Gilligan's Island
Topps released their Gilligan's Island card set in 1965. There were 55 cards in the set.
Gilligan's Island may never have set critics' Top Ten lists on fire, but viewers loved the show and made it one of the most popular TV series of all time. Millions have grown up watching reruns of Gilligan and the other Minnow castaways doing their best to get off that island and get home.
The card fronts show a black-and-white still photo from the series, complete with dialog in word balloons, surrounded by a white border. The set logo appears in a small island-shaped graphic at one of the lower corners.
The card backs are more interesting. Each end of the card presents a photo still from the series, face up, against either a red or black background. If a kid gets a number of the series cards in sequence, then turns them over and riffles the (same-color) ends, the photo stills provide a brief 'moving picture' scene from the show. The center card has a narrow white strip showing the card number and copyright matter, along with the ad, 'Collect all 55 cards. Arrange in numerical order to make a double feature flip movie.'
This fun and interesting vintage card set is on a lot of collectors' want lists, and its prices show it.
Value: Individual cards from this set, in Excellent condition, can cost anywhere from $20.00 to $60.00 each, depending on the image. A full set of 55 cards may cost $1,200.00 to $2,400.00.