1932 Sanella Margerine Sports Book from Germany Complete with all cards

Complete book with all 112 cards. Ruth card is in a holder and not attached to book. This way you can see the back and know which version you have. Very hard book to find in nice condition. Many did not survive the war in Germany. 

Noteable cards Include Babe Ruth, Max Schmelling, Japanese Baseball Player Catcher, Sonja Henie, Percy Allis, German SS Offcier shooting a luger, Jockey Otto Schmidt, Helen Moody. 

This is from an early 1930’s German set called “Handbuch des Sports”, which literally translates to “Sports Handbook”. it was issued in 1932/33 and is printed on larger-than-standard, relatively thin stock. It’s similar to some of the “stamps” of the 1960’s in that it’s meant to be pasted into a book, but you provide your own adhesive. Interestingly enough, the “handbuch” is not just some soft-covered stamp album, it’s a hard-covered book with detailed writeups on many sports. 

From a North American standpoint, the highlight of the set is a card of Babe Ruth, but it also includes world famous athletes like boxer Max Schmeling and figure skater Sonja Henie, as well as a variety of sports like Polo, Cricket, Ice Hockey and most intriguing (to me, anyway), “Korbball”, which seems to be a sport similar to basketball or netball (on the off chance you’re familiar with netball).  Korbball is apparently specific to Germany.

The Sanella Margarine “Handbuch des Sports” card set consists of 112 full-color cards, each one 2-3/4” x 4-1/8”. Issued in Germany and printed on thin stock, the issue honors a variety of athletes from a host of international sports, including baseball, football, boxing, tennis, track, and wrestling. Card fronts have a beautiful, colorized, in-action scene with a thin white frame; text on the reverse printed in German along with the “Sanella” brand name. International stars include Sonja Henie and Max Schmeling, though the set is truly anchored by an appearance from Babe Ruth, shown on the front hitting a home run. This Sanella issue is noteworthy for having been manufactured with one of three different back printing variations. In the Type 1 variation, cards are unnumbered and the advertisement for Sanella is centered on the reverse. In the Type 2 variation, cards are unnumbered and the advertisement for Sanella is located near the bottom. In the Type 3 variation, the advertisement for Sanella is located near the bottom, and also has a card number. The Ruth card in particular is popular among collectors seeking original 1930-era vintage cards of the Bambino.