Abstract: An internally illuminatable card having an electroluminescent panel, an image overlay on at least one surface of the electroluminescent panel, and a plurality of power contacts in electrical communication with the electroluminescent panel and accessible through at least one surface of the card, and a card lighter wherein electrical energy sufficient to illuminate the electroluminescent panel is selectively coupled to the electroluminescent panel via the power contacts upon energization by the card switch terminal occurring after contact is established between the power contacts and the card lighter. The card lighter includes a housing, a power supply, a plurality of lighter contacts, and a delay mechanism for reducing arcing when the card is inserted into the card lighter. The power supply can be adapted so as to cause a card inserted into the lighter to flash or to cause the hue and intensity of the light emitted from the inserted card to alternate between two states.