Send Your Love with 'Pansies in a Basket'

Did you know that more than half of the 7 billion greeting cards sold in the United States each year are sent through the mail?

Sending love through the mail is easy with the release of the “Pansies in a Basket” greeting cards, now available in select Post Offices nationwide. Created by Hallmark, the cards feature a white woven cart brimming with dark and light purple pansies and green foliage.

Introduced as a Mother’s Day card in 1939, Hallmark reissued the design as a friendship card in 1941. Since Hallmark began tracking sales in 1942, almost 30 million cards with the pansy cart design have been purchased — more than any card in history.

Each set — sold in packs containing five cards and envelopes — costs $4.95. The front of each card bears the inscription, “To Let You Know I’m Thinking Of You.”

The 2010 Love: Pansies in a Basket 44-cent First-Class Mail stamp, sold separately, was released last April. The stamp depicts an image from the Hallmark greeting card and complements the card.

The Postal Service is currently testing greeting card sales in about 1,500 Post Offices nationwide. The same 1,500 locations — and an additional 1,500 Post Offices — will carry the Pansies in a Basket cards until they sell out or the promotion ends in October, whichever comes first. Check with your local Post Office for availability in South Florida.