Token Gesture

Scouring the listings for vintage space memorabilia on eBay, recently turned up a very fine piece of ephemera - an old book token. In itself, it’s a nice piece, but the front is adorned with a neat lenticular card. Lenticulars or ‘Vari-Vue’ as they are sometimes known, are laminated photographs with tiny lenses graven into the plastic to give a 3d effect, depending on the angle of view. The process is explained quite simply on the back of this card too.

The lenticular image shows an astronaut standing on a crest of a hill, overlooking his Lunar Module and acolleague setting up experiments on the surface. Both appear to be plastic models. In the rear is a distant image of green Earth. The 3d effect is especially clear.

Inside the card is a nice 70’s illustration of a moon suit, with explanatory notes. On the other side is the token itself, with a value of ten shillings, which dates it nicely to the pre-decimal era.

The two other lenticulars I have found are postcard size, one with a LEM descending on a luxuriantly green moon surface - and you can see the strings! 

The other came in a heavy duty wooden frame, which protected it remarkably well and shows a large rocket and a team of astronauts exploring the surface.

 

I did wonder if the model used on the green moon postcard might be the small Revell Apollo LEM kit. As shown above, but the detailing is slightly heavier.

Just as I was finishing this post, I found another Toppan release postcard, entitled PK-57 Lunar Landing.