Unusual date coding on Bicycle Aircraft Spotter Cards

[Josh Blackmon]

The date code on this deck appears on the Joker and not the Ace of Spades. I assume other Spotter decks are the same, but I have not seen this before. Has anyone else ever noticed this? Are there other USPCC decks that utilize the joker for this purpose in lieu of the Ace of Spades.

[52plusjoker]

We have been told that the date code is only in effect on Ace of Spades and only when it is a letter followed by four digits. However, Josh could be correct. The date code would indicate 1942 but the box looks a bit later perhaps. Is there a tax stamp on the other side of the box? Did USPC continue to produce Spotter decks after WWII? This issue [one of three Spotter decks USPC made] is W32 in Hochman and was first released in 1942. So I will assume Josh is correct and the code was put on the Joker because of the other notations on the Spade Ace relative to identification of the plane. Interesting observation!

[Don Boyer]

We have been told that the date code is only in effect on Ace of Spades and only when it is a letter followed by four digits. However, Josh could be correct. The date code would indicate 1942 but the box looks a bit later perhaps. Is there a tax stamp on the other side of the box? Did USPC continue to produce Spotter decks after WWII? This issue [one of three Spotter decks USPC made] is W32 in Hochman and was first released in 1942. So I will assume Josh is correct and the code was put on the Joker because of the other notations on the Spade Ace relative to identification of the plane. Interesting observation!

As I recall, they continued making this type of spotter deck into the 1940s, stopping just before the Korean War.

Actually, "making" might be inaccurate.  They were probably made in bulk during the war and it took that long for them to run out of them.

[Josh Blackmon]

This is what is left of the tax stamp. It is distinguishable as a "1 pack" stamp.

[Don Boyer]

This is what is left of the tax stamp. It is distinguishable as a "1 pack" stamp.

Now that is interesting.  There was a brief period of time where decks like this would have a seal stating that they're exempt from tax and to be sold only to military personnel.  It looks like this one was sold through civilian channels, perhaps.  Now I'm thinking it's even more likely that USPC did a MASSIVE run of these decks during World War II, leaving them enough leftover that it took a number of years to sell them all out.  There wasn't much paper recycling taking place at the time and I'm sure it was easier and more cost-effective to sell them out rather than destroy them.

Either way, it's exactly the correct stamp for the period - the one-pack stamp was used from 1940 to 1965, when the tax was repealed.