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“Rock And Roll Stars” (Trading Cards, 1959)

 

By Bob Pakes
 
 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars box 01This article is dedicated to the series of TRADING CARDS put out by a company called NU CARDS in 1959. It includes images of all the 64 Cards that formed this collectible series.
 
– The Cards were sold for $ 0,05 a pack, with three Cards in one pack.
– Unlike most other Trading Cards, this series came in a clear cellophane wrapper.
– Up to and including Card No. 49 (Conway Twitty) all Stars are listed alphabetically, after that it gets messy for some reason.
– With the exception of Nos. 58, 59 and 60, all Cards include a short description of the Star.
– Minor grammatical errors are shown on some of the cards: we have Chuck Perry, Rickey Nelson and Frankie Lyman.
– The series is called Rock And Roll Stars, but to call Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra rock and roll seems a bit farfetched.
 
ELVIS PRESLEY, of course, is also present. He is No. 37, and we have some additional information regarding the photo used in this Trading Card collection.
 
Noticeable is also that the name synonymous with Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, is ‘only’ listed in sixth place on the Counter Display Box below the names who, by 1959, had become the new faces of popular music: Fabian, Bobby Darin, Frankie Avalon, Pat Boone and Paul Anka. The music scene of young America had sure changed since Elvis was shipped overseas in 1958.

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars box 02 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars box 03

 
 
 

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Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 03 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 02 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 01

01. Paul Anka
02. Annette (Funicello)
03. Frankie Avalon

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 06 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 04

04. LaVern Baker
05. The Bell Notes
06. Chuck Berry

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 05

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 07 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 09 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 08

07. Pat Boone
08. Anita Bryant
09. Edward Byrnes

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 10 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 12 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 11

10. Teresa Brewer
11. Johnny Cash
12. The Chordettes

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 13 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 15 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 14

13. Nat King Cole
14. Perry Como
15. Sam Cooke

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 18 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 17

16. The Crests
17. James Darren
18. Bobby Darin

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 16

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 20 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 21

19. Dion And The Belmonts
20. The Everly Brothers
21. Duane Eddy

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 19

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 24 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 22

22. Fabian
23. The Flamingos
24. The Fleetwoods

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 23

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 26 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 25

25. The Four Lads
26. Connie Francis
27. The Impalas

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 27

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 28 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 30 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 29

28. Joni James
29. Steve Lawrence
30. Peggy Lee

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 32 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 31

31. Dean Martin
32. Johnny Mathis
33. The McGuire Sisters

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 33

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 34 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 36 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 35

34. Johnny Nash
35. Ricky Nelson
36. Patti Page

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 37 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 38 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 39

37. Elvis Presley
38. Lloyd Price
39. Louis Prima

 
The image of Elvis was taken during the photoshoot for Jailhouse Rock in 1957.
Below we can see more photos from the same day.
 
This image was also used by RCA Japan in the 50’s for three of their Elvis 45’s/78’s. These singles were released with different colored sleeves (blue, red, brown, yellow, etc.). The blue sleeve shown below is only one example of these many color-variations.
 
Next to the Japanese single we see a movieprop from Jailhouse Rock. The photo used on this rare single is from the same photoshoot.
 
(Click images for an enlargment!)

 
 
 

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Jailhouse Rock (1957) publicity still 01 Jailhouse Rock (1957) publicity still 03 Jailhouse Rock (1957) publicity still 04
Jailhouse Rock (1957) publicity still 02 Jailhouse Rock (1957) publicity still 05

 

S-321 (Japan) Jailhouse Rock prop Treat Me Nice

 
 
 

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Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 40 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 42 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 41

40. Santo & Johnny
41. Jack Scott
42. Frank Sinatra

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 43 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 45 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 44

43. Skip & Flip
44. The Skyliners
45. Keely Smith

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 46 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 48 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 47

46. Connie Stevens
47. The Tassels
48. The Tempos

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 49 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 51 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 50

49. Conway Twitty
50. Fats Domino
51. Sarah Vaughan

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 53 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 52

52. Dinah Washington
53. Andy Williams
54. The Platters

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 54

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 55 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 57 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 56

55. The Kingston Trio
56. Dave (Baby) Cortez
57. Billy And Lillie

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 60 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 59

58. Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers
59. Tommy Sands
60. Jimmy Clanton

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 58

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 63 Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 62

61. The Mystics
62. Ray Charles
63. Ruth Brown

 
Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 61

 

Nu Trading Cards (1959) Rock And Roll Stars 64

64. Dee Clark

 
 
 

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Golden Boys 1 ELVIS 1956For more vintage Trading Cards, check out these articles by Seth Kaminsky:
 
‘THE STORY OF THE 1956 ELVIS BUBBLEGUM CARD SET’
can be found HERE!
 
‘ELVIS IN OTHER 1950′s AND 60′s CARD SETS’
can be found
HERE!

 
 
 

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3 Comments Post a comment
  1. Pink&Black #

    What a wonderful collection. Reading the remarks below the pictures is fun too. ‘has a high school education’ is what they come up with for Elvis:)

    December 26, 2015
  2. The bonus pix of Vince are by far the best in this topic …!

    December 27, 2015
  3. r&b #

    Love all the old trading cards. They remain high on the collector scale.

    February 27, 2016

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