Rare 1900′s Harry Houdini $2000.00 Trading Card Memorabilia 1924 Frys Magic Tricks and Puzzles Cigarette Cards

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Trading cards and cigarette cards were issued on a huge array of subjects, including that which has fascinated mankind since the beginning of time, magic. As with many card collecting subjects, there are certain cards that fetch colossal amounts of money. With baseball cards it’s Honus Wagner, one of which was the first card to exceed $1M, on eBay. With magic cards, the most sought after celebrity is Harry Houdini. His magic is still working after all these years as his cards conjure up nearly $2000.00 for a 1902 Ogden’s Guinea Gold card depicting him and almost £100.00 for a rare 1922 Boy’s Cinema (periodical) Famous Heroes card featuring this legendary man.

Although I, unfortunately, don’t have any Houdini cards in my collection, I do have a very rare Fry’s Tricks and Puzzles (Black Back), issued in 1924, just two years before Houdini’s death. This set includes fifty tricks/puzzles: disappearing coins, playing cards that produce smoke rings, dancing paper fairies, impossible handcuffs, bringing paper snakes to life and many more. One card also includes the politically incorrect act of creating silhouettes of different ethnic groups out of a candle and screwed up newspaper, not recommended these days. The backs of the cards in this set, as well as describing each trick and puzzle in detail , also advertise Fry’s “Cube Block Chocolate”, priced at just six pence each.


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Ogden's Guinea Gold , New Series 1 B (featuring Harry Houdini), 1902

Boys Cinema , Famous Heroes (featuring Harry Houdini), 1922

JS Fry & Sons Ltd , Tricks and Puzzles (Black Back), 1924 (50 cards)

Includes:Sixpence and Card Trick, Mr, Roly Poly, The Surplus Spill, The Fairy Dancers, Chalk Line Puzzle, Handcuff Puzzle, The Mesmerised Match Box, The Miraculous Apple, The Travelling Cubes of Sugar, Can you Count?, The Wandering Ace, The Q Trick, To make Smoke Rings, The Rising Flood, Pricking the Garter, The Vanishing Coin, A Square Puzzle, The Floating Needle, Cut String Restored or Vanishing Knot, The Magic Match, Gravity Dafied, Bottle Coin and Match Trick, The Disappearing Shilling, Philosphy Cheated, The Magic Bond, The Travelling-Coin, The Mesmerised Walking Stick, The Vanishing Egg, The Penetrating Smoke, The Indestructible Star, The Penetrable Matches, The Erratic Egg, The Magic Ring, The Restored Handkerchief, The Torn Paper Puzzle, The Cut Finger Joke, The Incombustible Handkerchief, The Revolving Serpent, Hot is it done?, The Watch Trick, The Ridiculous Rings, The Magical Adhesion,The Cigarette Joke, The Wonderful Designer, The Tantalising Cork, The Magic Penny, The Intoxicated Wine Glass, One Two Three Gone, The Restored Slip of Paper

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1960's Pop Stars The Beatles Dusty Springfield Billy Fury Kathy Kirby Mister Softee Ice Cream Trading Cards

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Mister Softee , who ran an ice cream van fleet, issued a number of pop star trading card sets from the 1960’s -1970’s. This 1965 card set was issued in association with the Record Mirror, which was a popular music newspaper of the time. There are details of a competition on the back and it states that the “prize winners will be announced from Mister Softee ice cream vans”. This card set features a diverse range of talented singers from the “British Invasion” era.

The Beatles

The USA had dominated popular music for decades. The Beatles managed challenge this with their own unique take on Rock-n-Roll. Once established, they had the creative freedom to experiment with multiple music genres whilst maintaining their mass appeal.

Sandie Shaw

The barefooted pop princess had a long string of hits in the 1960’s and was the UK’s first singer to win the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Puppet on a String”.

Roy Orbison

Elvis Presley described him as the greatest singer, a perfect accolade for a singer. His distinctive voice and haunting ballads secured him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Manfred Mann

Were regular chart toppers in the 1960s and were the first south-of-England band to top the US charts during the British Invasion era.

Dusty Springfield

This British icon scored numerous hits in the 1960’s and made a huge impression the American market.

Georgie Fame

This talented singer /song writer scored big 1960’s hits with “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde” and “Yeah, Yeah”. His much in demand musicianship has meant that he is still active today, collaborating with many music veterans .

