El Hombre Enmascarado Coleccion de 203 Cromos (translates from Spanish to ‘The Phantom – Collection of 203 Stickers’) Sticker Card Album was produced by Editorial Dolar in Madrid, Spain in 1961. The album is titled ‘La Juventud del Hombre Enmascarado’, which translates to ‘The Youth of the Phantom’.

The card album was themed around the Lee Falk Phantom classic story, ‘The Childhood of The Phantom’, illustrated by Wilson McCoy, published in Sunday newspapers in 1944. A full set of cards is made up of 203, with a 32 page album released to attach the 203 paper cards. The front and back covers of the album can be seen below.

We find the inside front cover blank, with page 1 containing an introduction to the album, detailing the title of the album, plus publisher information.

At the front of the album, on page 2, we see the images of Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy, adjacent to a small biography about the creators. As noted above, the content found within the album are by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy.

The cards were sold at newspaper stands throughout Spain in blue colored paper packets, with each pack containing 8 cards costing 30 Spanish Pesetas. An image of the Phantom is found on the front of the packet, which was glued closed at the rear, holding the 8 cards within. Below we see the packet fully opened, with the triangular sections which were folded back at all four corners.

The 203 cards are unnumbered at the front with a few cards normally required to form an image within the allocated section of the album, which are glued down by the owner. Below we see card number 100. The rear of the card contains the card number which matches to the allocated section within the album, plus a short description of the Phantom story line that the image represents, leading to all 203 cards containing unique text.

Pages 3 thru to page 6 contain images of people, animals and objects found in Phantom comic story-lines, with a brief description in Spanish adjoining the picture.

The Childhood of The Phantom story cards commence from page 7 and end on page 31. A sample of these pages can be seen below, with the Phantom story commencing with ‘For Those Who Came In Late’ introductory panels.

The final page, page 32, contains text with religious themes, seemingly unrelated to the album or it’s context. A connection could possibly be made with the Phantom and his family legacy of combatting evil. The internal back cover is left black, as seen with the internal front cover.

The text found on the page above, translated from Spanish to English reads:

“YOU ARE CAPABLE OF MORE”

I saw an interesting funerary monument in a church. On the dead man’s shield was read the magnificent moto: Plus est in vobis! “Are you capable of more”.

To the choro mediator how Jesus Christ was growing, I remember those words. If this is a magnificent motto, worthy of being chosen as the guideline for a lifetime by a spirited young man, nobly ambitious, who must feel enthusiasm for the great ideals.

No matter how excellent my work has been, no matter how many compliments others have given me during my break. “You are capable of more”: we encourage you my on mos Ogo commends everywhere that I am a good student, a kind, fine, courteous boy…, I do not distrust “You are capable of more”. The captain of the scouts decorates me, as the number one of the group does not rest “You are capable of more”.

Examine my conscience at night and I see with joy that I am much closer to the Lord than a year ago, for example…, don’t rest and I keep repeating to myself every night: “You are capable of more.”

But won’t this lead me to pride, to haughtiness? No. Much easier is that I become proud he who was immediately pleased with himself: not being satisfied with our own actions, even good ones, and wake up continuously when you go up above… go up… go up even more… you are in the middle lens to educate yourself.

Jesus Christ himself, who was growing in wisdom and grace day by day, prescribed this motto for us when he gave his mandate: Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Saint Paul also inculcates spiritual work for Christian purposes with this magnificent simile: work, because you are the field that God cultivates, “agriculture Dei estis”. In your silent and ardent prayers I raise repeatedly

Your gaze into the eyes of Our Savior and seek molding in your soul his sad face.

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