14 April 2018

Collecting Garbo

The last post of EFSP's Greta Garbo week is about a series of small tobacco or cigarette cards we once found on a 'trödelmarkt'. They were produced in the early 1930s by Ross Verlag for forgotten cigarette brands like Mercedes and Manoli Gold by different factories in Germany. The cards (6,5 x 4,5 cm) were made shortly after the introduction of sound film in Germany and were meant to be pasted into special albums called Aus Tönenden Filmen or Tonfilmserie (sound film series). However, the first card in this post was made for a silent Garbo film. The Single Standard (1929).

Nils Asther and Greta Garbo in The Single Standard (1929)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for the Tonfilmserie, no. 374, by A. Batschari Cigarettenfabrik, Baden-Baden. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Publicity still for The Single Standard (John S. Robertson, 1929), with Nils Asther.

Greta Garbo and Lewis Stone in Romance (1930)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for Filmalbum 4, 'Aus Tönenden Filmen', Serie 4, no. 637, by A. Batschari Cigarettenfabrik, Baden-Baden. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Publicity still for Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930) with Lewis Stone.

Greta Garbo in Romance (1930)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for the Tonfilmserie, no. 360, by Manoli A.G., Berlin. Photo: George Hurrell / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930).

Greta Garbo in Romance (1930)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for the Tonfilmserie, no. 369, by A. Batschari Cigarettenfabrik, Baden-Baden. Photo: George Hurrell / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930).

Greta Garbo in Romance (1930)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for the Tonfilmserie, no. 371, by A. Batschari Cigarettenfabrik, Baden-Baden. Photo: George Hurrell / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930).

Greta Garbo in Romance (1930)
German collectors card by Ross Verlag for the Tonfilmserie, no. 372, by Manoli A.G., Berlin. Photo: George Hurrell / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930).

Greta Garbo
Small collectors card. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Publicity still for Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930).

Sources: Mark Goffee (Ross Verlag) and Garbo Forever.

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