1958 Topps : Space Cards / Target: Moon

The Space Cards Bubble Gum series was originally distributed by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. in early 1958. The American Card Catalog reference is R714-20. The cards were sold in wax packs for a penny or five cents. Each pack included a stick of Bazooka Bubble Gum.

The 1958 Topps Space Cards have blue-colored backs and are copyrighted T.C.G., Printed in U.S.A. Space Cards were distributed in Europe by A&BC Gum Ltd. The A&BC releases are printed in English, Hebrew, and Spanish variations.

The collection features painted illustrations of early Soviet and American space missions, as well as fictional exploration concepts. The artistic depictions of Sputnik 1 and Laika are not entirely accurate, likely due to the limited information available during production. Laika (Лайка, "Curly") was the first animal to orbit the Earth. The stray dog launched aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft on November 3, 1957. Laika died from overheating after the third orbit, about 5–7 hours into the mission. Sputnik 2 reentered the atmosphere on April 14, 1958.

 

The series was later retitled Target: Moon in 1958. The original Target: Moon release was printed with blue backs. Various card titles and text descriptions contain slight differences from the original Space Cards.

Target: Moon was reprinted with pink-colored backs in 1968. The 44-card reprint was distributed in packs of Assorted Subjects Trading Card & Bubble Gum from Topps. The 1968 pink-back series is often miscategorized as a Popsicle premium issue. The numbering format is altered in the rerelease.