1966 Philadelphia Thunderball is one of the earliest sets of James Bond cards. For North American collectors, it’s second only to Philadelphia’s 1965 release covering the franchise’s first three films. This time around, it’s a solo effort, chronicling the suave super spy’s mission to stop SPECTRE from unleashing an atomic bomb.
1966 Philadelphia Thunderball Checklist Details
Like their 1965 set, Philadelphia Gum used 66 cards to retell Thunderball. However, with it covering just one film instead of three, this time they’re able to go into more depth. And that’s exactly where many of the cards go thanks to the film’s many underwater scenes. That means scuba gear, undersea fisticuffs and even a giant sea turtle.
Fronts keep it simple with white borders and an image. Virtually all come directly from the film, mixing action scenes with some of the more character-driven moments.
The start of the checklist has a couple of posed shots. In fact, the 1966 Philadelphia Thunderball checklist kicks off with a James Bond character card that is the most significant one in the set. On the front, Sean Connery is posed in a classic Bond portrait. That back offers a bio on the character. The result is something similar to an athlete’s traditional sports card (minus the stats).
Backs have quite a bit going on. Overall, they’re modelled more around James Bond than Thunderball with the banner along the top.
Following a description of the action on the front there’s a “Code Quiz” question. These can be solved with a decoder that was included in packs. According to this decoder, if you were concerned about someone finding it and using it for nefarious reasons, you could roll it up and hide it in a straw.
The movie itself is finally mentioned along the bottom of the card.
This set can also be referred to as The Incredible World of James Bond, the title shown on the wrapper.
As one of the earliest sets of James Bond trading cards, 1966 Philadelphia James Bond is a popular and significant release. High-grade cards can carry significant value, but singles can usually be found for under $5.
1966 Philadelphia Thunderball Checklist
Click on the links to shop for cards on eBay or to check current market values.
Set size: 66 cards
Cards per pack: ?
Packs per box: 24
Shop for 1966 Philadelphia Thunderball boxes and packs on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
66 cards.
Buy on eBay:
1 James Bond, Secret Agent 007
2 The Incredible Aston Martin
3 Never Hit a Lady!
4 A Brutal Affair
5 Flying Fists and Figures
6 Defeat of an Assassin
7 A Jet Get Away
8 Flying Solo
9 Let’s Get Out of Here!
10 Water, Gentlemen?
11 Hatching an Evil Plot
12 A New Enemy – Emilio Largo
13 A Relaxing Rubdown
14 A Marked Man
15 Terror on the Traction Machine
16 Heat Treatment Deluxe!
17 Evil Work Ahead
18 Death Dealing Damsel
19 Rockets on the Road
20 Grand Scheme Underway
21 On the Ocean Bottom
22 A New Assignment
23 Felix Leiter, Cia
24 Hardly a Proper Pet!
25 Domino
26 Enemies at the Gambling Table
27 Spectre Fails Again
28 The Disco Volante
29 Underwater Peril
30 Grenades in the Water
31 Fiona Kelly
32 Trapped by Black Suited Killers
33 A Frantic Search
34 Prisoner of Spectre
35 Bold Escape Foiled
36 Visions of a Watery Grave
37 Killer of the Deep
38 Q Branch to the Rescue
39 Target for Tonight
40 Going Down for a Close Look
41 Where Are the Bombs?
42 An Important Find
43 A New Ally
44 Silencing an Eavesdropper
45 Checking Weapons
46 A Big Job to Do
47 Secret Agent in Disguise
48 An Intruder Discovered
49 Copter to the Rescue
50 Escape from the Tide
51 Parachuting to Battle
52 No Mercy Expected
53 On the Way to Battle
54 Water Borne Murderers
55 See-Saw Battle
56 Undersea Villainy
57 Defeat for Spectre!
58 There Goes Largo!
59 Ace in the Hole
60 Like Riding a Rocket
61 Final Bid for Freedom
62 Justice Must Prevail
63 Facing Death Weaponless
64 Welcome Assistance
65 Disaster Ahead
66 Success for James Bond
