1940 Castell Bros. The Wizard of Oz Card Card Game
Issued out of London by Castell Brothers, Ltd.
Said by the Library of Congress website to have been released in 1940 as a tie-in to the British release of The Wizard of Oz.
44 card set. Cards numbered 1 through 11 in four different colored suits.
Each card measures 2-1/4″ X 3-1/2″.
Cards similar in size, shape and feel to a standard playing card.
Brightly colored cards showing scenes from throughout the classic movie. All stars and most scenes are pictured.
Blue reverse side with MGM Lion logo.
Issued in small box, just large enough to fit the deck of 44 cards, with instruction booklet.
Available Now in the Immortal Ephemera Store
Note: Additional text follows the sales listings with a gallery of the entire set pictured at the bottom of the page.
Relevant Excerpts of Original July 2006 Article
As with most unusual items, people often wonder about value. Well, in auction format Hake’s listed their estimated value for this game deck at $200-$400, which is pretty wide. Beyond that I have bid as much as $400* for a set of these in the past…and not won! Thankfully I was able to secure these at a price below high estimate, so I’ll be able to offer singles at a lower rate than I had previously ever imagined. That’s pretty good for all of us!
*Since the time this was originally written (2006) I’ve yet to pay over $180 for a set, so perhaps the market has settled some on this item.
Cards measure approximately 2-1/4″ X 3-1/2″ with rounded corners and all having the same image on the reverse side which is included first in the slide show below. There are 44 different cards in the deck with four each being numbered one through eleven. Every card in the deck is like a miniature work of art, check out some of the detail on these!
The Wizard of Oz (1939) starring Judy Garland as Dorothy; Frank Morgan as the Wizard; Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Coward Lion; Jack Haley as the Tin Man; Billie Burke as Glinda; Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. See full cast on The Wizard of Oz IMDb page.
Gallery of Castell Bros. Wizard of Oz Cards
