Pre-War Cards

It’s in the Details

Title	D146 Donut / Doughnut Corporation of America Thrilling Moments
Year	1937
Size	1 7/8″ x 3″
Images	Black and White
Type	Bakery
Number in Set	72

1937 Donut / Doughnut Corporation of America Thrilling Moments Overview

This unique set was produced in 1937 by the Donut (or Doughnut) Corporation of America.

Cards were printed directly on the company’s doughnut boxes and feature both sports and non-sports personalities. The full, formal name of the set is “Thrilling Moments in the Lives of Famous Americans” and the issue included a total of 72 cards.

Images are presented in black ink various colored backgrounds. A title is displayed at the bottom and the backs are completely blank. Cards were printed in panels of 18 so four of them would make up an entire set.

Many famous Americans are featured in the set, but the sports cards are the keys. For sports collectors, the issue is anchored by baseball star Babe Ruth and football legends Red Grange and Knute Rockne. Boxing champions Jack Dempsey and John Sullivan are included here, too. That two football players and only one baseball player was included is interesting. With pro football still a developing game at the time, baseball is generally the more prominent of the two sports displayed in pre-war multi-sport issues. Bobby Jones (golf) and Bill Tilden (tennis) are also key cards found in the set.

In terms of non-sports personalities, former presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt are in the set as well.

In addition to the cards, an also album exists. That allowed collectors to glue their cards into a book for safe keeping so these cards can be found with glue residue on the backs if they were removed from the book. The album measures approximately 10″ wide by 15″ tall.

1937 Donut / Doughnut Corporation of America Thrilling Moments Checklist

1. Carl Akeley
2. Fougere Audubon
3. Bob Bartlett
4. William Beebe
5. Alexander Graham Bell
6. Daniel Boone
7. Frank Buck
8. Buffalo Bill
9. Richard Byrd
10. Andrew Carnegie
11. Chief Black Hawk
12. Glenna Collett
13. Davy Crockett
14. Glenn Cunningham
15. George Custer
16. Earle Dande
17. Jack Dempsey
18. George Dewey
19. Jimmy Doolittle
20. Amelia Earhart
21. Gertrude Ederle
22. Thomas Edison
23. Edward Ellsberg
24. Cyrus Fields
25. Ben Franklin
26. John Fremont
27. Robert Fulton
28. George Goethals
29. Red Grange (Football)
30. Nathan Hale
31. Alexander Hamilton
32. Victor Hesier
33. Patrick Henry
34. Richard Hobson
35. Sam Houston
36. Stonewall Jackson
37. Thomas Jefferson
38. Bobby Jones
39. John Paul Jones
40. Francis Scott Key
41. Abraham Lincoln
42. Charles Lindbergh
43. Frank Luke
44. Dolly Madison
45. James Marshall
46. Samuel Morse
47. Carrie Nation
48. Barney Oldfield
49. Robert Peary
50. Matthew Perry
51. John Pershing
52. Molly Pitcher
53. Wiley Post
54. Paul Revere
55. Eddie Richenbacker
56. Knute Rockne (Football)
57. Will Rogers
58. Betsy Ross
59. Babe Ruth (Baseball)
60. Earl Sande
61. David Sarnoff
62. Sitting Bull
63. Miles Standish
64. Leland Stanford
65. Charles Steinmetz
66. John Sullivan
67. Bill Tilden
68. George Washington
69. Anthony Wayne
70. Major Whittlesey
71. Wright Brothers
72. Alvin York

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