I can't provide much insight on the premium offers, but I did collect the 1954 set in that year. I was an avid Braves fan as a kid and still recall the excitement I felt in discovering the cards in packages of Johnston cookies. Since this discovery occurred in a small Mom & Pop store in a small town in upstate New York, I have always been skeptical of the description of this set as a "regional." On the other hand, I suppose it's possible that Johnston could have shipped a one-off surplus of their 1954 product to stores in other states, as I did not find any of their cards in other years.
As far as the packaging is concerned, my recollection is of just a clear plastic wrap with the cookies and cards visible. No box, and perhaps just a cardboard buffer between the cards and the confection, which, as far as I can remember was a round, stripped shortbread item, similar to a product that Keebler sells today.
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