1934 Butterfinger Premiums Set (R310)

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	R310 Butterfinger Premiums
Year	1934
Size	7 3/4″ x 9 3/4″
Images	Black and White
Type	Candy/Gum
Number in Set	65

R310 Butterfinger Overview

The 1934 Butterfinger photographs were nearly 8″ x 10″ in size. These featured black and white images of players and a replica signature on the fronts.

The photographs were distributed with each five-cent Butterfinger candy bar. A total of 65 of the premiums are included in the set. While they are blank-backed, a few have been seen with the names of candy stores on the reverse.

Similar to the smaller R316 Kashin premium photographs from around the same time period, these were printed on a thinner stock. Cataloged as R310, these pictures are distinctive, in part, because they are printed on very thin paper. If you’ve ever held one, they bend quite easily and feel like they are a page from a very old book. Because of that, it’s common to find them with creasing or even more significant wear, including tears.

A similar set was also produced in Canada with the V94 set. That issue is often referred to as the Canadian Butterfinger set because of the close resemblance to this set, even though it was actually produced by O-Pee-Chee.

The American Butterfinger version is not only slightly larger in size but also has a few more photos in the set.

Butterfinger Overprints

While the 1934 Butterfinger photos are relatively uncommon, a much rarer type exists.

Some Butterfingers have been found with a unique overprinted ad at the top. Now, calling these ‘variations’ is a bit misleading. That’s because these aren’t variations at all. Instead, they were advertising displays that promoted the actual photographs that were available. They are often called variations, though, because they utilized the same images as found on the regular photos in the set.

These ads were printed on a thicker stock and are more durable. But the most distinctive feature is a bright red overprint stamp at the top of them. That stamp, as shown here, is pretty important. It not only distinguishes these from ‘regular’ R310 Butterfinger photos but also gives us some insight on how they were available.

The stamp mentions that the photos were free with the purchase of a five-cent Butterfinger candy bar. That was different from many other premium items, which often required a bunch of purchases, similar to the 19th Century tobacco albums that were made available. Without these, we may never have been able to trace their origins or even know that these were Butterfinger photographs.

These ads are believed to be display pieces where Butterfingers were sold, alerting buyers to the promotion. As they were display items, they are printed on a thicker stock from the others. These are quite rare and commons can fetch $100 or more.