The Costume Series

In the spring, a customer came to us at Växjö Auktionskammare with a rare collectible card of Pelé.
It belonged to the rarest collectible series from the 1958 World Cup, the so-called "Suit Series." When it was brought in, there was no auction record for this collectible card at all. What could the value be? Alfabilder cards of Pelé from the same World Cup commanded high sums, but this one was even rarer.
A Google image search returned only one result, which led to a Swedish collectors' site for memorabilia from the 1958 World Cup. The series was reported to be called the "Suit Series" because several of the portrayed players were wearing suits. However, no information was available regarding its value.
In calls to some collectors of such cards, it became clear that the card was rare and sought after, and the general opinion was that only a small number of known copies of this collectible card existed. It also turned out that the person who named the series the "Suit Series" was Hasse Rydén in Växjö, owner of a private football museum in Växjö.
Apparently, the series was issued with a total of 48 cards: twelve of Brazilian players, twelve of West German players, twelve of Hungarian players, and twelve of Swedish players.
When the Pelé card that was brought to us in Växjö last spring was sold, the final hammer price was SEK 206,888 before commission. The buyer was based in Sweden.
This led to considerable coverage in the daily press and collector magazines, which resulted in three more copies being submitted for sale at auction, mostly by older men who, after the excitement, happily searched for their own copies that they remembered having.
Who issued this collectible series? Unfortunately, this is still shrouded in mystery. No one has managed to recall how they were sold or distributed. Were they included in some kind of candy box or gum package? Could they be ordered? Were they free, or did they cost money? There is no known ad or redemption coupon published in any sports magazine from that time.
In conversations with several collectors, it seems that most were living in the three southernmost Swedish provinces when they received their cards. An older man recounted that he was living in Billesholm, Skåne, when he collected his cards and had a vague memory that they came in some kind of box. Such a box or packaging has yet to be found if that is the case.
Now, Växjö Auktionskammare once again has the honor of auctioning a collection of cards from the Suit Series. This time, it is the adult children of an older man who have submitted them, collected in the Växjö area at the time.
Additionally, the internationally sought-after card of Pelé is included, and this time in very fine condition, possibly the finest that exists.