November 17, 2022: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/17/2022
Presented are three cards from a legendary 1930s German cigarette manufacturer and two enlarged versions from the same series. Part of a massive 375-card series from the historic 1936 Olympic Games that Adolf Hitler used as a propaganda tool to promote his Nazi regime, the card checklist (entirely in German) included seven cards related to Jesse Owens, the four-time Olympic medalist from the games who seemingly contradicted the Aryan Supremacy notions of Der Fuhrer with his record-setting performance. The lot features three of the 3 1/8-by-4 ¾-inch black-and-white cards that are printed on a very thin paper stock (Ex-Mt), plus a pair of enlarged versions at 6 ¾-by-4 ¾ inches, the latter with little or no information available concerning their background. The three cards are Nos. 31, 49 and 57, showcasing Owens’ finish in the 100-Meter Dash, the 4-by-100 Meter Relay and the Long Jump, respectively. The oversized enlargements feature Owens with fellow-American Helen Stephens, herself a two-time Gold Medalist at the Games (No. 21) and an image of Owens’ name being chiseled onto a monument from his 200-Meter victory (No. 198).
1936 Reemtsma Cigarettes “Olympia 1946” Cards With Jesse Owens (5)
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