1930s Forsbergs Swedish Athletes

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Forsbergs Swedish Athletes
Year	1930s
Size	1 1/8″ x 2″
Images	Black and White
Type	Candy/Gum
Number in Set	130 (?)

1930s Forsbergs Swedish Athletes Overview

1930s Forsbergs Swedish Athletes Back This rare issues comes to collectors from Sweden. It is the product of a company called Forsbergs, which is believed to be a candy company.

These miniature cards look similar to another Swedish candy issue, produced around the same time – the 1930s Rose Marie Chokladen issue. It is possible (though uncertain) these two sets were created in conjunction with one another and that the companies are related. They have a similar design but are not identical.

A black and white picture of an athlete is shown on the front as a full bleed card. Their name and a card number is at the bottom. Backs have an ad in Swedish with a Forsbergs logo. Forsbergs created another set as well in the 1930s Forsbergs Idrottsserier issue, which translates literally to “Forsbergs Sport Articles.” This set is different, however, as it is believed to include only Swedish athletes. The Idrottsserier cards had athletes from all over the world. The two sets can be distinguished by the backs. The Idrottsserier cards have that word on the back while these cards do not.

This is a multi-sport set covering many sports, including tennis, boxing, wrestling, track and field, swimming, soccer, cycling, skiing, and more. As an international issue, many of the athletes are unknown to American collectors. The cards are also pretty tough to find here in the U.S. They are not impossible to locate but do not surface too often.

The dating for this set appears somewhat up in the air. It is sometimes called a 1930 set while others cite it as 1931 and/or 1932. Because of that, it is often simply called a 1930s issue.