Adam Faith

He scored numerous hits in the 1960’s, the first seven of which were in the top 5. Unlike many of his peers, Adam Faith was a shrewd investor, securing him a position as a financial journalist in the 1980s.

Kathy Kirby

This Blonde Bombshell, whose voice was considered good enough for opera, scored 5 hits from 1963 to 1965. Her last hit was I Belong, which was the song she sang at the Eurovision Song Contest. In an interview, Kirby explained that her career declined after a 6 month affair with Bruce Forsyth. Her manager, who she was romantically involved with, was insanely jealous and destroyed Kirby’s chances of becoming a Hollywood star.

Cilla Black

After achieving worldwide fame as a 1960’s singer, she went on to become the best paid female presenter in British television history.

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard has sold 260 million records worldwide and is the only singer to have had a number one single in the UK in six consecutive decades.

Billy Fury

He went from a Liverpool dockworker to an internationally successful English singer, but sadly died young.

The Bachelors

Heralding from Ireland, this group had a monster hit with the song “Diane” .

Mister Softee, Top Ten ("Win a Big Prize") (12 cards)

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1970's Star Wars & Pin-Up Girls Vintage Erotica on Dandy Gum Trading Cards

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These saucy cards appeared in gum wrappers in the same year that Star Wars first graced our cinema screens, 1977. I bet Dandy gum was nicknamed “Randy Gum” after they issued this set of cards. This set features 1970’s pin-up girls in scanty bikinis with beautiful sea swept backgrounds. The playing card insets mean that you can easily use this set for card games. Although I wouldn’t recommend this, since I believe this set is quite rare. A full set of these does not appear in any of the major British card catalogues and I’ve never come across them myself.

Dandy Gum, Pin-up Girls, 1977 (playing card inset) (52 cards)

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WW1 Weapons Maxim Machine Gun Howitzer Aviation Armoured Vehicle Cigarette Cards

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WW1 was arguably the most significant war in the history of mankind. As well as wiping 9 million combatants off the face of the earth, it also laid the foundations for future wars. Financial crises and discontentment among Russian and German citizens would trigger the Russian revolution and the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. These would culminate in both the Cold War and WW2.

This set of cards features many powerful weapons used by the British forces in WW1. The British were a bit slow in utilising the machine gun at the beginning of the war but this soon changed when large numbers of their soldiers were slain by this killing machine. In fact the British became so enthusiastic that they created a special Machine Gun Corps in the same year that this set was issued. This could explain why the Maxim machine gun is featured on several cards. The howitzer artillery piece, which appears on several cards, was designed to fire shells at high trajectories over obstacles. A couple of cards show recent WW1 technological developments, including the aeroplane and an armoured car. One card shows that horses were still being used for transporting heavy artillery.

Modern Weapons (WW1), Ogden's, 1915, 50 cards

Includes:12 Pounder Gun on A Destroyer,92 in Gun In Barbette,Torpedo Leaving Ship's Side,47 in Gun Charge And Projectile / Missile,Maxim Gun Drill,Monster Guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery,Torpedo Just Left The Tube,Torpedo Entering The Water,5 in Howitzer Brigade, Infantry Machine Guns,Maxim Gun Drill RN,The New Aerial Missiles,The Forward Four 13.5 in Guns on HMS Monarch,6 in Howitzer Garrison Artillery,12 in Guns In Turrets - H.M.S. Neptune,The Fore Barbette Of HMS Victorious,A Naval 12 Pounder Gun,Inserting The Torpedo In Its Tube,12in Guns HMS Dreadnought,German Mortar Siege Gun,Comparative Sizes of Guns and Projectiles,6 in Gun - Royal Garrison Artillery,British Armoured Motor Car,Laying A Mine,Dropping Bombs From Aeroplane,18 pounder Gun Entrenched RFA, Shells ETC Used In The British Navy,5 in Heavy Field Gun,Maxim Machine Gun In Action,5 in Howitzer Brigade,A Pair of Neptune Fangs,Inside 12in Barbette Loading By Hydraulic Ram,Guns Out HMS Dreadnought,12 in Guns HMS Bellerophon,German Artillery - Observation Ladders and Shields,Latest German Howitzer,A Contact Mine,A Naval Field Gun,German Heavy Gun Used As A Field Weapon,Howitzer Gun Supported On Steel Arms,12.5 in Projectiles On The Deck of A Dreadnough,Torpedo Boats - Showing Deck Tubes,Dreadnought Cleared For Action,The Fore Barbette Of HMS Victorious,Maxim Automatic Machine Gun Under Cover,Whitehead Torpedoes,Maxim Fully Automatic Machine Gun Instruction RN,German Range Finder In Use,13.5 in Guns HMS Royal Sovereign

