Topps Astronaut Trading Card, "Our 1st Spacemen," 1963

01

Artifact Overview

President John F. Kennedy's vision to explore the "new frontier" of space ignited the public's imagination. Pictorial souvenir cards like this helped generate excitement about the latest achievements in the space program. The U.S. astronauts and their accomplishments dominate the card fronts, while the backs show drawings that blend elements of science fiction and fantasy-requiring 3-D glasses to view.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Collecting card

Date Made

1963

Subject Date

1960-1961

Creator Notes

Trading card for Topps Chewing Gum, Incorporated. Image used credited to NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

2013.55.13

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Cardboard

Technique

Photomechanical processes

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 3.5 in
Width: 2.5 in

Inscriptions

Text on front: 48 / OUR 1ST / SPACEMEN / America's first three / spacemen, John / Glenn, Virgil Grissom / and Alan Shepard / stand in front of / a Mercury- Redstone. Partial text on back: DESTINATION EARTH Text on back of card: Front Photo Courtesy NASA