Card Identification Forum

I have these 8 Movie Stars - Best Stars and Photoplays at the Union Theater in St. Louis cards. They were business cards for a Shoe Repairing business which probably helped support the Theater. They are from the 20s or 30s. Douglas Fairbanks died December 12, 1939.

Has anybody ever seen any of these?

Also pictured is a blank backed Marion Davies who left the film industry in 1938. She started in silent pictures and at 21 years old was involved in a relationship with 58 year old William Randolph Hearst.

They look like the ones Chandy has for sale:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-52-different-1920s-movie-star-blankbacked-cards/402770861129?hash=item5dc7039c49:g:Vi4AAOSwISBfembM
 

WOW. That was quick. They are the same! Thanks. The Top right and Bottom Right images were the same as in the lot of cards. They are now on their way to me! I am guessing they were supplied to the theaters to pass out. Apparently some ended up as Business cards too. A bygone era!

I found this on Immortalephemera.com.

https://store.immortalephemera.com/collections/clara-kimball-young/products/clara-kimball-young-1910s-kromo-gravure-trading-card-silent-film-star

ABOUT THIS CARD:
Circa 1917-1920 movie star trading card featuring "Leading Moving Picture Star" Clara Kimball Young. To the Right of Douglas Fairbanks.

This is an original circa 1917-1920 Kromo Gravure trading card measuring approximately 2-1/8" X 3-3/8" with blank white back.

Standard Kromo Gravure cards such as this one were issued in boxed sets of 50 cards each, each box numbered set numbered 1,2, 3 or 4. They were most likely issued over time beginning about 1917 and running through about 1920.

My best educated guess would be 4 boxes issued over 4 years?

1917 - Box 1

1918 - Box 2

1919 - Box 3

1920 - Box 4

Virginia Lee Corbin was born in 1910 and started acting about 1917. Hard to tell her age on the card but I would say between 7 and 10.

I guess we could start an entry in 1917 and just list the known cards alphabetically? Noting possibly 200 cards issued in 4 boxes numbered 1-4 between 1917 and 1921? I have a bunch coming in so should be able to log about 75 cards maybe?

I now have 49 cards (More on the way). I have dated the latest start in acting as 1917 and the earliest death at 1920. So it appears that the 1917-1920 date range is acurate. 

WOO HOO! I found an exhaustive list!

http://www.moviecard.com/zamerican/assorted/kromo.html

Fantastic site with the cards pictured!

White Border Set

Borderless Set

Rounded Corners Set

Kromo Gravure cards were issued in boxed sets of 50 cards. The Kromo Gravure name and the set title of "Leading Moving Picture Stars" are both printed on the boxes, but neither is printed on the cards themselves. Collectors without knowledge of Kromo Gravure cards often have great difficulty identifying Kromo Gravure cards that are found without their boxes.

Boxes of 50 cards were $0.10 at the time! About $2.25 in 2021 dollars. I would love to get 50 cards for that now! 

Yes, it looks like they are similar to the modern MSA products.  

All I know is they are amazing and almost definitely out of my price range ;) Glad they were "found" by someone that cares enough to protect them! Cheers! Becky Elizabeth