1930-ish Kem decks with unique bakelite box

[Chuqii]

I think Neillite was very similar Bakelite, but maybe a bit different formula.  J.R. Neill, inventor or Neillite, joined Watertown Manufacturing Company in Watertown, Conn.  In the Watertown Book of Plastics from the early 1940s they make a distinction between the two.  Also, the cases feel different.  The Bakelite cases feel more substantial and heavier than the Neillite.

This image is one of the earliest ads for KEM cards that I have found, and it references the Neillite cases.

In an interesting aside, in the Watertown company bowling league at the time, all the teams were named for different types of plastic.  ** Found the bowling league info.  It is from 1951 **

[Chuqii]

As for when KEM first started producing cards, the earliest would have been late 1934.  The first print ad I've found was from May 1935, but the first mention was April 1935.  Sources attached.

Guess who has one of the wood-and-gold paper drawer boxes like the one in the ad? 

[Mike Ratledge]

Awesome! Pictures are worth 1000 words, as they say.  I don't recall ever seeing one packaged that way.

[Don Boyer]

As for when KEM first started producing cards, the earliest would have been late 1934.  The first print ad I've found was from May 1935, but the first mention was April 1935.  Sources attached.

Guess who has one of the wood-and-gold paper drawer boxes like the one in the ad? 

Umm...you? 

Thanks for all this - it's a wealth of information.