1936 Donat Indiana-Sport Set and Checklist

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Donat Indiana-Sport
Year	1936
Size	2 3/8″ x 3″
Images	Black and White / Blue Tint
Type	Gum and Candy Cards
Number in Set	100

1936 Donat Indiana-Sport Overview

indiana sport boxing

The 1936 Donat Indiana-Sport set is a multi-sport release from France.

Most fronts of the card feature a black and white image with the ‘Indiana-Sport’ name in bold, black letters at the bottom. Below that is a caption of what is being depicted as well as a card number. While most cards have black and white images, collectors should be aware that some of the cards are printed with a blue ink tint instead.

The backs state that there are 136 cards in the set and that the set is a ‘DONAT’ product. That is a reference to the apparent producer, printed at the very bottom, Jean-Donat Dupont, and Donat was a confectionery company offering products such as bon bons.

Backs indicate there are supposed to be 136 cards in this set but that is not correct. Instead, the set is believed to comprise only 100. That is similar to some of the company’s other sets, which also sometimes stated they had 136 cards in them. A firm date on them is unknown but they appear to have been issued in 1936 based on at least one card referencing an 1935 event.

The set includes athletes from many sports, including boxing, tennis, wrestling, soccer, racing, and track and field, among others. As a French issue, the Tour de France is also featured on several cards. The set is led by tennis Hall of Famers Bill Tilden and Helen Wills-Moody. Early wrestling star Strangler Lewis is found on a pair of cards, too. Finally, the famed distance runner Paavo Nurmi is also included.

Finally, an ice hockey game is also pictured on one card. However, the subjects on it have not been identified.

Variations and Other Sets

babe ruth indiana sport avion Two things have caused some confusion surrounding this set. First, there are actually two variations of these Indiana-Sport cards. While the subjects are believed to be the same in them, some images may be cropped differently and the font in the three variations is different.

One type has the Indiana-Sport letters closer together and in a second, they are significantly farther apart.

In addition, the company produced some other sets, including one featuring cowboys and Indians. However, the confusing set with regards to this one is one that is simply named Indiana-Sport-Avion. That set includes a valuable card of Babe Ruth, which is pictured here, and it also includes a Joe Louis boxing card as well as a card picturing an American football game.

That one is a completely different (and smaller) set. In general because of the Ruth card, that is probably the more ‘known’ one.