The cards measure roughly 1-5/8" x 1-3/4" in size. They feature glossy images of various jazz musicians. The "gloss" to me looks as though the images had been printed on the cards and then were laminated as opposed to having been printed on a glassy material, but I could be wrong there. The cards are printed on what seems to be the same stock as the wrapper, but the gloss finish gives them more rigidity.
Here, we have Charlie Parker, Patachou, Billie Holiday, and Turk Murphy:
Each card features the musician in color (though very poorly printed) in a framed image with a solid color background. Below each picture is the person's name (also poorly printed).
Below, we have Ella Fitzgerald, Lily Berglund, Owe Tornqvist & Ullabella, and Sara Waughan:
As you can see, some of the cards also feature record label icons. Not all have this.
Below, we have Lena Horne and Jane Christy:
I actually bought six packs of these bundled together. In one of the packs, we actually a VERY nicely printed specimen of Ernestine Anderson:
According to my research, there were two different print runs. This would explain the difference shown. Apparently, the first run is the clearer version and the second is the murkier one. At some point, the printings were mixed together in order to create packs.
Further Study:
The opened wrapper contains an icon with the letters "NYFA" and the number 20017 imprinted. After some more research, I believe the original cards may have been produced (back in 1958) for the opening of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (then called the Natural Cultural Center). NYFA could stand for "New York Foundation for the Arts." If that is the case, the NYFA was founded in 1971, so these would be reprints. The additional unlisted cards may be ones that were added in for the 1971 NYFA launch (Ex: Pat Boone). That is speculation on my part. I have reached out to the seller for more info/background. I will update this post if/as needed.
Research done for this:
http://www.moviecard.com/valgum/dut-unnum-jazz.html
https://imageevent.com/halpen/1958swedenjazzbilderset
https://www.beckett.com/non-sports/1958/jazzbilder
https://www.nyfa.org/Content/Show/About-NYFA
https://www.kennedy-center.org/our-story/
Wow, these are really cool... reprints or not. You pulled some big names there, but my favorite is the Ella Fitzgerald.
ReplyDeleteYeah, wow, 1958 cards of Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and Billie Holiday? Those are true legends.
ReplyDeleteI have to believe that "Sara Waughan" is actually the great Sarah Vaughan. This is what she looked like at the time for comparison's sake. https://images.app.goo.gl/f15XSu5E29YbrSeb9
Very cool, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnother hall of fame pack break!
ReplyDeleteNice oddball vintage break!
ReplyDeleteDavid comes through again! Awesome find!
ReplyDelete