1940s Topps
The 1940s was both the beginning and end of an era for trading cards. There was virtually nothing produced in the great divide caused by World War II. Up to 1941 manufacturers like Gum Inc. (later Bowman) and Goudey, had raised the bar on the confection industry by leaving behind the tobacco age of marketing to adults and bringing forth the bubble gum age and marketing to children. Topps had been primarily a gum company but took up adding premiums to their products after the war. Their first sets featured various sizes and numerous topics, mostly non-sport. The most notable is the Bazooka Gum comics although the earlier issues did not yet feature Joe and his gang. Below are descriptions of Topps products that were issued in the 1940s.
1948 Topps Magic Photos (R714-27)
This set contains 252 small individual cards featuring sport and non-sport subjects. They were issued in 19 lettered series with cards numbered within each series. The 'magic' of the cards were the fact that they came out of the pack blank until the image was revealed by moistening the surface and applying the developing agent which was supplied by the wrapper in a one cent pack or a piece of orange mystery paper supplied in the five cent packs. The subsets by group letter are: A Boxing Champions, B All-American Basketball, C All-American Football, D Wrestling Champions, E Track & Field Champions, F Stars of Stage & Screen, G American Dogs, H General Sports, I None issued, J Movie Stars, K Baseball Hall of Fame, L Aviation Pioneers, M Famous Landmarks, N American Inventors, O American Military Leaders, P American Explorers, Q Basketball Thrills, R Football Thrills, S Figures of the Wild West, T General Sports. Size: 7⁄8 × 1 7⁄16 in (2.2 × 3.7 cm)
1949 Spalding Sports Show
These are a set of rust colored cartoons that deal with numerous sports. The illustrator of the cartoons is Willard Mullin. They were found on the inside of the foil wrapper of Bazooka gum. Size: 2 × 2 3⁄4 inches
1947-49 Bazooka Comics As a way to boost sales Topps began putting small comic strips as inner wrappers for their gum. These comics were reprints of strips from DC and Fawcett. Titles such as 'Doc Sorebones' and 'Peg' were found in varying sizes in Bazooka Gum from 1947 to 1948. In 1949 Topps began using a character called 'Bazooka, The Atom Bubble Boy' that represented something of a personage of the product. These comics that featured the Bubble Boy were done in a dull rust color making them hard to read. Despite their quality they would represent the precursor to the famous Bazooka Joe comics.
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