5 Things You Didn't Know About Loveland's Valentine Program
A few facts that don't make it into the quick version of the story.
1. It started as a stamp collector's idea, not a marketing plan
The whole tradition traces back to the Loveland Stamp Club in the mid-1940s — a group of philatelists who noticed their town's name doubled as a valentine. It wasn't dreamed up by a tourism board; it grew organically from people who genuinely loved postmarks.
2. Loveland isn't the only town cashing in on its name
Valentine, Nebraska runs its own "Cachet Program" with a similar idea — but at a fraction of the scale. Romeo, Michigan and Bliss, New York also offer their own pictorial Valentine's postmarks. Loveland's program is still by far the largest, handling well over 100,000 cards a year compared to a few thousand in most other towns.
3. Every year's postmark design is different
The Chamber of Commerce runs an annual contest for the verse and cachet design, meaning no two years of Loveland valentines look exactly alike. Collectors actually keep sets going back decades.
4. It's almost entirely volunteer-run
Hand-cancelling six-figure volumes of mail every February takes a small army of Chamber and postal volunteers, many of whom return year after year purely because they enjoy being part of it.
5. You can drop your card off in person
If you happen to be in Loveland in early February, you don't need to mail the outer envelope at all — local drop boxes let you skip that step entirely. See the mailing guide for current locations.
Sources: VERIFY / WCNC, KUNC.