1940 Gum Inc. Superman ranks among one of the most prestigious and valuable vintage trading card sets of all-time. Offering an early look at a comic book icon who continues to resonate today, it’s filled with bright art, stories and more. It’s also one of the first sets of Superman trading cards and the first to take the traditional pack route.
1940 Gum Inc. Superman Checklist Details
The 72-card set includes a variety of Superman action. Filled with color, these images are striking, even if they are a product of their time. Backs offer a short story to give context to the art on the front. So instead of building up a small number of stories across a set, this one has several.
Backs also have an ad, encouraging collectors to join the Supermen of America Club. To do so, they’d have to send in five wrappers and $0.10. Memberships included a variety of items. Immediately there was a choice between a Superman badge or a ring.
A little smaller than today’s traditional standards, cards measure 2 1/2″ by 3 1/8″.
1940 Gum Inc. Superman trading cards aren’t too hard to find. That said, most are in pretty rough shape and still typically cost $50 or more. These prices rise significantly when you get into top-condition and professionally graded copies.
The final 24 cards (#49-72) were the last to be released. It’s believed that these didn’t arrive until 1941. These are tougher to find today and are considered short prints, commanding premiums over much of the rest of the set.
Most Valuable 1940 Gum Inc. Superman Trading Card
If you’re looking for the most value 1940 Gum Inc. Superman trading card, it’s the first one in the set. While this is often the case with vintage trading cards due to the wear and tear that comes with how collections were often handled (heavily) and stored (loosely), that’s not the full story here.
Titled, simply “Superman,” card #1 acts as an introduction to the character and his origins. There’s even a mention of Krypton and his original name of Kal-el, something that was still part of the emerging early lore.
Entertainment trading cards don’t have rookie cards in the traditional sense like sports cards, but this is certainly something similar.
Expect to pay a couple thousand dollars for a copy even in moderate condition. In January, 2020, a PSA 7 copy of 1940 Gum Inc. Superman #1 sold for $13,394.40 through Mile High Auctions.
The First Superman Trading Cards
While often referred to as the first set of Superman trading cards, it’s actually up for debate. 1940 Leader Novelty Superman Candy and Surprise also has trading cards that were attached to the boxes with perforated edges. Based largely on ads, it’s believed that these arrived first. Gum Inc.’s set looks to have come out late in the year with an announcement on the backs of 1940 Play Ball Series 2 baseball cards and ads in Superman comics that were on newsstands in November.
The 1940 Leader Novelty Superman Candy and Surprise Superman cards are extremely scarce. They also lack a lot of the color and vibrancy of Gum Inc’s release.
Even if 1940 Gum Inc. Superman aren’t the Man of Steel’s first trading cards, it’s the most important. The set is more traditional in its approach, more widely available (but still challenging), and the cards are simply more attractive. Even if there’s a lag time of a couple of months, this is the set that has earned its iconic status.
1940 Gum Inc. Superman Checklist
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Set size: 72 cards
Cards per pack: 1
Packs per box: 100
Boxes per case: 20
Shop for 1940 Gum Inc. Superman boxes and packs on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
72 cards.
Buy on eBay:
1 Superman
2 The Spy Trail
3 From the Jaws of Death
4 Peril in the Jungle
5 The Girl Reporter’s Danger
6 Superman vs. Bank Robbers
7 The Averted Train Wreck
8 Rescue at the Bank
9 Superman at the Circus
10 Fury of the Sea
11 Capture of the Kidnapers
12 Superman’s Arch Enemy
13 Teeth of Steel
14 Maniac at Large
15 Panic in the Subway
16 Mountain Tragedy
17 Death on the Speedway
18 Prison Break
19 Wings of Mercy
20 Peril at Sea
21 The Runaway Horse
22 Wolves at Bay
23 Hurtling to Destruction
24 Attacked by Sharks
25 Trapped in the Air
26 Log Jam Peril
27 Rescue from a Rocky Reef
28 The Flames of Doom
29 Death Dive
30 Trapped in the Glacier
31 Rescue Beneath the Sea
32 Danger on High
33 The Avalanche
34 Peril in the Oil Fields
35 Hurricane Horror
36 Facing the Firing Squad
37 Distress at Sea
38 Marooned in the Clouds
39 Disaster at the Mine
40 Racing the Shells
41 Roller Coaster Rescue
42 Danger in the Jungle
43 Fight in Mid-Air
44 Disaster at the Circus
45 The Runaway Ship
46 To the Rescue
47 Horror Beneath the Sea
48 Death in the Air
49 Danger at the Carnival SP
50 At the Bottom of the Sea SP
51 Superman vs. the Spies SP
52 Saving the Destroyer SP
53 The Girl Reporter SP
54 Rescue from the Flames SP
55 Superman Wins Again SP
56 Superman and the Killer-Whale SP
57 Battling the Hurricane SP
58 A Near-Tragedy SP
59 The Dive of Death SP
60 Menace in the Mine SP
61 Through the Mine Field SP
62 Peril in the Presses SP
63 Terror in the Tower SP
64 Adventure on an Iceberg SP
65 The Runaway Trolley Car SP
66 Danger at the Dam SP
67 Explosion in an Oil Field SP
68 Saved by Superman SP
69 Saved from Burial Alive SP
70 Danger in the North Woods SP
71 Trapped in Quicksand SP
72 Superman vs. Torpedo SP
