My main collecting pursuit right now is the sets of the original 1888 and 1889 Allen & Ginter Champions cards. But I’m never working on just one thing and in between some of the larger set builds I focus on, there are usually a few dozen smaller sets I’m chasing to various degrees.

One of those that I recently completed was the 1912 E40 Philadelphia Caramel Airships set.

I’ve been increasingly getting into more sets focused around aviation. In particular, I actively seek out cards of Amelia Earhart and, to a slightly lesser degree, the Wright Brothers. But I also find myself picking up other cards of specific aviators or even just aviation in general.

This was a nice and, relatively inexpensive set build that only took me a few months. In building this set, I followed a similar model as I have with other sets. I essentially start by accepting a card in any condition and then work to upgrade cards afterwards as I can. I prefer to do that instead of waiting for just the right card at just the right price, which makes building sets a much longer pursuit. As I built this one, I upgraded some cards even in the middle and in all, my set is actually in pretty nice shape.

E40 is not one of those sets you hear too much about. It’s not made up of baseball players, for one thing. And for another, like most of the T206-era caramel cards, these are pretty rare. You’ll always find some on eBay, but that’s about the only place you can go, knowing you’re likely to find some. If any dealers at card shows have them, it’s rare.

The T38 Aviators set is one that is becoming a little more popular. That one focuses on famous aviators and includes possibly the most famous cards of the Wright Brothers — one with the duo and a second with Wilbur Wright. The E40 Airships set, though, focuses more on the actual aircraft flown by aviators.

One of the cool things about this set is that it doesn’t only feature biplanes or monoplanes. It also includes helium or hydrogen-filled dirigibles, blimp-like aircraft, like the one shown above by Alberto Santos-Dumont, a famous aviator and race car driver.

It’s a small set at only 15 cards. And truthfully, you could probably build most, if not all, of a set on eBay in a short amount of time if you don’t care about condition or prices. There are usually a few dozen cards there at any given time. But you’ll certainly be paying a premium by scooping up cards from the set at most of the Buy it Now prices posted. If possible, you’re better off buying the cards in groups if you can find them available.

The cards are certainly condition sensitive because, like most other caramel cards from this time period, they are printed on a pretty thin cardstock. It is rare to find them without wrinkles or creases. And like many of these early caramel cards, I consider them to be a pretty good bargain, given the subjects and the rarity. Commons in decent low-grade condition typically start around $10-$20 and few command more than that, higher-condition cards notwithstanding.

One exception is the card of the Wright Brothers’ Biplane. To date, PSA has only graded nine of them and it’s one of the earliest cards of their craft. One of the brothers, though unnamed, is pictured in the plane. The Wright cards are rarely seen for sale with prices all over the place. You can actually be better off purchasing a complete set just to obtain a Wright card sometimes. I simply don’t see them for sale all that often.

Backs of the cards do not name the aviators. Instead, it just serves as an advertisement for the set’s distributor, Philadelphia Caramel Company based in Camden, New Jersey. The back, shown here, also lists the company’s assortment of other caramel cards.

Want more talk about pre-war cards? Follow me on Twitter / X here.