1969 DS "green" bubblegum cards!

[yendor]

How many of you guys collected the Dark Shadows bubblegum cards that were available in 1968 and 1969? There were two sets, commonly referred to as the "pink" (bordered) and "green" (bordered). I didn't start collecting until April 1969, when the green bordered cards were released. They basically encapsulated the first two months of the 1897 saga. In fact, some of the photos in the montage appeared as cards (the shot of Quentin and Judith having a stare-down, for example). Yesterday, there were many scenes that ended up on cards: when Judith told Quentin "that music will drive me mad!" (an actual quote on the card). When Quentin manhandles Magda; when Magda looks at Quentin's palm ("you have no future" the card said); when Magda looks in the crystal ball; when Jenny cradles her "babies," and when Jenny grabs the keys and holds them in front of her face. Of course, by the time the cards had been released, these scenes were already history...so it was interesting for me to see them again, more than 30 years later.  The card set goes through the 1897 storyline and ends approximately in late March.  

Just a little tidbit for you nostalgia lovers out there!

Rod

[Stuart]

Alan Gallant, who posts here as Petofi, wrote a history of these cards, which you can read on my site -- he did a great job:

http://www.collinwood.net/features/cards/cards2.htm

[Gothick]

Hi Ron,  We never got the green cards in my town.  If they had appeared anywhere in the area, I"m sure I would have snapped them up, since I collected ALL of the pink ones and just about anything that had Dark Shadows written on it.

I bought all the pink ones at this little store owned by my great aunt.  At some point she closed the store, and the building wounded up being demolished.  I wonder now whether that might have happened in 1968 or early 1969, which is why I never saw the green cards. I don't remember the DS bubble gum cards showing up in other stores, which is strange, because we lived a little over an hour's drive away from Philadelphia in Maryland (Harford County).

Best wishes,

Steve

[petofi]

Alan Gallant, who posts here as Petofi, wrote a history of these cards, which you can read on my site -- he did a great job:

http://www.collinwood.net/features/cards/cards2.htm

Thanks for the good review, Stuart!  I actually didn't collect the cards the first time around, though I had friends who did.  I saw them for sale at a collectibles shop in Bangor, ME in the early nineties and began collecting them at that time.  I have to admit, collecting and watching DS has been even more gratifying the second time around!

petofi

[yendor]

Petofi, was the shop "Top Shelf?"

Rod

[yendor]

Stuart, I found the card link fascinating! Though I have one small quibble--the cards were NOT released in the summer of 1969! I distinctly remember they were available in April, possibly toward the end. I was a Sophomore in high school, and it was very early spring. The box on the cards is not purple, but red--as clearly show in the link's illustrations.

Other than that, the history was an eye-opener! I had all those cards, multiple sets, actually, and I never noticed the obvious mistakes Gallant points out. Man, I wish I'd kept those sets, now...they'd be worth $$$!

Thanks for the link!

Rod

[Latisha]

I collected some of those cards, but I got them from Ebay last year.  Another card that was portrayed yesterday was one with Quinten & Judith when Q asks J "Have you ever thought of murder, Judith?".  It's classic!  - Latisha

[petofi]

Petofi, was the shop "Top Shelf?"

Rod

Nope, but I've done business there several times.  The place I picked them up doesn't exist anymore, was owned by a guy named Frank something, whose mom ran an antiques shop in Hampden.

petofi

[yendor]

The really weird thing about the green cards (don't know if it's the same for the pink) was how the photos were airbrushed or altered. As a result, many of the faces look somewhat unreal, as if eyes and lips had been drawn in!

Anybody else notice, or am I to be locked in the tower room with the OTHER loony?

Rod

[petofi]

Stuart, I found the card link fascinating! Though I have one small quibble--the cards were NOT released in the summer of 1969! I distinctly remember they were available in April, possibly toward the end. I was a Sophomore in high school, and it was very early spring. The box on the cards is not purple, but red--as clearly show in the link's illustrations.

Other than that, the history was an eye-opener! I had all those cards, multiple sets, actually, and I never noticed the obvious mistakes Gallant points out. Man, I wish I'd kept those sets, now...they'd be worth $$$!

Thanks for the link!

Rod

My sometimes faulty memory of those times is responsible for the " summer of '69 '' reference- Obviously, they easily could have been released in April, if production was fairly swift.  As to the "purple" reference- just a subjective differentiation from the '68 set, which has alternatively been referrred to as "pink" or "red!"  Maybe my perception is prejudicial where the color red is concerned- I may have been conditioned to identify a more sanguine version of the color as the best "red!"

Although I can't speak for Stuart's inclination or ability to update these descriptions(it may be impractical), they are still a work in progress; I have been tinkering with them since about 1994, and any corrections offered are appreciated.  Thanks for the heads up, Rod!

petofi

[petofi]

The really weird thing about the green cards (don't know if it's the same for the pink) was how the photos were airbrushed or altered. As a result, many of the faces look somewhat unreal, as if eyes and lips had been drawn in!

Anybody else notice, or am I to be locked in the tower room with the OTHER loony?

Rod

    yeah, Rod-  the pink set is loaded with touch-ups- some look pretty freaky!  There even seem to be some of these alterations(perhaps as a nod to the old sets) in Celebrity Ink's more recently released "Retro" set, which is sometimes available via eBay.  By the way, Stuart's site has my descriptions of the pink set, as well.

petofi

[Stuart]

Although I can't speak for Stuart's inclination or ability to update these descriptions(it may be impractical), they are still a work in progress...

I'm happy to update them as you think best. [goes colourblind]