Mandrake's Magic Club

Country:	USA / English

In 1948 Wilbur-Suchard Chocolate Company, Inc started the "Mandrake's Magic Club". The logo used for the club, where Mandrake's wand emits lightning similar to radio signals, indicates that the club has something to do with the radio serial from 1940-1942. Like the similar Taystee Bread club, the sponsor for the radio serial in the early 40s.

Membership Package

On the back of a milk chocolate there is an ad for the "Mandrake's Magic Club". One could join the club sending 15¢ plus 2 Suchard Almond, Milk or Crisp Chocolate bar wrappers to Suchard (P.O. Box no 261, New York 8, N.Y.). Limited to May 31, 1949, the members would receive:

• A two-pice trick which changes a magic coin into a dime.
• Mandrake's illustrated Magic Book - How to do his ten best tricks.
• Colorful membership button in Mandrake's Magic Club.
• Certificate of membership signed by Mandrake.

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  Membership Card

• 

  Club Pin (made by L J Imber Co, Chicago)

• 

  Mandrake's Story of Magic (1948)

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  Mandrake's Story of Magic / inside pages (1948)

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  Mandrake's Magic Coin

Mandrake's Magic Coin

There is a leaflet issued in 1948, "Welcome to Mandrake's Magic Club!", with instructions on how to use the Magic Coin. On the back a coupon offering more Mandrake Kits with expiration date of January 31, 1949.

Mandrake the Magician over WCRS

From May 1947 WCRS in Greenwood South Carolina aired a Mandrake radio serial sponsored by Diximaid Ice Cream. It is unknown if the radio serial was a replay of the original serial and if it still was aired in 1948.

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  from 1947
  Greenwood, South Carolina

Note

At Forrest's Token Page it is suggested that the coin shell is:

• from the "Taystee Bread" club in 1941
• from one of the "Mandrake the Magician" Magic Kit from 1949 to 1957.
• a candy premium put out by the Suchard Chocolate company.

At Bryan-Keith Taylor's Magic Collection:

• Kuethe, F. William Jr. Magicians' Tokens And Related Items - An Illustrated check-list with estimates of values and rarities, TAMS Journal, Volume 18, Number 5, October 1978, (Part Two):
  • Magic Token-Mandrake the Magician-MT236-Shell coin-Suchard Chocolate Premium-
  • Magic Token-Mandrake the Magician-MT236 This was a shell coin made by S.S. Adams, as part of a Suchard Chocolate magic kit done in the early 1940s. This would fit over a US dime, and a magnet in a block of wood would pick up the shell, revealing the dime.
    • Extras Limited Minting, Promotional Item, Rare

See also

Mandrake Magicians Club