In 1933, United States auto racing cards were virtually nonexistent. Tobacco companies had stopped inserting cards into cigarette packs, and popular gum issues like Goudey’s 1933 baseball and Wild West sets contained no motorsport subjects. The Indianapolis 500 occurred that year, but no promotional cards featured it or other American racing. Collectors relied on much earlier issues, such as the 1911 T36 Auto Drivers set.
Internationally, new auto racing cards were also scarce, even in mixed sports sets. In the United Kingdom there were no major motor racing sets. In Germany, sets like Garbáty’s “Das Auto von heute” included some high-performance and racing-oriented vehicles within a broader motoring theme, while other sports issues ignored auto racing. Cards were typically standard size, distributed in cigarette packs with descriptive backs, and saved in albums. Overall, 1933 offered few new opportunities for auto racing card collectors amid the era’s rising European Grand Prix scene.
1933 Amalgamated Press (UK) “Motors”
1933 Amalgamated Press (UK) “Motors”