In Stock! 1962 Bubbles Inc Mars Attack Cards!

1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attack Cards

We have recently acquired a beautiful collection of 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks cards. The grades on these cards range anywhere from Excellent to Near Mint.

Wally Wood and Bob Powell were hired to draw the sketches of the images while artist Norman Saunders ( Who also did the Civil War News and Flags of the World) brought the images to life with color.

The cards were distributed via vending machine, costing 5 cents for a pack of five. They initially sparked some controversy with parents because of their gory images and explicit themes. The violent depictions were not the norm for trading cards from that era.

This series is particularly hard to come by because many mothers at the time threw them away due to the graphic images they presented.

The first card, "The Invasion Begins" as well as the last card, which is a checklist, are the two most valuable cards in the set. These cards command a premium in higher grade.


We currently have these cards in stock and they are both graded by PSA. “ The invasion Begins” is a PSA 6 and the checklist grades a PSA 5.5. Those are highly achieved grades since many of the cards issued back then had centering problems

By Dean Hanley

 Dean Hanley, founder and owner of DeansCards.com, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of vintage baseball cards, other sports and non-sports cards and has a regular column in the Sports Collectors Digest and publishes articles on his blog.

Dean has also written two books on vintage sports cards: The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955 and Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards. Both are available in eBook and paperback form.

Dean's Cards Top 10 Holiday Items

By Dean Hanley
Owner and Founder of Dean's Cards

Having trouble finding a gift for the Holiday Season? Here are some great gift ideas!

10. Every day Discounts.- We offer a volume discount on products that give you up to 20% off your order total.

 9. 1909 Topping and Company Detroit Tigers Post Cards Near Complete Set- This set is a rare find. It is only missing one card. It is one of the highest PSA graded sets of its kind.

8. Sports Illustrated Covers for the "Man Cave"

7. One of Baseballs greatest hitters, "Stan the Man" Musial.

6. Non Sports Cards. We have a high selection of non-sports cards. Want to see what we have? Click here!

5. Dean's Cards Gift Certificate. Makes a great stocking stuffer! .

4. 1950's and 60's Cardinals Team Sets. Not your favorite team? No worries! Head on over to our Team Page too view all the teams from your childhood!

3. 1969 Topps Baseball Master Set. Very hard to find. We have three different conditions in stock!

2. 1950's Complete Baseball Sets. We have a great selection of years and conditions.

1. 1960's Topps Baseball Near Complete Sets. They are great for anyone who likes to piece together a set.





 Dean's Cards offers a 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee on all purchases. Just contact us within ten days of the purchase date and we will refund your money or, when possible, replace the cards.
Dean Hanley, founder and owner of DeansCards.com, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of vintage baseball cards, other sports and non-sports cards and has a regular column in the Sports Collectors Digest and publishes articles on his blog.
Dean has also written two books on vintage sports cards: The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955 and Before There Was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards. Both are available in eBook and paperback form.

1957 Topps Space Cards / Target: Moon

Topps ventures out into the final frontier...

# 16 Strapped Down for Takeoff - 1957 Topps Space Cards

It's 1957.  The United States and Soviet Union are beginning the great space race.  What would happen in the near future could only be imagined as a fantastic dream.  The sky was clearly not the limit any more.

With a majority of the population entranced by the atmosphere of a science fiction novel, the Topps company decided to throw its hat in the ring with their release of 1957 Topps Space Cards and 1957 Topps Target: Moon Cards.  The sets each contain 88 cards with identical card fronts and backs.

# 88 Life on Other Planets - 1957 Topps Space Cards

The reason for producing two nearly identical sets escapes a lot of collectors.  One theory is that the Target: Moon cards were released a year after the Space cards.  Regardless, Target: Moon is still recognized as a 1957 Topps release.  Target: Moon also holds a marginally higher value when compared to the Space Cards issue.

Another interesting twist with this set is the Popsicle version of Target: Moon.  The differences can clearly be seen on the back of the cards; with the Space cards and earlier Target: Moon having blue colored backs and Target: Moon Popsicle cards having pink (some call it salmon colored) backs.  The year of issue for the Popsicle backs is rumored to be a good bit after the initial releases of both the 1957 Space Cards and Target: Moon sets.

The differences between the regular issue and Popsicle version are a bit more evident.

Countdown your collection of 1957 Topps Space Cards, 1957 Topps Target: Moon, and 1957 Topps Popsicle Target: Moon at DeansCards.com.  If you're interested in buying this you might also enjoy: 1951 Bowman Jets, Rockets, and Spacemen, 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks, 1963 Topps Popsicle Astronaut Cards, and 1964 Bubbles Inc. Outer Limits cards.

Recently Added: Great Collection of 1953 World on Wheels Non-Sports Cards!

Check out the new selection of classic car cards...

These cards are ready to drive off our lot and into your collection!

