Auction #5 - June 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/28/2020
The R37 Crime Did Not Pay set may be the most difficult "R" set from the 1930's/1940's. Type cards from the set are extremely rare and there are only seven known subjects in the set. The set is a black and white art set that pictures a single subject's head shot in the center of the square card. To the right, left, top and bottom of the center picture are portions of other subjects heads. The pictures feature a mug shot with the subjects name in type print right below the image. The seven subjects known in the set include Fred Baker, Clyde Barrow, Harry Campbell, Tommy Carroll, John Dillinger, Raymond Hamilton and Alvin Karpis. Dillinger is the key card to the set and it is likely that there are more cards in the set yet to be discovered.
The black and white backs of the cards have the subjects name at the top along with a small couple paragraph biography on the subject and their crime history. At the bottom is the byline "REWARD for the capture of Dillinger" insinuating that the John Dillinger card may be a 'chase' card or tougher subject in the set. Below that it says to read the instructions printed on the wrapper. No wrapper has ever been found for the set. Nowhere does it mention a company of manufacture name or even link it to a specific product such as gum but Burdick included it as R37 in the American Card Catalog.
This lot is for a single copy of an R37 Crime Did Not Pay card featuring Clyde Barrow. The card is in about VG condition with very clean front and back but with some center creasing running top to bottom on the card. It is most visible from the reverse of the card. A very rare opportunity to add to a world class type card collection or fill a hole in a Crime Did Not Pay set if someone is ambitious enough to begin that daunting task. Phenomenal card and opportunity.
R37 Crime Did Not Pay Clyde Barrow Key Type Card
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