The Samir’s Card play set was produced by Samir in Egypt in the 1960s. The card game set is made up of 28 cards housed in a cardboard box, featuring a mix of comic book characters. Little is known about the card game set, believed to of been produced for give-away promotional purposes, unlicensed by King Features Syndicate.
Samir was an influential Egyptian comic book publisher established in the 1950s, playing a key role in shaping the region’s comic book culture. Founded in 1956, Samir was initially a children’s magazine published by Dar Al-Hilal, one of Egypt’s oldest publishing houses. The magazine was named after its main character, a young adventurous boy, and quickly became a staple in Egyptian households. It was modeled after European comic book styles, particularly inspired by French and Belgian publications such as Tintin. Over the years, Samir developed a distinctive artistic and storytelling approach that resonated with Egyptian and Arab readers, blending local folklore, historical narratives, and modern-day adventures.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Samir expanded its content beyond the titular character, introducing various serialized stories and international comic strips. It became a platform for both original Egyptian comic book heroes and adaptations of Western characters, making them accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences. The magazine featured a mix of humorous and adventure-based tales, often incorporating educational elements that reflected the nationalist and Pan-Arabist sentiments of the time. In addition to comics, Samir included puzzles, science articles, and interactive sections aimed at engaging young readers, solidifying its reputation as a well-rounded children’s publication.
The title of the card game set, ‘Samir’s Card’, is inscribed in Arabic on both sides of the cardboard box that encases the set. This box showcases a collection of comic book characters featured in the card set, prominently including the Phantom within the collage. Both sides of the box are uniquely colored, one side is red, whilst the second side is blue, with the same image and card game title seen on both sides.
The Samir’s Card play set is made up of 28 colorful cards with rounded corners, with each card featuring a different comic book character. Each character is seen on 3 of the cards within the set, with a unique symbol seen on each card, paired with the comic book character image. The player is required to match the character/symbol cards throughout the game. All 28 playing cards can be seen below.
The Phantom appears on three cards within the collection, characterized by a yellow background and a distinctive skull symbol present on each of card. In each instance, the Phantom is depicted wearing a purple costume complemented by yellow trunks. The three cards featuring the Phantom can be seen below.
The reverses of all 28 cards included in the set display a uniform image, akin to that depicted on the cardboard box housing the set. This image presents a compilation of comic book characters represented in the card set, with the Phantom depicted in the lower right corner.
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