1979 Monty Gum : Superman Trading Cards



1979 Monty Fabrieken - Superman

The Monty Gum Superman trading cards were released in 1979 by Monty Fabrieken, a confectionary and printing company in Leiden, Holland. Superman: The Movie was released in the Netherlands on February 15, 1979.

The paper envelope packs contain three cards and a piece of bubble gum. A complete set is comprised of 64 cards featuring images from Superman: The Movie starring Christopher Reeve. The Monty Gum series was released in two sizes with identical images and wrapper art.

1979 Monty Fabrieken - Superman - 1–2

The smaller variants come in perforated three-card panels that each measure 1.875 x 2.6875 inches (48 x 68 mm). The wrappers for the smaller cards read "Made & Printed in Holland" with no additional information. The mini cards contain numbering printed inside of the Superman emblem. The image frames vary in color and the back of each card is blank. There is no copyright information or branding that identifies Monty on the cards. Various images are repeated or printed in reverse.

1979 Monty Fabrieken - Superman - Lois Lane

The larger cards are not numbered and measure approximately 2.525 x 3.15 inches (64 x 80 mm). The large wrappers contain advertisements for the Monty Superman Club in Dutch, English, German, and French. Collectors could join the Monty Superman Club and receive a "giant, magnificant [sic]" Superman poster by mailing ten empty packets plus 50p in postage.

1979 Monty Fabrieken - Superman - General Zod

Monty released a separate set of Superman stickers for the film. The "stickers auto-collant" series is comprised of 75 round stickers and 14 others in various sizes. The sticker packs advertise the Monty Superman Club.

Identical promotional images from the film were used in trading cards set issued by Drake's Cakes, Topps, and Weston Bakeries. Superman: The Movie was promoted in Italy by Danone and in Spain by Coca-Coca.

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Monty previously released Comic Heroes stickers in 1977. The 100-piece collection features DC Comics characters including Superman and Supergirl.

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During World War II, the Netherlands had become hooked on chewing gum brought over by American and Canadian troops. In 1946, Monty Fabrieken was established as a chewing gum importer in Leiden, Holland, by Huub F.J. Mentink and P.A. De Jong. The name is a tribute to Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, whom Mentink greatly admired. The company depicted the black beret worn by Montgomery on early red wrappers.

Monty began producing trading cards in 1951. The company would distribute card sets for films, musicians, sports, and television shows. In 1984, Monty was subpoenaed by Topps concerning rights to Michael Jackson photographs. A Hague court judge rejected the case. In a 2018 interview, former Monty director Cess Mentink said, "We had never heard of image rights in the Netherlands. We did everything ourselves without contracts and stuff." (auto-translated from Dutch) The company ceased production in 1999.


1979 Monty Gum : Superman Trading Cards
1 Non (Blue)
2Lara (Pink)
3 Clark Kent
4 General Zod
5 Perry White
6 Superman portrait (Pink)
7 Lex Luthor
8
9 Lois Lane in danger (Blue)
10 Superman raised fist (Pink)
11 Spaceship landing
12 Superman
13 Superman
14 Superman arms crossed (reversed) (Pink)
15 Superman
16 Superman (reversed)
17 Fortress of Solitude
18 Kal-El arrives on Earth
19 Phantom Zone criminals
20 Superman on train track (Yellow)
21 Lois Lane in danger (Yellow)
22 Daily Planet helicopter
23 Krypton
24
25 Eve Teschmaster
26 Kryptonian Council
27 Otis and Lex Luthor
28 Kal-El and Lara
29 Lois Lane
30
31 Ma and Pa Kent
32
33
34 Eve Teschmaster
35
36 Kal-El spaceship
37
38 Destruction of Krypton
39 Lois Lane boarding helicopter
40
41
42
43
44
45 Kryptonian Council
46
47
48
49 Destruction of Krypton
50
51
52
53
54 Superman on train track (Blue)
55 Kal-El spaceship
56 Zod
57 Non (Purple)
58
59
60 Superman
61 Lara (Green)
62 Superman portrait (Green)
63 Superman raised fist (Green)
64 Superman arms crossed (reversed) (Green)