These cards were made available through an Internet firm that specializes in selling celebrity trading cards. Troy Kirk, the web master who provided these cards states that the cards above "...were originally sold through a London company called F.P.F. Ltd. from the early 1950s to the beginning of the 1960s. The cards were advertised for sale in UK film magazines. Greetings cards can also be found in two larger sizes, including half-postcard (2 3/4" x 3 1/2") and postcard size. The same images were not always featured on all 3 sizes. While there were 260 small cards issued, there were over 600 Greetings postcards issued. There are differing levels of scarceness for the Greetings cards, probably because these cards were issued over several years with different cards being pulled and new ones added as the years passed and the fame of the stars changed. There are also minor text variations for some of the cards. " Troy also says he currently has these cards and others that are part of the same collection. They currently sell for $4.00 a piece but prices will fluctuate and anyone interested in purchasing these cards should confirm prices with him before making a decision.
The cards above is from the Hellas Film Star Set issued in Finland in 1958. The card is part of a 198-card set issued with Bubble Gum. There were two slightly different "Serie A" sets issued by Hellas: the narrow and wide border sets. Most of the cards were the same with just a difference in the border size. The Audie cards were the same in both sets except for in the their border sizes. Most of the words are written in Finnish. The word "jenkki" literally translates to "yankee". The Finnish selected this word since the gum they consumed during the 1950's came from the United States. "Maan eniten myyty" means "Most sold in the country" and is a commercial slogan. "Landets mesta salda" also means "Most sold in the country" but is written in Swedish since Finland is bilingual. Purukumi means "chewing gun" in Finnish. And finally, "Tuggummi" means "chewing gum" in swedish.
Troy tells us that "...the card above is from the Topps Magic Photos set issued with Topps Bubble Gum in the USA during 1948. The set included 252 cards featuring baseball players, wrestlers, dogs, military leaders, inventors, and others. This was the first card set put out by Topps which is still a leader in the card collecting industry. When these card were issued, the fronts were blank. The back had a clue as to who was on the card. To view the picture on the front, the owner had to develop the image with moisture and light. The quality of the development of these cards vary from clear to faded."
Troy says that the card above comes from a tin of Watford Biscuits (cookies), made in England around 1952.
Last of all, Troy states that "This one came from Mother's Cookies in the USA. It was issued in 1953, card #1 of 63 movie star cards." Troy explained that he prefers cards that are in better condition, but it is the opinion of the webmaster that this card is the best one of the bunch. On behalf of all the fans and visitors, thanks a ton, Troy!
The rear of the card states: "A farm boy from Texas, Murphy became the most decorated American serviceman of World War II. In addition to the Medal of Honor he won 30 other military awards including every medal for battlefield valor. Because of his size (he was 5'5" and 110 lbs.) the Marine Corps rejected Murphy but the Army was willing to accept him for enlistment. Murphy was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division which landed in North Africa in February 1943. He saw action in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. He moved up the ranks to lieutenant by the time he was fighting in France. Murphy won the Medal of Honor single-handedly stopping a German counterattack near Colmar, France in January 1945. First he stayed alone in an open field to call in artillery fire on the advancing enemy and then jumped on a burning tank destroyer and for more than an hour and used its machine gun to stop advancing Germany infantry. Murphy returned to the states a national hero and went on to become a movie star."
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