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Card-O Aeroplanes - Series 'D' Mysteries

The information in this article comes from four main sources: The Non-Sports Bible, published by Chris Watson, The Sport Americana Price Guide To The Non-Sports Cards 1930-1960, by Chris Benjamin and Denny Eckes, the article, by Ron Wilson, in issue #122 of The Wrapper, and my own collection.According to the NSB, there are 8 different series, comprising 19 different sub-series of Card-Os from the 1940s. Chris Benjamin refers to this series of cards as the “cartophilic equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle”. By far, the best description of I’ve seen of these cards is Ron Wilson’s, in The Wrapper. They are designated R112 by the American Card Catalog. They were produced by the Leaf Gum Company of Chicago, Illinois. The cards measure 2-1/4” by 3-1/8” and have rounded corners, making them akin to playing cards. In fact, there were two different Zoom Airplane Card Games, utilizing the same aircraft pictures as the Card-Os, produced by Whitman Publishing, during the same period. My collection consists of Series A, B, C, D, and the “Mixed” Series. I’ve been working on this collection of Card-O Aeroplanes and U.S. Navy cards for a couple of years, and have become fascinated with the variations and short prints associated with them.

The main purpose of this article is to look more closely at the Card-O Series ‘D’ cards, and to solicit reader help in clearing up a couple of mysteries I’ve discovered. My focus is on the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt card and its variations.

 

 

Near Wing Up – “Text” Back Only

Near Wing Down – “Text” and “Gum” Backs

 

The following table lists the various configurations of Thunderbolt cards that are known, or may exist. “Gum” Back cards refer to the cards with the notation “Packed with CARD-O CHEWING GUM” on the back. “Text” Back cards do not have this notation. Both the NSB, Chris Benjamin’s guide, and Ron Wilson’s article are of the opinion that the “Gum” Back, Near Wing Up card does not exist. NSB, in the table below, means that Chris Watson has mentioned the variation in his Non-Sports Bible. PG indicates a mention of the variation in Chris Benjamin’s Price Guide. RW indicates the cards are mentioned in Ron Wilson’s article. I have the cards marked PJD.

                Series 'D' P-47 "Thunderbolt" Variations

 
"Text" Back
"Gum" Back
On Card Front
Near Wing Up
NSB-RW-PJD
N/A
REPUBLIC P-47 • United States
Near Wing Down
???
PJD
REPUBLIC P-47 • United States
Near Wing Down
NSB-PG-RW-PJD
NSB-PG-RW-PJD
REPUBLIC P-47 Thunderbolt • United States

As the reader can see, there is at least one, and possibly two variations of the Series ‘D’ Thunderbolt card that are not mentioned in any of the above published sources: the Near Wing Down REPUBLIC P-47 without the word THUNDERBOLT on the front. I have the “Gum” Back version of this card. I would be most happy to hear from readers that can confirm or deny the existence of the Near Wing Down, “REPUBLIC P-47 • United States” variation with a “Text” Back.


Near Wing Down – “Gum” Back – Does a “Text” Back exist for this card?

Now comes the confusing part! Ron Wilson stated in his comprehensive article in issue #122 of The Wrapper, that the Thunderbolt card was updated at some point during the production of Series ‘D’. The Near Wing Up version of the Thunderbolt from Series ‘C’ was used in the first print runs of Series ‘D’. This includes the artwork on the front and the write up on the back. I quote from Ron’s article:

“Somewhere in the middle of the print run, the Republic P-47 got an overhaul. Recall that this card also appeared in our C-series as one of the two apparently short printed cards. The model of the P-47 which appeared in the C-series was an older one. It was painted with its near wing up, and its specs on the back were of an older model. When the Republic P-47 made its appearance in the D-series, it first appeared with the old plane’s art and specs (my emphasis)… Sometime later in the print run, the artwork and specs described in the text were upgraded to reflect the newer model of the P-47. This newer model was painted with its near wing down”.

All four of the P-47 cards in my collection have the same (newer) write up on the back. Does this mean that the Near Wing Down card was printed with two different backs? Or, was Ron mistaken in his belief that the specs on the back were changed when the artwork was changed. This is another mystery to ponder. Please check your collections and see if you can verify a Series ‘D’ Thunderbolt with a Series ‘C’ write up on the back.   

Series ‘C’ Thunderbolt Back (Near Wing Up)

Series ‘D’ Thunderbolt Back (All versions in my collection)

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