Paul Hartmann ~ This card #397 from the Bunte Filmbilder cigarette card series. It is a vintage 1937 original. The edges show minor wear but it is still a nice example: VF. The card is about the size of a British or American cigarette card (1¼"x2¼"). Please see my scan.

Paul Hartmann's long career began in the early German silent films of the Empire and continued through Weimar, the Nazi era, the occupation, and well into the Federal Republic. He starred with Hans Albers in F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932). His career did not slow during the Hitler regime and he played the lead in the propaganda epic, Bismarck (1940). Like many German stars who embraced the Nazi regime, Hartmann's career halted while Erich Pommer's commission dominated the German film industry. He returned to film in 1951. His last film role was as Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt in The Longest Day (1962).

This lot consists of a genuine German cigarette premium issued between about 1930 and 1937. In general, German cigarette cards and premiums make an interesting and inexpensive addition to any collection. The Nazi government of Germany opposed smoking and eventually put an end to cigarette cards. As a result, the native German card collecting hobby never developed to the extent of that in Britain or the United States. As a result, most German premiums and cards cost only a fraction of what might be expected from their American and British cousins.

Large photos are shown smaller than actual size while small ones are generally enlarged to as much as twice their original size. Almost all photos and cards are scanned through protective sleeves or pages which tends to cut the clarity a bit. Enlarged defects tend to look worse than they actually are.