1934-1935 Famous Airplane Pictures, Series 1 (F277-2)
H.J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Series Title: Famous Airplane Pictures, Series 1
American Card Catalog №: F277-2
Manufactured by: H. J. Heinz Company
Country: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Number of Cards: 2 × 25-cards
Card Dimensions: 1⅞ × 3 inches
Date Issued: 1934-1935
Checklist: Download

Overview

During 1934, the H. J. Heinz Company issued this first series of 25 “Famous Airplane Pictures, 1st Series” trading cards. Chronologically, this is the first of two distinct series of “Famous Airplane Pictures” series that were issued by the H. J. Heinz Company. The cards for these series were packaged with Heinz Breakfast Wheat and Heinz Rice Flakes breakfast cereals. The first series F277-2 was issued during the 1934-1935 timeframe. A second series, F277-1 followed and was issued from 1935-1938. Both series contained 25 cards, and both series shared identical checklists. The first series F277-2 featured aircraft mostly in silhouette form against background colors like those used for the 1939 World’s Fair trading cards (orange and blue). The second series F277-1 is by far the more attractive of the two series. The artwork for the second series is painted in beautiful pastels and presents a more realistic representation of the aircraft in flight.

The two series are easily distinguishable from each other by the front title on the card. The first series of cards F277-2 have the card number noted twice in the title. The second card series F277-1 lists the card number only once in the front title. A comparison of the two series is shown below. The cards measure 1⅞ × 3 inches. The American Card Catalog reference number for this series is F277-2.

Multiple Printings

There were multiple printings of this series during 1934 and 1935. We currently know of three distinct printings. The printing sequence number appears on the backs of the cards in the lower right hand corner. The three printings are #27434, #9935, and #14735. #27434 means that the cards were printed on 1 October 1934, the 274^th day of 1934. #9935 translates to 9 April 1935, the 99^th day of 1935, and 14735 translates to 27 May 1935, the 147^th day of 1935. The first two printings #27434 & #9935 appear to be identical with the exception of the printing codes. The backs for both these printings include a descriptive text of the aircraft, and an offer to get the associated album, and an invitation for the young boys and girls to join Colonel Roscoe Turner’s Flying Corps Program. The third printing #14735 is a generic back that does not include any details about the aircraft on the fronts of the cards. The text gives instructions on how to get the 25 “Famous Airplane Pictures” card set, and the companion F277-2 “Modern Aviation” Album #18235 album which was printed on one July 1935.

Image-Guide

The following Image-Guide shows computer enhanced images of the fronts and backs of all 25-cards. The enhanced images show our interpretation of what the cards might have originally looked like.

Modern Aviation Album

There were two different albums associated with the F277 series. The first album was printed on 1 July 1935 (#18235), and the second album on 11 May 1937 (#13137). Obviously the #1935 album is the one that was associated with this series. Details of the 16-page #18235 album are shown below. Click on the “Modern Aviation” Album cover image to view computer enhanced images of the album.

Checklist

F277-2 “Famous Airplanes, Series 1” Checklist
Card No.	10/1/1934 “27434” Back	4/9/1935 “9935” Back	5/27/1935 “14735” Back	Card Title
1				Roscoe Turner’s “57” Racer
2				Boeing 247 Transport
3				Sikorsky Flying Boat S-42
4				Kinner Monoplane R-5
5				Aeronca C-3
6				Douglas Amphibion
7				Stinson Model A
8				Stearman Model 80
9				Beechcraft
10				Lockheed Electra
11				Northrup Delta (sic Northrop)
12				Waco Model D
13				Great Lakes Sport-Trainer
14				Kellett Autogiro K-4
15				Pitcairn Autogiro PA-19
16				Vought Corsair
17				Fairchild 24
18				Curtiss-Wright Condor Transport
19				Douglas DC-2 Transport
20				General Aviation GA-43 Transport
21				Vultee Transport Monoplane
22				Bellanca Aircruiser
23				Amphibion Privateer P-3-B
24				The “YB&” Martin Bomber
25				Consolidated Model P2Y-1
album		Modern Aviation Album #18235

References

1. John A. Shupek: The Skytamer Archive Digital Image Database
2. Albert B. Kramer: Card images from the Al Kramer Collection
3. Bob Dros: Card images from the Bob Dros Collection

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