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1950's and 1940's Pin Up Girls Vintage Erotica Risque Phillip Allman Cigarette Cards

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I’ve decided to take a slight detour from reviewing early 20th century military card sets, but even these pin-up girl cards have links with warfare. Artists decorated American fighter planes with seductive pin-up girls. Perhaps these Sirens distracted the WW2 Luftwaffe as the US gunners took aim.

Pin-up girl art was popular with both servicemen and civilians before colour photography really took hold. A number of artists made names for themselves specialising in this art form: Alberto Vargas, Gil Elvgren and George Petty. With Fashion designers and pop icons, such as Katy Perry and Amy Winehouse, increasingly being influenced by vintage styles, there is currently a resurgence in interest in Pin-up girl art.

This particular pin-up girl cigarette card set was issued by Allman in 1953, more than half a century ago. It is one of the few series of cigarette cards issued after WW2. Cigarette cards became one of the many casualties of the war as British paper rationing took effect. Most of the British tobacco companies came to a gentleman’s agreement not to restart card production after the war. This is despite the fact that these humble cards had helped put them in the powerful, monopolistic positions that they now enjoyed.

Allman bucked the trend by resurrecting cigarette card issues briefly in the early 1950s and looked to the origins of cards for inspiration in choosing a subject for their first set. A high proportion of the early cigarette cards featured pretty girls, indicating that even as early as the 19th century card issuers knew the selling power of sex.

As with the early cigarette cards Allman tragically failed to mention the name of the artist whose illustrations adorn these beautiful cards. I’m a card collector and I’m not an expert on pin-up girl art but I’m sure some of you will know who the artist is. Please leave a comment below. Also, was your great grandma a glamour model? Maybe she is featured on one of these cards. Please feel free to comment if you are related to any of these beauties.

Phillip Allman, Pin-Up Girls (1940s and 1950s), 1953 (12 cards)

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Famous Footballers In the 1920s ( Hughie Gallacher ) On Cigarette cards by Gallaher

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Association football (soccer) started in the back yards of Victorian British public schools, but went on to become a global phenomenon for poor and rich alike. This happened in less than 100 years.

The most complete pictorial record of the early 20th century football pioneers can be found on cigarette cards and trading cards. These cards were issued at a time when television and radio were non-existent and colourless newspapers were read by the educated few. Gallaher was one of the firms that produced a number of footballer sets, including “Famous Footballers”, 1926. Although famous in their day, Hughie Gallacher is one of the few from this set to go on to become a timeless legend.

Gallaher, Famous Footballers (Brown Back, 50 cards), 1926

Includes:Josepth Smith of Bolton Wanderers,William Clunas of Sunderland,Harry Healless,Harry Storer Derby County,Fred W Kean of Sheffield Wednesday,John Duncan of Leicester City,Chas M Buchan of Arsenal,Donald McKinlay of Liverpool,John H Hill of Burnley,Hunter, Hart of Everton,Fred WM Reed of West Bromwich Albion,WMH Walker of Aston Villa,William Gillespie of Sheffield United,Francis Womack of Birmingham,Clement Stephenson of Huddersfield Town,William Stage of Bury,Fred C Keenor of Cardiff City,Sydney M Bishop, of Leicester City,Hugh Gallacher of Newcastle United,John E Elkes of Tottenham Hotspurs,Robert S Wallace of Nottingham Forest Notts Forest,John Priestley of Chelsea,James McMullan of Manchester City Leonard F Oliver of Fulham,William Birrell of, Middlesbrough,George C Harkus of Southampton,William Ashurst,John Maddock of Port Vale,Michael Gilhooley of Bradford City,Lawrence H Baker of Barnsley,Thomas Greaves of Darlington,William R Wainscoat of Leeds United,Arthur Wood of Clapton Orient,, John J Hardy of Grimsby Town,Joseph Sykes of Swansea Town,Sydney Binks of Blackpool,Robert M Eggo of Reading,Henry Wilson of South Sheilds,Frank Barson of Manchester United,James Martin of Portsmouth,Samuel Wynne of Oldham Athletic,Matthew Bell of Hull

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Wings Trading Cards (Featuring Paul McCartney, Linda, Denny Laine, Steve Holly, Laurence Juber) by M.P.L. Ltd (Records) 1981

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Paul McCartney is the only remaining original member of The Beatles. Musicians often find it difficult to repeat their initial success once they split from their band. Paul McCartney more than proved himself when he started another group from scratch, Wings, and scored numerous hits on both sides of the Atlantic.

