a print of Christopher carrying the Christ child is tacked to the wall, possibly as a more affordable alternative to a painting. Lithography The invention of colour lithography made it possible to reproduce coloured images cheaply, leading to a much broader circulation of the cards. An early centre of their manufacture was in the environs of the Church of St Sulpice in Paris; the lithographed images made there were done in delicate pastel colours, and proved extremely influential on later designs. Belgium and Germany also became centres of the manufacture of holy cards, as did Italy in the twentieth century. Catholic printing houses (such as Maison de la Bonne Presse in France and Ars Sacra in Germany) produced large numbers of cards, and often a single design was printed by different companies in different countries. Recent history The 1940 Head of Christ painting has been printed more than 500 million times, including pocket-sized cards for carrying in a wallet. In the World War II era, "millions of cards featuring the Head of Christ were distributed through the USO by the Salvation Army and the YMCA to members of the American armed forces stationed overseas". During the Cold War, both Catholics and Protestants helped to popularize these cards, presenting "a united front against the menace of godless Communism". Collecting Holy cards are popular collectible items. They are small and inexpensive and can be stored safely in plastic sleeves in a binder. Holy card collecting is mostly popular in Catholic countries. Collectors base their collection on various criteria like a favorite saint, country of issue, issuer, etc. SaintCards is a collectible holy card game that combines the themes of holy cards and card games. Since the game was publicly received as being primarily for children, its creator David Williams has released an expansion kit containing more complex rules for adults. See also Saint symbolism Icon Thai Buddha amulet Fulu Ofuda Omamori Votive candle Devotional medal Andachtsbilder Andreas Untersberger References Further reading Ball, Ann Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices. Gärtner, Hans (2004) Andachtsbildchen: Kleinode privater Frömmigkeitskultur. München: Verlag Sankt Michaelsbund (German) Dipasqua, Sandra & Calamari, Barbara (2004) Holy Cards. New York: Harry N. Abrams External links Holy card collection, University of Dayton Special Collections Christian art Sacramentals Paper products de:Andachtsbildchen la:Carta Sacra sl:Podobica