BOOKSMITH AUTHOR TRADING CARD

The Booksmith here in San Francisco, California, came up with this unique promotional item as a way of advertising author events and book signings. The idea originated with the owner / founder, Gary Frank, who was a fan of baseball cards. All together, more than 1,000 cards were created in a fifteen year period, from 1993 to 2008. Usually 200 copies of a card were made; on rare occasions, maybe as many as 400 were printed.
I worked at the Booksmith from 1988 to 2005 as the children's book buyer. That is how I came to be in possession of so many of these cards. I have finally decided to part with them. I hope other collectors will enjoy them!
Thomas Gladysz was the very dynamic event coordinator for most of that time. If you are interested in learning more about these trading cards, he has written some very entertaining articles about them. During the pandemic, he created a complete list of all the cards, with interesting anecdotes about some. That list and several of the articles can be found online.

card number: 558

featuring: BRIAN FROUD
profession: writer / artist / "fairy expert"
He chose to create a self-portrait as a fairy for his card image.

book title: LADY COTTINGTON'S FAIRY ALBUMS
genre: art / fantasy

date of event: October 30, 2003.

Measures 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches

Excellent condition - crisp and clean, no marks, no creases, no age discoloration.
All the cards have been carefully stored away since I began acquiring them as they were released. That is why I am calling the item "new". It would be "used" only in the sense that is has been pre-owned by me.

Although these trading cards could fit in an envelope like a letter, they need to be sent as a "package" so that they can be insured with tracking. This means sending them USPS "ground advantage."

I am happy to combine shipping to save my buyers money on postage. Please just put items in your cart; then "request total from seller". I will then send you a revised invoice with an adjusted shipping cost.
However, I have been told that if you are ordering from a phone, it may not be possible to request such a total. If that is your situation, please go ahead and pay the shipping as billed. Then, when I process your order, I will calculate the difference between shipping paid versus actual cost, and refund you any difference.