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Gold Background

1884 Gold Background Cards. Liebig Company's Extract.

I am so happy to have found a good set of these cards that I will illustrate both the set found earlier, several in poor condition, and the set recently acquired, all in good condition.  Each of the pictures is set against a solid gold background. Click on any one in the good set, and a larger version comes up on the screen.

Earlier set: FC: $5 either at Sacramento, Dec., '96 or Foster City, Feb., '97. Three other cards for a total of $5 from Janet Bernichon, Shirley, NY, through eBay, Nov., '02. $10 for the last  two from Albert Van den Bosch, Antwerp, Belgium, April, '13.  Later set: $118.42 from Mariotti Filatelia, Milan, through eBay, March, '18.  FSII in English a gift of Susan Carlson, Dec., '23.  On the verso of the earlier cards are directions in English for beef-tea, vegetable soup, and other delights. A comment printed sideways on the cards seems to claim that a first class French Chef accepted a position only when he was promised that he would be liberally supplied with Liebig's.  There are several formats on the verso of the later cards.  I illustrate them below the picture sides here.  

Scroll down for a screen wide enough to accommodate two columns of images.  Take this link to a page displaying our most recent set in this series.


FC is the best preserved of the well-aged cards. Against a solid gold background, a crow drops a large drum of Liebig's meat extract in front of a fox with outstretched, almost pleading arms. A turtle looks on. The card was glued or mounted by its four corners, which are thus stained.

"The Fox and the Hen": What is this fox trying to get from this hen? At any rate, he is trying to do it over two large jars of Liebig meat extract!

The Cat and the Monkey.  Usually the cat is getting chestnuts out of the fire for the monkey.

Usually the rabbits are discovering that they are somebody by inadvertently frightening frogs on the way to a rabbit suicide.  Here everything is quite chummy!


FS I: The fox is insulting the stork by eating from a shallow dish. Of course, what the fox eats is Liebig meat extract!


FS II: Now the stork, with dapper hat and pince-nez, is eating right out of the large Liebig jar, while the fox can only look on.

An English version of the card just above and its verso.