Lot # 2909: 1941 R157 Gum, Inc. Uncle Sam Complete Set (96) and R158 Uncle Sam's Home Defense Low-Number run (24) Plus Wrapper

Presented is a complete set of R157 "Uncle Sam" (96 cards, #1-96) and a complete low-number run (24 cards, #97-120) of R158 "Uncle Sam's Home Defense." These cards, issued by Gum, Inc., in 1941, feature military men in various scenes of battle and training as well as depicting the civilian efforts on the home front of a nation newly entered into a second world war. Their outstanding color, detailed artwork, historically significant subject matter, and the exciting narratives presented on the backs, all contribute to making this set (though catalogued as two separate sets, they are really one set, and they are numbered continuously) one of nonsport collecting's all-time classics. The R157 set is complete at ninety-six cards, while the R158 set is an extension of the R157 series and is broken into a low-number series (#97-120) and more challenging high-number series (#121-144). Included are thirteen different cards (#25-33, 39, 42, 44, and 45) from the 1941 V277 World Wide Gum "Home Defence" series, the Canadian version of the R158 set. Condition of the R157 set is 18% Ex to Ex-Mt, 67% Vg to Vg-Ex, and 15% lesser (including four with slight trims and varnished fronts). Condition of the R158 low-number run is 25% Ex or slightly better, 44% Vg to Vg-Ex, and 21% lesser (including one with a slight trim and varnished front). Three cards from the R158 low-number run are graded and encapsulated by PSA: #105 (EX-MT 6), 108 (EX-MT+ 6.5), and 116 (EX 5). Condition of the thirteen V277 cards is Vg to Vg-Ex, with one Ex. The collection is accompanied by an original "Uncle Sam" wax wrapper in Very Good condition. Compared to baseball cards of the same era, these early nonsport cards, which are at least as scarce, represent a particularly outstanding value. Total: 133 cards and one wrapper.