The 1932 Presidents set was released by United States Caramel Company, which was headquartered in Boston MA. This set of 31 cards featured the Presidents of the United States.
Let’s discover these non-sports trading cards, explore the key cards from the set, see a checklist, get recommendations, and more.
Looking at the Cards
The front of each card is a portrait of each US President with an almost colorfully blinding background of red, orange, red-orange or blue. You’ll find a white border surrounding the card. At the top of the card, you’ll find the name of the President listed. At the bottom of the card, it says “American Heroes Caramel” in a red box with white lettering.
The back of each card would have the President’s name, a one-liner about that President and what number President he was. Underneath that was a description of the President. At the bottom, you would find an offer to send in a set to receive a box of candy back.
1932 Presidents Chocolate Offer
As mentioned, there was an offer on the back of the cards that read the following:
This is one of a series of 31 pictures of our Presidents. Save the 31 pictures, return to United States Caramel Company, East Boston, Mass., and receive a one pound dollar box of ASSORTED CHOCOLATES FREE. Your pictures will be returned with the chocolates.
The only problem was that they punched a hole in each card and stamped them “Cancelled” when they were returned.
They also purposely made the William McKinley card much rarer than the rest so that they didn’t have to give out as much chocolate. This also caused kids to buy more. Because of this, many collectors consider this a set without the McKinley card. Personally, I feel that a set is a set and it wouldn’t be complete without McKinley.
Values and Population
A set has sold for as high as $22,325 in 2007. To get an idea of values and population, here are some resources at PSA:
Key Cards
With William McKinley far being the most sought after in the set, here are the key cards for the set.
Abraham Lincoln
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Pierce
George Washington
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
John Tyler
Theodore Roosevelt
William H. Taft
William McKinley
Please realize that the Abraham Lincoln card has the highest population of any card in the set. For this reason, the card may not be a good choice for investment purposes. However, it is highly sought after because of who Abe was.
1932 US Caramel Presidents Checklist
The 1932 Presidents trading cards were not numbered. Here is a list of the 31 cards in the set:
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Johnson
Benjamin Harrison
Calvin Coolidge
Chester A. Arthur
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Pierce
George Washington
Grover Cleveland
Herbert Hoover
James A. Garfield
James Buchanan
James K. Polk
James Madison
James Monroe
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Tyler
Martin Van Buren
Millard Fillmore
Rutherford B. Hayes
Theodore Roosevelt
Thomas Jefferson
Ulysses S. Grant
Warren G. Harding
William H. Harrison
William H. Taft
William McKinley
Woodrow Wilson
Zachary Taylor
Recommendations
This is a nice set to have, if you don’t mind the challenge and expense of seeking out the McKinley card. If you’re not looking to complete the set, focus on lower population cards that people may be seeking out. George and Abe are always great cards to have for fun, but I wouldn’t seek them out as a collectible investor.
If you’re looking for other sets that feature US Presidents, you may enjoy these as well:
- 1952 Bowman US Presidents
- 1956 Topps US Presidents
- 1960 Golden Press Presidents
Looking for other sets from this era? You may enjoy these:
- 1926 Lambert & Butler Pirates and Highwaymen
- 1933 Indian Gum
- 1933-34 National Chicle Sky Birds
eBay is a great place to buy 1932 Presidents trading cards.
You can also sell your 1932 US Caramel Presidents cards to Collectible Resource.