NUMBERING AND DATING


Film Sterne and Ross Verlag were part of the same series of cards, so the Ross Verlag numbering continued on from where Film Sterne ended.   What can make it difficult to follow is that the portrait and film scene cards were seen as two separate series in the beginning.

The Film Sterne film scene cards began at #500 and continued on until #568, and then the Ross Verlag name took on from there with the film scene cards until #700.   Then the Ross film scene cards basically took over at the beginning of the numbering #1 and ran until #200.   After that, film scene cards would just appear among the regular portrait series cards with no set numbers set aside for them.

The Film Sterne portrait cards started at #61 and continued until #225, when the Ross Verlag name took over.   These Ross portrait cards ran until #600.   And then at #700 the Ross portrait cards began again and continued for the remainder of the series.

So the Film Sterne and Ross Verlag numbering occasionally overlapped on the different portrait and film scene series.   In fact, some of the Ross Verlag film scene and portrait cards had the same number.

Some of the lower numbers of the Ross Verlag cards up to about #25 are really confusing.   Some of the numbers have both an early film scene card and a later (pre-yellow card stock) portrait card.   Also, some of the cards that I and others have discovered with lower numbers may have been part of a separate series (for example #15, the Zeppelin card).   It is difficult to say.

I have not yet heard of anyone coming across card #1.   The early numbers may not even exist.



This is the general order of the publishing, with some overlapping:


FIRST
61-200     Film Sterne portrait cards.
500-600     Film Sterne film scene cards.

SECOND
200-600     Ross portrait cards.
600-700     Ross film scene cards.

THIRD
700-9997     Ross portrait cards (occassional film scene card.)
1(?)-200     Ross film scene cards (and also some portrait cards).

FOURTH
A1000-A4096   Ross portrait cards and occasional film scene card





Here is the approximate dating of the Ross cards by series numbers:

1-200                   1925-1935

200-600               1919-1924

600-700               1919-1924

700-1000             1925-1926

1000-2100           1927-1928

3000-4000           1928-1929

4000-5000           1929-1930

5000-6000           1930-1931

6000-7000           1931-1932

7000-8000           1932-1933

8000-9000           1933-1934

9000-9997           1935-1936

A 1000-A 2000     1937-1938

A 2000-A 3000     1939-1940

A 3000-A 4096     1941-1944



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