Famous Wizard Card

• Type: Magical Object, Collectible
• Owners: Widely owned by the wizarding community; notable collectors include Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Neville Longbottom.
• Maker: Unspecified, but they are primarily distributed within packages of Chocolate Frogs.

A Famous Wizard Card is a collectible, pentagonal-shaped card. The front of the card features a moving, three-dimensional magical photograph of a notable witch or wizard from history or the present day. The subject of the portrait is not sentient but can move and perform characteristic actions. For example, the Albus Dumbledore card that Harry Potter first received showed the headmaster smiling and then vanishing from the frame entirely, only to reappear moments later. The reverse side of each card contains a concise biography of the featured individual, detailing their significant achievements and contributions to the wizarding world.

The primary magical property of a Famous Wizard Card lies in its enchanted photograph, which functions similarly to the moving pictures seen in wizarding newspapers like the Daily Prophet. The cards serve two main purposes: as a popular collectible hobby, particularly among younger witches and wizards, and as an educational tool providing brief historical summaries of important magical figures. Collecting and trading the cards is a common pastime. Ron Weasley is an avid collector, boasting a collection of “about five hundred” cards by his first year at Hogwarts, though he was still missing cards for Agrippa and Ptolemy. The existence of “new” cards implies that the set is periodically updated to include contemporary figures or newly recognized historical ones.

Famous Wizard Cards are an established part of wizarding culture by the time Harry Potter enters the magical world in 1991. Harry is introduced to them on his first journey aboard the Hogwarts Express when he buys Chocolate Frogs from the trolley witch. His first card is of Albus Dumbledore. The information on the back of this specific card proves to be a critical clue during Harry's first year. While researching the identity of Nicolas Flamel, Hermione Granger recalls the Dumbledore card mentioning Flamel as Dumbledore's partner in alchemy. This allows the trio to identify Flamel as the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, moving the central plot forward significantly. Other known figures featured on the cards mentioned in the novels include Merlin, Morgana, Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Cliodna.

Beyond their function as a plot device in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Famous Wizard Cards serve several narrative roles:

• World-Building: They are one of the first and most accessible ways Harry, and by extension the reader, learns about the wider history and culture of the wizarding world. They introduce key historical figures and establish that the magical community values and commemorates its heroes.
• Characterization: The hobby of collecting and trading cards helps to ground the magical world in familiar childhood activities. Ron Weasley's extensive collection highlights his deep roots in wizarding culture, contrasting with Harry's initial ignorance. It also provides a common interest for the boys to bond over.
• Foreshadowing: The Dumbledore card's mention of his defeat of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in 1945 is the first reference to a major historical event that gains significance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

• In a 2007 webchat, J.K. Rowling revealed that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were all eventually featured on their own Famous Wizard Cards following the defeat of Lord Voldemort. She noted that Ron considered this his “finest hour”. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• In several of the Harry Potter video games, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, collecting a full set of Wizard Cards is a major side-quest. (video game)
• The Pottermore website greatly expanded the known list of figures featured on the cards, adding biographies for characters like Garrick Ollivander, Ignatia Wildsmith (inventor of Floo Powder), and Bowman Wright (inventor of the Golden Snitch). (Pottermore)
• The film adaptations visually depicted the cards as described in the books, with animated, holographic-style portraits. (film)