diff --git a/api/src/main/java/com/tersesystems/echopraxia/spi/DefaultToStringFormatter.java b/api/src/main/java/com/tersesystems/echopraxia/spi/DefaultToStringFormatter.java
index 2818b095..3a9f1676 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/com/tersesystems/echopraxia/spi/DefaultToStringFormatter.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/com/tersesystems/echopraxia/spi/DefaultToStringFormatter.java
@@ -28,10 +28,27 @@ public String formatField(@NotNull Field field) {
       assert fieldVisitor != null;
       field = fieldVisitor.visit(field);
     }
-    formatValue(builder, field.value(), attributes);
+
+    Attributes valueAttributes =
+        collectValueAttributes(field.attributes(), field.value().attributes());
+    formatValue(builder, field.value(), valueAttributes);
     return builder.toString();
   }
 
+  // if the field has elided, tostringvalue, abbreviateafter, or ascardinal,
+  // it should apply to the value instead.
+  Attributes collectValueAttributes(Attributes fa, Attributes valueAttributes) {
+    if (fa.containsKey(ABBREVIATE_AFTER)) {
+      return valueAttributes.plus(abbreviateAfter(fa.get(ABBREVIATE_AFTER)));
+    } else if (fa.containsKey(AS_CARDINAL)) {
+      return valueAttributes.plus(asCardinal());
+    } else if (fa.containsKey(TOSTRING_VALUE)) {
+      return valueAttributes.plus(withToStringValue(fa.get(TOSTRING_VALUE)));
+    } else {
+      return valueAttributes;
+    }
+  }
+
   @NotNull
   @Override
   public String formatValue(@NotNull Value<?> value) {
@@ -135,7 +152,7 @@ private void formatObject(@NotNull StringBuilder b, @NotNull Value.ObjectValue v
           assert fieldVisitor != null;
           field = fieldVisitor.visit(field);
         }
-        formatValue(b, field.value(), attributes);
+        formatValue(b, field.value(), field.value().attributes());
         displayComma = i < fieldList.size();
       }
     }