Chocolates Amattler Mechanical Cards Set of 10 (Early 1930’s?)

Chocolates Amattler Mechanical Cards

What follows is a page of some of the neatest cards I've yet to see, though I unfortunately I have never had them in possession. A collecting friend, Jean Laperriere, donated these images to the site. Thank you again, Jean! Below you'll find images of the complete set of 10 mechanical cards issued by Chocolates Amattler out of Barcelona, Spain. They are approximately 6-inches tall and issued on a light cardboard stock.

I wanted to originally call these late 1920's because of the presence of Joe Cobb and two other Our Gang members, but the notations on back about Harold Lloyd being at Fox and Lili Damita at Warner's lead me to believe that they are actually from the early 1930's.

I've seen the Franciska Gaal card identified on one auction site as actually being Fanny Brice, but I do think it's Gaal, who's shown at the right on a mid-1930's Orienta Filmbilder tobacco card from Germany with Hermann Thimig in the German film Csibi, der Fratz (1934) which was produced by Universal's German subsidiary company. The bow will look familiar when you get to Gaal's Chocolates Amattler card below. The reverse of Gaal's mechanical card notes "De H. American Films,"--Gaal didn't get to America until 1937, which might even date this set at the end of the decade.

The cards are "mechanical" because as you'll see they're made up of three parts each which join together like a puzzle.

Complete sets of 10 have sold in the past for between $350-$400, but I have seen them available online in more recent times for closer to $200. Still steep for a 10 card set, but not bad when you consider the beauty, rarity and inclusion of classic comedians such as Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy.

Enjoy:

#1 - Oliver Hardy