed to have stopped right around the turn
of the century. Originals can vary widely in quality and design and
are extremely rare these days.
“Some are more primitive and dull,” says Kahn, “and others are
more colorful, depending on the shells that were available.”
These variations in quality will affect today’s prices, as does
the lack of supply. There has also been a recent surge in
popularity, something Kahn attributes to sailor’s valentines
simply being fashionable today.
This lack of supply, combined with increased demand, is
driving up prices for those that do become available, and both Finch
and Kahn say having an antique sailor’s valentine come on the
market is rare. “I’ve sold four or five in over 20 years,” says Finch.
Kahn says he can’t keep them in stock in shop, Kahn Fine
Antiques. “The ones that do come on the market tend to be at
auction,” he says.
On the rare occasion that an antique sailor’s valentine does
become available, prices for a double can range up to $20,000, Kahn
says.
Contemporary versions made locally are also commanding
five-figure prices. “I went to a gallery on Nantucket and saw some
new ones between six and ten thousand dollars,” he says, noting,
“there’s also a woman in Yarmouthport whose work has really
raised the bar on them, and it’s driving up the prices for both the
new ones and the antiques.”
That woman is Sandy Moran. Working with dental equipment
and magnifying goggles, Moran will spend months creating one of
her signature sailor’s valentines. Her painstakingly fine work, and