MPL Ltd (Records), Wings - Back to the Egg, 1981 (5 cards)

Includes:Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Steve Holly, Laurence Juber

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1960's Rock and Roll Music History Trading Cards Of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Cliff Richard .... by Kane Products (Large)

Sample scan

Birth Of The Rock Revolution

Rock and Roll music originated in the USA and fused together several existing genres of music in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and quickly spread throughout most of the world. A few of the legendary figures who played an important role in popularizing this new breed of music are featured in this card set: Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and Cliff Richard.....

Kane Products, Disc Stars (Large), 1960 (50 cards)

Includes:Winifred Atwell, Max Bygraves, David Whitfield, Paul Anka, Anne Shelton, Davie King, Laurie London, Petula Clark, Elvis Presley, Frankie Vaughan, Ray Ellington, Guy Mitchell, Mantovani, Cleo Laine, Dickie Valentine, Buddy Holly and the Crickets,, Teddy Johnson, Joan Regan, Dennis Lotis, Johnny Ray, Pat Boone, Ruby Murray, Frankie Laine, Norman Wisdom, Harry Belafonte, Eddie Fisher, Jackie Dennis, Toni Dalli, Bernard Bresslaw, Ronnie Hilton, Eddie Calvert, Cliff Richard, Marion Ryan, Jim Dale,, Glen Mason, Don Lang, Yana, Connie Francis, The Kalin Twins, Humphrey Littleton, Rosemary Squires, Ronnie Carroll, Malcolm Vaughan, Alma Cogan, Michael Holliday, Pearl Carr, Frank Sinatra, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Dankworth

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Scarce Silent Film Star Cigarette Cards Of Lon Chaney, Marion Davies, Colleen Moore, Jackie Coogan .... By R and J Hill

Sample scan

The End Of An Era

Although this rare set of cards features many of the movie icons from the silent era, it was issued in 1932 when the inclusion of sound was becoming more popular. Sadly, many of the careers of these early icons fell silent as they struggled to cope with the advent of the talkies. Marion Davies, despite her slight stutter, managed to continue acting in the movies well into the 1930s. Lon Chaney’s life was cut short by an illness before he could properly prove himself in the new era. His versatile voice and wide range of talents would have served him well during this formidable transition. Chaney’s mastery of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters have made cigarette cards and trading cards that feature him firm favourites of collectors of early movie memorabilia.

R and J Hill, Famous Cinema Celebrities, Series D (No Brand), 1932 (50 cards)

Includes:Harold Lloyd, Claire Windsor, Laura La Plante, Estelle Taylor, Alice Terry, Antonio Moreno, Ramon Novarro, Norman Shearer, May McAvoy, William Haines, Conrad Nagel, Rin Tin-Tin, John Gilbert, Pauline Starke, Lon Chaney, Renee Adoree, Patsy Ruth Miller,, Dlores Costello, Irene Rich, John Stuart, Jack Mulhall, Ruth Roland, Corinne Griffith, Norma Talmadge, Coleen Moore, Pat O'Mally, Jack Holt, Dorothy Gish, Agnes Ayres, Richard Barthlemess, James Kirkwood, Leatrice Joy, Wesley Barry, Betty Blythe,, Lew Cody, Richard Cortez, Jackie Coogan, Alice Terry, Gloria Swanson, Marion Davies, Betty Compson, Doris Kenyon, Conway Tearle, Mary Philbin, Alice Joyce, Renee Adoree, Dorothy Mackaill, Alice White, Yola D'avril,

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Trading Cards,Liebig,Royal Queens,Cleopatra, Elizabeth II 1907 Collectables

Sample scan

Despite the fact that many European countries had overthrown their Monarchy, Liebig still issued this beautiful set of cards. Perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

Liebig Extract of Meat Co , Queens S908, 1907 (6cards)

Includes:what looks like Queen Elizabeth II, the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra etc

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