1938 Mars Aeroplanes, Pilots, and Airports Set and Checklist

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Mars Aeroplanes, Pilots, and Airports
Year	1938
Size	1 5/16″ x 2 11/16″
Images	Color
Type	Gum and Candy
Number in Set	50

1938 Mars Aeroplanes, Pilots, and Airports Set Overview

This rare set was issued by Mars Confections, which offered several trading card sets in the 1930s.

Specifically, these cards were offered by Mars for their Milky Way Bars. The set was a bit unique in that it featured a mix of famous airplanes, pilots, and airports. Like other Mars cards, these are narrow looking cards, similar to the tobacco and caramel cards that were issued in the early 20th century. The cards, however, are slightly narrower than even those standards.

Fronts include color images of pilots, planes, and airports, as advertised. They have white borders with a simple title printed at the bottom. Backs include the Famous Aeroplanes, Pilots, and Airports name at the top, where it includes the series includes a total of 50 cards. A biography/description of the subject is provided as well as the Mars and Milky Way mention at the bottom.

A variety of sources were used for the photos. Some photos indicate the photograph on the front was provided courtesy of Aeroplane while others state they were courtesy of “Flight.” Others make no mention of a credit.

The set is not an easy one to find so, to a degree, all of the cards are somewhat desirable. However, a card of Amelia Earhart is the one most in demand. The Earhart card would have been issued following her 1937 disappearance during an attempt to become the first female to perform a circumnavigational flight of the globe. Her card refers to the attempt but states that her plane was damaged while taking off after flying from California to Honolulu.