Mandrake's Magic Club

Country:	USA / English

In 1948 Wilbur-Suchard Chocolate Company, Inc. started the "Mandrake's Magic Club".

These collectibles are a bit of a mystery. The club's logo, where Mandrake's wand emits lightning similar to radio signals, indicates that the club has something to do with the Mandrake radio show.

The show was broadcast in the years 1940 - 1942, then with the sponsor "Taystee Bread" who had a similar club named Mandrake Magicians Club. In transcripted form the show was broadcasted to the end of 1947 by different radio stations, each with different sponsors.

Given the similarity, it is reasonable to believe that the club items were actually made to be used as promotional material for a sponsorship linked to a broadcast of the radio show. A planned broadcast and advertising campaign that was not carried out.

Membership

Membership Request

On the back of some Suchard chocolate bars 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.. This membership request was limited to May 31, 1949.

• 
  ad membership
• 
  Milk Chocolate
• 
  Almonds
• 
  Crisp

Membership Package

• 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.

• 
  Mandrake's Magic Coin
• 
  instructions
• 
  Mandrake's Story of Magic
• 
  inside pages
• 
  Club Pin (made by L J Imber Co, Chicago)
• 
  Membership Card

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.

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