“Sky Birds” (R137)
The Goudey Gum Company, United States

• Series Title: Sky Birds
• ACC No.: R137
• Manufactured by: The Goudey Gum Company, Boston, MA
• Number of Cards: 24
• Numbering: 1 to 24 on card front, Back is blank
• Card Dimensions: 2-5/16 × 2⅞ inches"
• Circa: 1941

Overview

During 1941, the Goudey Gum Company of Boston, MA issued their version of “Sky Birds” airplane cards. The original series of course was the 1933 “Sky Birds” series issued by the National Chicle Company of Cambridge, MA. The Goudey series of 24 blank-Backed cards featured British, American, German, Italian and Japanese World War II aircraft. The cards were issued in wax packs of “Sky Bird Bubble gum.” The color artwork featured vivid tones of red and blue, but lacked in detail. The bottom of each card features a bright red panel that contained the card number, title, and a brief description of the aircraft. The cards were consecutively numbered from 1 to 24. The cards were printed on both gray and tan card stock. A Canadian version was issued by World Wide Gum Company, Boston, MA, which would explain the two different card stock colors … gray and tan.

Image Guide

Wrappers and Box

According to Christopher Benjamin ¹ “There are three wrappers associated with the set. The first has a red center containing a dogfight scene and bears advertising on the top and bottom flaps. A color variation of this wrapper, in green, has been recently discovered. Both these types are marked “Goudey Gum.” The third wrapper, which has a blue center and the dogfight swirling into the end flap areas, is marked “World Wide Gum.” The existence of the latter, plus the discovery that Sky Birds cards with both tan and gray cardboard Backs, suggest that the series may have been issued in Canada. The cards were also distributed with gum in small boxes which also came in either red or blue colors. The reference number is R137.” The Sport Americana® Price Guide to the Non-Sports Cards 1930-1960, Number 2, Christopher Benjamin, Edgewater Book Company, 1993, ISBN 0-937424-66-8

Checklist

1. U.S.A. Patrol Bomber
2. English Gloster F 534
3. English Hawker Henley
4. German Junkers JU-86R Bomber
5. German Hamburger Ha-137
6. English Hawker Hurricane
7. U.S.A. Boeing B-17
8. French Hanriot 220
9. Curtis Pursuit Plane
10. German Stuka Henschel Hs-123
11. German Dornier DO-17
12. German Messerschmidt BT-109-R
13. Italian Fiat Biplane
14. Italian Breda 88
15. Russia The U.R.S.S. L-760
16. U.S.A. Curtis-Hawk 75
17. U.S.A. Brewster F-2A1
18. English The Short Sunderland
19. Swedish Bristol Bulldog
20. U.S.A. Lockheed XP 38
21. English Famous Spitfire
22. Japan Mitsubishi 96 Bomber
23. U.S.A. Consolidated XPB-2Y
24. China Northrup 8 A-1

References

1. Shupek, John A., Card images from the Skytamer Archive