The Defensores De La Tierra (which translates to Defenders of the Earth) Trading Card Set was produced in Mexico in 1987. The set is made up of 72 cards and is themed around the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series produced in 1986 featuring the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Lothar, Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless.

The trading card set was likely produced to be sold to children at local markets and news stands throughout Mexico, with the set not containing any copyright information. Each of the trading cards are printed on thin paper with a glossy color finish measuring 1.25” x 1.6”. The first 36 cards contain images from the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series, with the remaining 36 cards creating a large image of the main characters found in the series.

Each Defensores De La Tierra trading card is numbered from 1 thru to 72, with the first 36 cards containing a title at the base of the card in Spanish text. A double-sided black and white paper sheet was provided for the cards to be glued in specific locations measuring 8.5” x 11.75”. The full set of trading cards affixed to the paper sheet can be seen below.

Each side of the paper sheet contains the title of the trading card series ‘Defensores De La Tierra’, plus the words ‘Llena Tu Planilla Y Cambiala Por Fabulosos Premios’ which translates to ‘Fill Out Your Form And Exchange It For Fabulous Prizes’, all in Spanish text.

The Phantom is featured heavily in the Defensores De La Tierra trading card set, being a major character in the cartoon series. He’s titled under his local name in Mexico in the card series, ‘El Fantasma’. The images in the series are illustrated by an unknown artist.

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