There have been many Swap Cards series issued by the various breakfast cereal makers over the years. Sanitarium and Nabisco were dominant in this area of the give-aways in breakfast cereals. Sanitarium via their Weet-Bix product and Nabisco with Vita-Brits. Other brands included the Australian business Malties Pty. Ltd. which was based in East Brunswick, Victoria at the time of the swap card sheets in my collection. The Malties business was sold to Purina (USA) circa 1962.
The swap cards from Sanitarium date back to the late 1940’s and were mostly informative about natural world, history, automotive and other machines, national costumes, and military themes.
My small collection includes:
Sanitarium
- Aboriginal Tribes and Customs – a set of 50 cards in a 16-page album. Complete.
Sanitarium Childrens Library Vol. 4 c1946. - African Safari – set of 25 cards in a 12-page album, c1965 – complete
- Australia Yesterday & Today – set of 50 cards in a 16-page album
- Australian Underwater World – a set of 25 cards in a 12-page album. Complete.
- Birds and Animals of Australia – a set of 25 cards in a 12-page album. Complete.
- Childrens Australian Encyclopedia (Revised Edition c1948) a set of 60 cards in a 76-page album. Missing #37 Henry Lawson.
Sanitarium Childrens Library Vol. 6 c1948. - Stereo Colour Slides – 4 sets of 8 stereoscope cards – Zoo Babies, Famous Dog Breeds, Canberra Capital City. Australia on Parade.
- The Cars That Made Australia – a set of 20 cards in a 16-page album, with competition colouring page Model T Ford.
- This Fascinating World – set of 50 cards in a 12-page album – missing #4 Siamese Dancers, #12 Giant Cypress (Tree)
- Wild Flowers of Australia – a set of 25 cards in a 12-page album. Complete.
- Wonder Book of General Knowledge – a set of 60 cards in a 72-page album. Complete.
Sanitarium Childrens Library Vol. 5 c1948.
Malties
- Fishes of the World – a 4 fold poster for 40 cards – complete
- Bird Album – a 4 fold poster for 40 cards – missing #6 Western Shrike-Tit, #11 Red-Winged Wren, #34 Red-Sided Parrot, #38 Galah.
- Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds – a set of 40 cards in a 20-page album. c1954. Complete.
- Train Album – a 4 fold poster for 40 cards – missing 13 cards too many to mention individually, and some I have are damaged.
Nabisco
- Butterflies of Australia – a set of 30 cards in a 16-page album. c1965. Complete.
- Conquest of the Air – a set of 42 cards in a 20-page album. c1968. Complete.
- Explorers and Their Ships – a set of 30 cards in a 16-page album. c1968. Complete.
- Exciting Stories of the First Australians – a set of 30 cards in a 12-page album. c1964. Complete.
Vita-Brits
- Cats of The World – a set of 30 cards in a 12-page album. Complete.
Other collectable swap cards were produced in the 1960’s that were issued by service stations like the Shell Picture Card Albums.
Shell
The Shell Picture Card Albums are in a sequence such that each series starts at the next available number from 1 onwards. Listed in numerical order here.
- Birds – 60 cards in a 10-page album. Starts card 121 to 180. Complete.
- Australian Beetles – 60 cards in a 10-page album. Starts card 301 to 360. Missing 311, 332, 334, 335, 356, 359.
- Meteorology – 60 cards in a 10-page album. Starts card 361 to 420. Complete.
This album changed from a staple-bind to a spiral-bound book. The title was updated to Project Card Album.