“Horrors of War”, perhaps the most famous non-sport card set of all time, was marketed in 1938 by Gum, Inc. The sensational graphic artwork and propaganda-laden text turned the series into an overnight success, and it was even featured in LIFE magazine. The remarkable marketing sense of Gum, Inc. owner J. Warren Bowman led him to package the first 240 cards of “Horrors of War” into a specially-boxed “Collector’s Set” (the fist true collector’s set in the history of the hobby!). The box is red and has a 24-card sheet of “HOW” cards pasted on the cover, with the six center cards hidden by a large label. The red on the outer box has faded slightly. Outer display box and sheet are EX to EX-MT. Inside, (24) cellophane-wrapped stacks of cards sit in the individual compartments of a cardboard insert tray. Most of the tops cards of each “stack” exhibit a light toning due to age. All of the original cellophane packs are still sealed! It’s an awe-inspiring sight, and the whole package sold for $1.00! With the cards still sealed, it is a phenomenal collector’s item. If you’re looking to upgrade your low number set you could open the stacks and look for some high-grade specimens! One of only a few known. We sold another HOW collector’s set in our May 2002 auction. This set is a different set. I doubt we’ll see one offered publicly for quite some time.