Capt. Charles " Plucky " Lindbergh Tunes His Motor Arcade Card, Spirit Of St. Louis
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:2828388 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
| Type: Arcade card |
100% of the proceeds from this auction go to the Reno High Sierra 99s Scholarship Fund for women pilots.
This collectible arcade card shows Charles Lindbergh working on his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis [see photos]. See History below. The card measures 5 3/8 X 3 3/8 inches and has a sepia toned photo on the front. On the front is the wording "Capt. Charles "Plucky" Lindbergh Tunes His Motor." In the bottoom right corner is wording: "Ex. Sup. Co. CHGO...Made in U.S.A." On... the back is pencil writing 10.00 and also the initials G.A.D. It is in excellent to pristine condition.
For the arcade card collectors...or any aviator to display in your hangar or office.
History: Collectible picture cards were issued in cigarettes, candy, gum and even on ice cream lids. But one group of cards that has received very little attention from collectors and are rarely seen at card shows or even collectible shows are picture cards that were issued from penny arcade vending machines. The cards were manufactured by the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago, IL. The cards were called arcade cards for the simple reason that the cards were purchased not in stores, but from penny arcade machines located on the various seaside boardwalks of North America.
The Exhibition Company began issuing the cards in 1920 and the company continued to issue and release new cards until 1966, although for years afterwards cards continued to be issued from penny arcade machines. Arcade cards manufactured by the Exhibit Supply were postcard size (3 3/8" x 5 3/8"). The photo appeared on the front of the card with usually a signature of the individual portrayed. In addition in the lower right hand corner appears: Made in USA or Printed in USA. The cards are on heavy card board stock and the majority are black and white or tan sepia colored.
Spirit of St. Louis — The Spirit of St. Louis (Registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat, high wing monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20 – 21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France.
The Spirit was designed and built in San Diego to compete for the $25, 000 Orteig Prize for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. Hall and Ryan Airlines staff worked closely with Lindbergh to design and build the Spirit in just 60 days. Although what was actually paid to Ryan Airlines for the project is not clear, Mahoney offered to do it at cost. After first approaching several major aircraft manufacturers without success, in early February 1927 Lindbergh, who as a U.S. Air Mail pilot was familiar with the good record of the M-1 with Pacific Air Transport, wired, "Can you construct Whirlwind engine plane capable flying nonstop between New York and Paris ...?"
Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt Airfield, Garden City, NY and landed 33 hours, 30 minutes later at Aéroport Le Bourget in Paris, France, a distance of approximately 3, 600 miles. One of the best-known aircraft in the world, the Spirit was built by Ryan Airlines in San Diego, CA owned and operated at the time by Benjamin Franklin Mahoney, who had purchased it from its founder, T. Claude Ryan, in 1926. The Spirit is on permanent display in the main entryway's Milestones of Flight gallery at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
This collectible arcade card shows Charles Lindbergh working on his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis [see photos]. See History below. The card measures 5 3/8 X 3 3/8 inches and has a sepia toned photo on the front. On the front is the wording "Capt. Charles "Plucky" Lindbergh Tunes His Motor." In the bottoom right corner is wording: "Ex. Sup. Co. CHGO...Made in U.S.A." On... the back is pencil writing 10.00 and also the initials G.A.D. It is in excellent to pristine condition.
For the arcade card collectors...or any aviator to display in your hangar or office.
History: Collectible picture cards were issued in cigarettes, candy, gum and even on ice cream lids. But one group of cards that has received very little attention from collectors and are rarely seen at card shows or even collectible shows are picture cards that were issued from penny arcade vending machines. The cards were manufactured by the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago, IL. The cards were called arcade cards for the simple reason that the cards were purchased not in stores, but from penny arcade machines located on the various seaside boardwalks of North America.
The Exhibition Company began issuing the cards in 1920 and the company continued to issue and release new cards until 1966, although for years afterwards cards continued to be issued from penny arcade machines. Arcade cards manufactured by the Exhibit Supply were postcard size (3 3/8" x 5 3/8"). The photo appeared on the front of the card with usually a signature of the individual portrayed. In addition in the lower right hand corner appears: Made in USA or Printed in USA. The cards are on heavy card board stock and the majority are black and white or tan sepia colored.
Spirit of St. Louis — The Spirit of St. Louis (Registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat, high wing monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20 – 21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France.
The Spirit was designed and built in San Diego to compete for the $25, 000 Orteig Prize for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. Hall and Ryan Airlines staff worked closely with Lindbergh to design and build the Spirit in just 60 days. Although what was actually paid to Ryan Airlines for the project is not clear, Mahoney offered to do it at cost. After first approaching several major aircraft manufacturers without success, in early February 1927 Lindbergh, who as a U.S. Air Mail pilot was familiar with the good record of the M-1 with Pacific Air Transport, wired, "Can you construct Whirlwind engine plane capable flying nonstop between New York and Paris ...?"
Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt Airfield, Garden City, NY and landed 33 hours, 30 minutes later at Aéroport Le Bourget in Paris, France, a distance of approximately 3, 600 miles. One of the best-known aircraft in the world, the Spirit was built by Ryan Airlines in San Diego, CA owned and operated at the time by Benjamin Franklin Mahoney, who had purchased it from its founder, T. Claude Ryan, in 1926. The Spirit is on permanent display in the main entryway's Milestones of Flight gallery at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
