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1930s “Adventure Pictures” (R2)
M. J. Holloway & Co., Chicago, IL
Series Title: “Adventure Pictures”
Cartophilic Reference umber: R2
Issued by: M. J. Holloway & Co., 308 W. Ontario St., Chicago, IL
Issued with: Holloway Milk Made Candies
Type of card: Candy strip card
Country: United States
Number of Cards: 10
Card Dimensions: 2½ × 3 inches
Circa: 1930s
Checklist: Download
Overview
The 1930s R2 “Adventure Pictures” 10-card set is one of an extremely rare collection of ten different uncut strips produced by M. J. Holloway & Co. The ten 6-card strips feature cards from six different Holloway issues. The Holloway Company is known to have produced seven different card sets during the 1930s. The six sets on the strips are all considered extremely rare by collectors. The sets featured (left right) are: Firemen Pictures (R202), Adventure Pictures (R2), Policemen Pictures (R204), “How To Do” Cards (R203), Airplane Pictures (R7), and Comic Pictures (R35). The seventh set “Pirate Treasure” (R110) is more plentiful and attainable for collectors. An example of a six-card strip is show below. The six-card strip images were obtained from the Richard Edwards Auctions website¹. Richard Edwards Auctions¹ recently auctioned the complete M.J. Holloway & Co. collection of 10-strip cards with 6-cards per strip for a whopping $8,295! The collection is also shown below.
According to Christopher Benjamin², in his definitive work “The Sport Americana Price Guide to the Non-Sports Cards 1930-1960”, only a single example from each of the R2 and R7 sets is found within the illustrious collection of legendary collector Jefferson Burdick, which is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of what is known about the sets today, including their issuance in strips and check-listing, is the result of information compiled by Chris Benjamin in the 1980s. Over the past years, not much additional information has been learned about these mysterious issues and very few examples have surfaced.
The set(s) shown above is the first time these ten uncut strips have ever been available at public auction. The Richard Edwards Auctions¹ lot represents the largest offering of cards from these elusive sets that they were aware of, and to the best of their knowledge is the largest group even known to exist. Each strip measures 18 × 2.5 inches with dotted lines separating the six cards which appear in the same order on each strip: R202-R2-R204-R203-R7-R35. Any example from one of these six sets is rare, but to be presented with sixty examples, in original uncut form, and appearing in as superb condition as they did, was remarkable. Prior to consigning these 6-card strips for auction by Richard Edwards Auctions, the consignor graciously shared them with the non-sport collecting community via the popular Network54 Vintage Non-Sports Chat Board³. These ten strips serve as the plate specimens for the non-sport image gallery maintained on the site, which until then did not have any images for reference. As such, these strips are the very cards that have helped to properly document and checklist these six sets for the collecting community. The ten strips represent what was, perhaps, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire six very rare sets in their entirety uncut form. As mentioned above, the set sold for $8,295.00!
The (R2) “Adventure Pictures” set occupies the second position in the six cards strip. The card fronts represent ten historical events in the history of the United States of America. The color card images are presented within a black-and-white common template, with two yellow stars, and a text box at the bottom containing the card title. The backs of the cards are divided into a vertical stack of four sections: (1) Episode Number or card number, (2) Card Title, (3) descriptive text, and (4) M.J. Holloway & Co. advertising copy. When cut, the individual cards measure 2½ × 3 inches. “Adventure Pictures” were printed on either thick or thin stock. The thick cardboard variety might have been issued singly on small candy boxes; cards printed on thin stock were distributed in strips. The American Card Catalog number for the set is R2.
Image-Guide
The following card images were obtained from the Network54 Vintage Non-Sports Chat Board website. 3
Checklist
| Adventure Pictures (R2)
M.J. Holloway & Company Checklist | ||
|---|---|---|
| x | № | Card Title |
| 1 | Christopher Columbus | |
| 2 | Ferdinand de Soto | |
| 3 | Ponce de Leon | |
| 4 | Father Marquette | |
| 5 | Henry Hudson | |
| 6 | Daniel Boone | |
| 7 | Lewis and Clark | |
| 8 | Commodore Perry | |
| 9 | Robert E. Peary | |
| 10 | Commander Byrd | |
References
