James Dean on Dutch gum cards

James Dean is on 62 cards across 16 series (29 in stock now). Nearly all of them were printed in 1958, three years after his death. For a name that made only three films, that is a lot of cards.

1958: the year of the Dean cards

Four 1958 sets hold most of his cards. Together they are the core of any James Dean collection on this format.

• 1958 P Set — 13 cards, the most of any set. 300 cards, 137 in stock now.
• 1958 Serie U — 10 cards.
• 1958 Serie T — 9 cards, with the W.B. studio credit under his name. 99 cards, 60 in stock now.
• 1958 PA Set — 8 cards.
• 1958 X Nr. — 4 cards.

Each link opens the set with only his cards showing.

Before and after 1958

His earliest card is 1955 Gamla långa #919, the only one dated before 1957. After 1958 he appears in the 1959 Gamla A, 1960 Stora K and 1961 D sets, two or three cards each, and once more in 1964.

What to look for

Many Dean cards use the same few studio portraits, tinted differently from set to set: the red shirt, the green sweater, the raised collar. The same image can carry a different number in P, PA, T and U, so check the set and number, not only the picture.

Finding them

The James Dean page lists every card with the ones in stock first, and the Dean cards in our eBay shop show current prices. When we do not have a card, the card page links to other sellers' copies on eBay. Tick the ones you want on any series page and they land on your want list, ready to buy or send to us.