Rare - \"Hold to the Light\" - Beeman\'s Pepsin Gum - Victorian Trade Card
![Rare - \](img-large/g/BdUAAOSweW5VFxvG/s-l1600/Rare-Hold-to-the-Light-Beeman-s-Pepsin-Gum-Victori.jpg "Rare - \")
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Rare - \"Hold to the Light\" - Beeman\'s Pepsin Gum - Victorian Trade Card :
$28.77
Victorian TradeCards
From the 1870\'s thru the early 1900\'s, one of thefavorite activities was collecting illustrated advertising cards that are nowcalled \"Victorian Trade Cards\". These trade cards were nearly theonly way available for companies to advertise their products such as: medicine,food, Tobacco, clothing, household goods and farm implements since there was noradio; no television or even magazines to use for marketing and advertising purposes. Lithography had just been introduced so any artistic,detailed; advertising image printed on paper was treasured. Naturally, thecolored trade cards were the most cherished. The common person wasnow able to own beautiful art which before only the affluent could afford. When family members brought these attractive,brightly colored cards home, everyone becameexcited and the cards were often pasted into a scrapbook forviewing and enjoying over and over. These old scrapbooks still found, burieddeep in Grandma\'s attic are often the source of many of today\'s trade cards such as this Beeman\'s Pepsin ChewingGum \"Hold to the Light\' card.
Dr. Edwin (Edward)Eugene Beeman
(The Man who Gave theWorld One of the Most Popular Kinds of Chewing Gum)
Edwin (Edward) Eugene Beeman was born in 1840 in Ohio. Upon graduating fromthe Cincinnati School of Medicine at the age of 21, Beeman worked two yearsalongside his father in the drug business before starting a medical practice in1863 which he continued until passing away in 1906. As often in stories of history, a littletwist of fate seem to play major roles as it did with Beeman\'s chewing gum. Asa physician and former drug salesman, Beemandiscovered a digestive enzyme called \"Pepsin\" and started sellingbottles of the powdered pepsin to patients for relieve of indigestion. In 1879,Dr. Beeman\'s bookkeeper, Nellie Horton, suggested he put the pepsin intochewing gum \"since so many people buy pepsin for indigestion and chewinggum for no reason at all.\" Beeman liked the idea and blended his pepsincompound with chicle, a natural rubbery-like substance (obtained from thesapodilla tree) and used in chewing gum. Since Beeman was new to \"productmarket development\", he decided to sell the newly pepsinated chewing gumin a wrapper that had a picture of a pig along with the slogan; \"WithPepsin, You Can Eat Like A Pig.\" Beeman likely thought the pigwould have eye-catching appeal but upon giving more thought to suggestions madeby others, he altered the label. The pig on the wrapper was replaced by a stately, bearded likenessof Dr. Beeman\'s along with his statement, \"I Put Pepsin IntoGum.\" Beeman touted the gum\'s benefits, proclaiming, \"As a preventiveor relief for indigestion or all other ailments induced by indigestion, I believemy chewing gum is unexcelled.\" Inan era when peddlers had earned unsavory reputations of being snake oilsalesmen for pushing cure-all tonics and elixirs of dubious value, Beeman\'schewing gum was a novel and fairly effective aid in aiding digestion.
Beeman\'s became and still is consideredthe \"lucky\" gum of pilots and early airmen like Howard Hughes or Amelia Earhartwould have never thought of climbing into a cockpit without a pack of Beemans. Pilotslearned early on thatchewing gum was a simple way to help equalize the inner ear pressure and easethe uncomfortable, sometimes painful problem. Since Beeman\'scontained pepsin with antacid properties, it was also useful during stomachagitation and acid formation in flight. Pioneer testpilot and astronaut Chuck Yeager chewed it before every flight and inouter-space for good luck.
In 1898, after almost 20 years of limited production anddistribution, Beeman’s became part of the American Chicle Co. and for the veryfirst time was mass-produced. Production continued even after American Chiclewas bought-out by Warner-Lambert in 1962 but in 1978, production ceased due tolagging sales. In 1985, as part of nostalgia candy campaigns, it wasbrought back to the market along with Clove and Black Jack chewing gums and isstill sporadically made today but without pepsin.
Beeman\'s Pepsin Gum - \"Hold to the Light\" Victorian TradeCard
Up for sale is a rare \"Hold to the Light\" advertisingcard for Beeman\'s Pepsin Gum. The card is dated earlier than 1898 or it wouldhave the American Chicle Co. name and trademark. It was likely produced in thelate 1880s-early 1890\'s. A \"Hold to the Light\" trade card would havebeen an astonishing and special card in the time period given it was newtechnology that people had not seen and were amazed by.
The front of the card shows a peacefully sleeping baby withtext of; Happy Awake or Asleep! Why? - \"Cause I chew BEEMAN\'S PEPSIN GUMand I\'se Happy\". At the bottom are the sentences;\" Cures Indigestionand Sea Sickness\" - All Others Are Imitations. The back is blank exceptfor the card maker\'s name etc.
Condition
The card consists of two pieces of paper with a heavier/thickerstock used for framing of the thinner inside \"Hold to the Light\"portion of the card. The thicker outside frame part of the card is in excellent-nearmint condition with sharp corners - no creases, tears or missing paper. The thinnerand delicate inside piece has one small tear and a little paper nick on its edgewhich are on the back of the card and not visible from the front or whenholding to the light etc. It\'s amazing this rare card survived at all given allthe times it was played with and held to the light over the last 130 years.
The card was made by P.T. Schultz. Cin\'ti, O, U A. What aneat way to say Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
The card measures: 5.5\" x 3.25\"
Please look at photos
The card will be shipped in a clear, hard plastic holder
Rare - \"Hold to the Light\" - Beeman\'s Pepsin Gum - Victorian Trade Card :
$28.77