Arcade Cards A.K.A “Exhibit Cards”
One of these cards was included in last months ‘Ephemera Club’ Patreon perk!
Known as either “arcade cards” or “exhibit cards,” these large-format printed cards were dispensed from machines available across the US, from the 1920s through the 1960s. They could be found in any location they could be parked, usually alongside other games of chance and skill you would find in penny arcades and shooting galleries on seaside boardwalks like Coney Island. To get one of these cards, a penny would be placed into the slot of the machine, pushed in, and a card will drop into the receptacle. The same mechanism you might find on any other coin-operated machine in small grocery stores and arcades today.
The largest distributor was the Exhibit Supply Co. based in Chicago. Their machines would be sold (filled with cards) to businesses, who would then purchase additional cards as needed to restock the machines. Some 14,000 different cards were produced over the life-time of the company.
Card Types and Appearance
The majority of these cards were cheaply made, printed on thick card stock, and usually in only one or two colours. Typically they were postcard-sized (some also featuring postcard backs), though variations on size did exist.
Subjects that appeared on these cards ranged from sports, music, or cinema stars, to cars and other vehicles, fortunes, and humour. Famous photos were often accompanied by facsimiles of their autographs, accompanied by “Truly yours,” “Cordially,” or “Sincerely.” Another type of card was the “art model” variety, which featured risque pin-up images of women. These would put you out 5-cents (rather than the standard 1-cent) but were an exciting find for any teenage boy.
I have no doubt that our boys would have had a few of these arcade cards floating around their personal collections. They were affordable and easy to come by. While the prime location for them sounds to have been places like seaside boardwalks, I would be surprised if they didn’t also grace the sidewalks and interiors or grocery stores or candy stores, the way other machines containing cumballs and the like do. Also, consider the way that many teens of this century have posters on their walls of beloved sports and film stars — arcade cards would have been the comparable product available. Have a crush on an actor or actress? Find a machine featuring them and insert coins until you get them. Like cars? Spend your pennies on cards filled with images of them.
Image Sources
Baseball Exhibit Vending Machine, 1940s | Source Perry Como Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item) Clark Gable Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item) Peggy Lee Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item) Gary Cooper Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item) Tony Martin Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item) Kay Starr Arcade Card, 1940s | SRNY Collection (Patreon Perk item)
I’ll have another post on these cards and the machines in future, so keep and eye out! Access to the full research document for this topic is available on the “Patreon Clubhouse” channel of the Discord, open to all $3+ supporters!
If you would like to receive neat period-typical items like these in the mail each month, you can subscribe to the ‘Ephemera Club’ perk on Patreon.
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