The 1953 World on Wheels set began as a 160 card set when it was first issued in 1953, however an additional 20 cards were added to ensure the set included the newest models of the time. Dean's Cards recently acquired a collection of roughly 300 of the 1953 World on Wheels cards!

Perhaps the coolest part of this collection is that it contains over 50 of the High Numbers (#'s 161-180)!  Most of these cards are in mid-grade condition, so they are affordable for the casual set or singles collector.  The World on Wheels cards truly do provoke nostalgia for classic automobiles many of us grew up with.

So head over to DeansCards.com and check out our selection of 1953 Topps World on Wheels cards. Also, if you are a fan of these, you might enjoy 1961 Topps Sports Car Cards or 1955 Topps Rails and Sails Cards.

1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks Cards

Put on your tin foil hat and prepare for the worst, because according to this set the martian invasion will be violent and gory!

The 1962 Mars Attacks Set consists of 55 cards in total.  The set was manufactured by Topps under the dummy corporation "Bubbles, Inc." The artwork for the set was created by Norman Saunders (who also did the artwork for Civil War News, Battle!, Batman, Flags of the World, and Wacky Packs).  Woody Gelman, who had a hand in helping Sy Berger create the design for the 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set, created the story that would show up on the back of the cards.

# 30 Trapped - 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks

The cards were distributed via vending machine, costing 5 cents for a pack of five. They initially sparked some controversy with parents because of their gory images and sexually explicit themes.  The violent depictions were not the norm for trading cards from that era.

Image of the card back

The public backlash, caused Topps to initially "censor" some of the more violent and gory cards.  Eventually, due to mounting pressure and lawsuits brought forth against them, Topps was forced to stop production of the set. 

This set became extremely popular amongst kids and fans of monster-themed cards.  This was partly due to the array of destruction on humankind depicted through death rays, fire, and giant insects.  Another reason was that the children's parents didn't want them to have the cards, which made the kids want to collect them even more!

# 1 The Invasion Begins - 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks

The first card, "The Invasion Begins" as well as the last card, which is a checklist, are the two most valuable cards in the set.  These cards command a premium in higher grades.

The 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks set is still one of the most popular non-sports collectors sets around.  Dean's Cards has an extensive inventory if you are wanting to buy Mars Attacks cards.  And if you want to sell cards, we are also ALWAYS buying 1962 Topps Mars Attacks Cards.  DeansCards.com also carries 1962 Bubbles Inc. Mars Attacks Reprints, and Reprint Sets. If you're interested in Mars Attacks cards, check out 1964 Bubbles Inc. Outer Limits Cards!

1962 Topps Civil War News Cards

When Topps issued their Civil War News card sets in 1962, the centennial celebration of the Civil War was still in full swing.  The set consists of 87 picture cards and a checklist card, which were distributed nationwide in nickel packs.  Also, inserted in the package were replica bills of Confederate Civil War currency.  There were 17 types of bills in total.

The Civil War News card fronts featured scenes from many of the well-known Civil War battles, hand painted by a combination of two artists, Maurice Blumenfeld and Norm Saunders.  The card backs featured a synopsis of the scene being portrayed on the card fronts, and were meant to look like newspaper articles, and always featured the “Civil War News” header.  This header ultimately gave the card set its name, although the set was never intended to be titled Civil War News,  as the wrappers and boxes never had “Civil War News” printed on them.

While there are a few cards in the set that depict famous Civil War speeches and non-violent events, such as card #2 President Jefferson Davis, the majority of the cards depict graphic events.  With titles such as “Exploding Fury” (Card #5), and “Flaming Death” (Card #65), these cards were highly popular amongst kids, but much less popular amongst their mothers.

While a great deal of Civil War artwork tends to romanticize bloody battles and victories, the Civil War News cards hardly hold back.  Len Brown and Woody Gelman, the masterminds behind the set’s creation, grew up collecting the famed 1930’s Horrors of War cards.  Thus the duo created a graphic set of cards, rivaling Gum, Inc’s earlier set in terms of grotesqueness.  Both men felt that the graphic nature of the cards added to the success of the cards, as neither Len nor Woody felt that the cards would sell well with young boys if they were “too educational”.

An English company, A. B&C Limited bought the rights to the cards as well as the artwork and reproduced them in Britain.  The British version of the set was nearly identical, aside from the fact they were slightly smaller in size than the American cards.  Creators Brown and Gelman were surprised by success of the cards overseas.  Brown stated, “we wouldn't have thought that British children would give a hoot about our Civil War...But I guess blood and guts and good artwork will win every time.”   

Here at DeansCards.com we’ve had a lot of Civil War News cards come through the door, including a PSA Registry set that averaged 7.31 in condition.  The most expensive cards in the Civil War News set are the first and last cards—because they are very condition sensitive.  These cards would have been on the top (or bottom) of a card stack, and generally took the brunt of any damage done to the card sets. Thus collectors may have to pay quite a bit more for “The Angry Man” (Card #1), and the Checklist card (Card #88) in pristine condition.

