The $16,000 Christmas Card... Sunday Dec. 4 2005: Although wood engravers produced prints with religious themes in Europe in the Middle Ages, the first commercial Christmas cards are believed to have been made in 1843. A 162 year-old Christmas card, perhaps the first commercial card produced for the season, sold at auction in England on Saturday for $16,000.

Commissioned by Londoner Sir Henry Cole (recognized as the inventor of the commercial Christmas card, and the first director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum), the card, printed on a lithograph stone before being hand-colored, is one of about 10 surviving from the original run of 1,000 printed in 1843.

Showing a family celebrating around a table, this card drew some criticism from prudish Victorians because it shows some of the family enjoying a glass of wine, but that didn't stop the practice of sending cards from catching on.

The auctioned card was originally sent to one Miss Mary Tripsack. And just what is printed on this first commercial Christmas card? Well, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" of course.