1958 Parkhurst Missiles and Satellites # 35 Falcon Series (EX/NM)

1958 Parkhurst Missiles and Satellites (V339-7)

During 1958, Parkhurst Products, Ltd. issued a 50-card set of “Missiles and Satellites” Gum Card trading cards that were issued with Zip Gum “Missiles and Satellites / Fusées Nucléaire”. The cards measure 3.63 × 2.43 inches (92.29 × 61.81 mm), and are assigned the American Cards Catalog reference number V339-7.

Parkhurst's “Missiles and Satellites” is in all actuality two sets of 25 cards sequential numbered from 1 to 50 on the back of the cards. The first set of 25 cards depicts artist drawings of a 1958 narrative of a futuristic look at space travel. The story line for the first 25 cards goes this way (tongue-in-cheek):

Our (U.S.A.) German Rocket Scientists are bested by the USSR's German Rocket Scientists on 10/4/1957 (Tuesday night, Skytamer was at a high school basketball game when the announcement was made) when the USSR places a 23 inch diameter satellite with four antenna (Sputnik 1) into low Earth orbit. Approximately one month later on 11/3/1957 the USSR follows up by placing a dog “Laika” into low Earth orbit. Our main German Rocket Scientist (Werner von Braun who preferred “Ham”) is embarrassed and outlines his plans for interplanetary travel … first to the moon … build a space station … and then on to Venus and Saturn and back … the “Space Race” is on!”

The second subset of cards (26-50) is rather straightforward. This 25-card subset features color photographs of 22 USAF and USN missiles and rockets, plus 3 experimental aircraft.

The fronts of the 1958 “Missiles and Satellites” cards feature color artwork and photographs of 1958 futuristic space travel, plus color photographs of rockets, missiles, and experimental aircraft in the United States inventory. The card images are centered within a thin margin, and do not contain any captions.

Since these cards are Canadian origin, the descriptive text on the backs of the cards are presented in both English and in French. The descriptive text is divided into the following vertical segments:

Card number of first title line in the upper left-hand corner.

Card title in English.

Descriptive text in English.

(Cards 26-50) Copyright tag line in English

Card title in French.

Descriptive text in French.

(Cards 26-50) copyright tag line in French

It should be noted that the cards themselves are anonymous without any manufacturer or copyright date information. The only way to identify these cards was the wrapper which noted the origin of the cards.

How We Grade:

Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. 

Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. 

Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. 

Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks.

Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. 

Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. 

Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. 

Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight. 

We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund.

Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes.

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