Auction #16 - February 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/25/2024
The 1933 Goudey Indian series is one of the quintessential dozen or so nonsports sets issued from the 1880's to 1970's. It's one of the more widely collected sets due to the variety of ways it can be collected. Although the set is entitled "Indian Gum", it pictures not only Indians, but settlers and well known Western figures as well. Many of the cards picture headshots of a single Indian while others picture action scenes of a number of people in frontier life. Popular subjects in the set include well known figures like Sitting Bull and Pocahantas, Daniel Boone, Davie Crockett, Jim Bridger, Colonel Bowie and others.
The R73 wrapper noted that premium photos could be had for (50) wrappers. The premiums were subsequently classified as R74 by Jefferson Burdick in the American Card Catalog and they remain one of the more confusing stories in nonsports. There are many tens of thousands of R73 Goudey Gum Indian cards but the lack of a manufacturer's name on the premiums leaves them a mystery on just which ones are TRULY the proper Goudey R74 premiums.
This single R74 Goudey Indian Gum Premium is the only confirmed premium known to exist. It was found with it's original envelope and bought in an ebay auction in 2002. This print measures 7" by 9" with matching Goudey mailing enveoope. The title of this print is "Appeal to the Great Spirit" by Cyrus Dallin. It is believed that this print and another were the replacements when the supply of the original prints was exhausted. This is only conjecture as no one really knows. This may be the only opportunity for someone to pick up what is widely regarded as the only TRUE R74 known.
***UPDATE***
A bidder contacted me about the "note" that is mentioned in the email and I had not scanned a picture of it. The note is a piece of 2-1/8" by 8-1/2" and says "Our supply of the indian picture requested by you has been exhausted, and we are substituting herewith another equally attractive indian picture." The note was folded in half and still inside the mailing envelope.
Click above for larger image.