With the success of the Topps Civil War News cards in 1962, Brown and Gelman decided to produce another set the very same year.  The pair combined the gore aspect of their Civil War News set, with the nation’s intense fascination with outer space and produced a 55 card set entitled “Mars Attacks.”

The Civil War News cards remain a favorite with today’s collectors, although fewer seem interested in currency bills that came with the set as inserts.  For the last two years, Civil War News has been the #1 selling non-sports card set at Deans Cards.com in both the number of cards sold and total dollar amount.  Although there are more high-profile non-sports card sets, such as “Horrors of War” and “Mars Attacks”, Civil War News cards are a much more affordable option for collectors, with the timeless and interesting subject matter of the American Civil War.

We Want You - Uncle Sam & Home Defense Card Sets

The best thing about owning a card store is that you never know what is going to come through the door or who you are going to get to meet.  Recently a local guy  came into the office and brought us about 500 UncleSam/Home Defense cards, as well as a complete set of cards #1-120. DeansCards.com buys well over 500 collections a year, but this one was particularly fun for me because the seller told me about collecting the cards as a 8-year-old and his impression of World War II as a boy..

With the success of their 1938 Horrors of War set, Gum, Inc decided to issue yet another war-themed, bubble gum card set.  Thus in 1941, Uncle Sam & Home Defense cards first appeared on the market.  These small cards measured 2 ½” by 3 1/8”, and were issued in two separate subsets.  The “Uncle Sam” set was issued first, and is comprised of cards #1-96, while the “Home Defense” set followed, as it consisted of cards numbered #97-144.

The “Uncle Sam” set focuses on the United States’ four military branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marines.  With this set, Gum, Inc. decided to focus less on the atrocities of war (much like they did in their Horrors of War and War Gum sets), and instead focused on the vigilance of the U.S. in the face of warfare.  With that said, kids and collectors often shied away from this set, which they deemed bland and boring compared to the other popular sets of the day.

“Bland” as it may be, the “Uncle Sam” set proved to be very useful with the imminence of America’s entry into the war overseas.  The artwork on the cards in this first series was reproduced in two books entitled “America’s Army” and “America’s Navy”, published by Rand McNally in 1942.  The cards also sparked patriotism, as storeowners hung sheets of uncut cards in their windows to show their American pride.  Planters Peanut’s produced premium booklets which featured illustrations of the cards as well.

The second half of the set, the “Home Defense” portion, is more costly to collect when compared to the “Uncle Sam” cards.  As the “Home Defense” cards rolled off of the printing press, Americans were being sent off to war.  Thus the paper and ink used to make the cards was rationed for the war efforts, resulting in fewer cards made.  Cards numbered 97-120 cost on average twice as much the first 96 cards in the set, while the final 24 cards in the set cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to collect. 

Although the war was confined to the continent of Europe when the Home Defense set was issued in 1941, many Americans feared violent attacks would occur here on US soil.  Thus the 48 Home Defense cards depicted precautionary activities and measures that must be taken, should an attack be carried out on the US mainland.  Card #125, “Individual Defense Against Incendiary Bombs” for example, depicts the proper course of action that women and children should take, should an incendiary bomb be dropped on their homes. 

Today we count on the internet and televised news programs to keep us abreast on the battles being fought overseas, as well as the proper precautions to take both at home and abroad.  However, in 1941, televisions were scarce and the internet was non-existent.   Thus the Uncle Sam and Home Defense trading card sets proved to be useful as well as patriotic to the American masses. 

1938 Horrors of War Promo Cards

One of our most popular Non-Sports cards set is the 1938 Horrors of War card set issued by Gum, Inc. The 240-card set features illustrations of several different international wars and was received very well by the American public, particularly children. Recently, we found several promotion cards, which were designed to be issued at schools. The backs of the cards read "You Can Get 240 Pictures and Thrilling Stories of Actual Warfare by saving the cards just like this which come packed with Horrors of War Bubble Gum, sold at candy counters for one cent. The gum is a sensible chew between meals; the picture cards teach the value of peace. 1000 cash prizes to the 1000 children who send us the neatest lists of 240 correct titles. Ask your dealer for the details."

Horrors of War cards are particularly interesting because of the time period in which they were released, but also for their popularity both then and now.  We are very excited about these promo cards and we hope to find more like them in the near future.

Just In: 1931 Johnson Candy Dick Tracy Cards

We just got some high-grade 1931 Johnson Candy Dick Tracy cards into our inventory. The 144-card set is a "picture story" that was released in packages of 1-cent caramels. The cards that we just put into our inventory are so clean that we thought they were reprints until we determined that a reprint set was actually never issued.