These Are Really Tough!
The text of this page was shamelessly stolen from the Skytamer Web site.
During World War II, Cameron Sales of Chicago, Illinois, issued a series of 30 unnumbered "Airplanes" trading cards. The fronts of the cards featured a color-enhanced photo of a World War II aircraft in action. The name of the aircraft was centered in a white border beneath the photo. The backs of the cards featured two Squadron Insignia on a shell-white cardstock. Both sides of these unnumbered cards had glossy surfaces. The dimensions of the cards are 2-1/8" x 3-5/8". The American Card Catalog reference number is R10.
There is absolutely nothing printed on the card which gives a clue to the manufacturer's identity. Luckily, the basic design of the cards were repeated in another series by Cameron Sales – R169, which established the identity of the set's manufacturer.
It's also interesting to note that these cards were often found in clean and excellent condition, without any product stains. Most collectors therefore believed that they were not associated with the confectionery trade. This mystery was solved when a partial wrapper for Cameron's "1¢ Plane Penny Roll Picture Series" was discovered which linked individual cards to Cameron Sales products. The wrapper also indicated that complete sets of the cards were available via the mail for 25¢.
Fronts and backs for all 30 Cameron Sales cards can be seen at the Skytamer Web site.
- My .pdf Checklist for Cameron Sales cards can be seen by clicking here.
- A list of all 30 Cameron Sales cards follows:
No.
|
Have
|
Need Better
|
Manufacturer
|
Designation |
Nickname
|
Note
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
■
|
Bell |
P-39 |
Airacobra |
||
2 |
■
|
Boeing |
B-17E |
Flying Fortress |
||
3 |
■
|
Consolidated |
B-24 |
Liberator |
||
4 |
■
|
Consolidated |
PBY-5A |
Catalina |
||
5 |
■
|
Consolidated |
PB2Y-2 |
Coronado |
Navy's Flying Boat |
|
6 |
■
|
Curtiss |
P-40F |
Warhawk |
||
7 |
■
|
Curtiss |
SB2C |
Helldiver |
||
8 |
■ |
Douglas |
A-20 |
Havoc |
||
9 |
■
|
Douglas |
C-53 |
Skytrooper |
||
10 |
■
|
Douglas |
R4D |
Skytrain |
Naval Air Transport Giant Plane |
|
11 |
■
|
Douglas |
SBD |
Dauntless |
Dive Bomber |
|
12 |
■
|
Douglas |
SBD-4P |
Dauntless |
Scout Bomber |
|
13 |
■
|
Douglas |
TBD |
Devastator |
Torpedo Bomber |
|
14 |
■
|
Grumman |
J2F-5 |
Duck |
Amphibian Utility Plane |
|
15 |
■
|
▲ |
Grumman |
F4F |
Wildcat |
|
16 |
■
|
Grumman |
TBF |
Avenger |
Torpedo Bomber |
|
17 |
■ |
Grumman |
F6F |
Hellcat |
||
18 |
■
|
▲ |
Lockheed |
B14L |
Hudson |
Bomber |
19 |
■
|
Lockheed |
P-38 |
Lightning |
||
20 |
■
|
Lockheed |
PV-1 |
Ventura |
||
21 |
■ |
Martin |
B-26 |
Marauder |
||
22 |
■
|
Martin |
JM-1 |
Marauder |
Navy's (Version) |
|
23 |
■
|
Martin |
PBM |
Mariner |
Bomber |
|
24 |
■
|
Martin |
JRM-1 |
Mars |
Navy Flying Boat Service And Cargo |
|
25 |
■
|
North American |
B-25 |
Mitchell |
||
26 |
■
|
North American |
P-51 |
Mustang |
||
27 |
■
|
Vought |
F4U |
Corsair |
||
28 |
■ |
Vought |
OS2U |
Kingfisher |
Observation Scout Plane |
|
29 |
■
|
Vought Sikorsky |
SB2U |
Vindicator |
Scout Bomber |
|
30 |
■
|
Vultee |
A-31 |
Vengance |
Typical Card Front |
Typical card Back |
Partial "Penny Roll" Wrapper |