Robin Hood
Topps released this Robin Hood card set in 1957. There are 60 cards in the set.
The character of Robin Hood has long been a fascinating one for children, not only for the medieval-themed violence involved, but also the rob-from-the-rich ethic that common folk can always seem to get behind.
The photos that make up this set are stills taken from the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran on British television for five seasons, and on American TV for three. Actor Richard Greene played Robin. Errol Flynn made the character wildly popular in a 1938 film of the same name.
The card fronts show a color still photo from the TV series, surrounded by a white border. A red sword-shaped block inset into the image gives the card caption in white letters.
The card backs feature a pleasing green background, against which is a laughing line drawing of Robin Hood to the left, and beside him a large block of white, resembling a map or document, with a white background containing the card number (in a small black shield- shaped block), the caption, and a block of text describing the action depicted. The set title ROBIN HOOD sits at the bottom in faux-Old English type lettering.
The Robin Hood cards are fairly easy to find and thus do not command a high price in the marketplace.
A 'lucky penny' card advertising the offer to send in gum wrappers to get a penny charm keychain was inserted into 5-cent packs. These are valued by collectors.
The American Card Catalog reference number is R714-18.
Value: Individual cards from this set, in Excellent condition, are worth about $3.00 or $4.00 each. A full set of 60 cards may command a price of about $200.00 to $250.00. A 'lucky penny' card may be worth $40.00 to $50.00.