1951 Wheaties Premiums

[pawpawdiv9]

i was researching ads and photos and found some info worth passing on to those that collect mantle photos:
http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/mantle12

and found this site on Wheaties:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...85/5/index.htm
Wheaties' performance peaked in the early '40s. Then World War II caused a temporary wheat shortage. After the war came television and supermarkets and, as a result, newer and jazzier cereals. The costs of commercials started to increase. Wheaties stopped sponsoring sports broadcasts and began relying on athletes' testimonials, which inexplicably lost their effectiveness when they hit the TV screen. Even Jack Armstrong began to lose his appeal, and his switch to the Scientific Bureau of Investigation didn't help. Jack died in 1951.

Wheaties' early TV commercials featured the likes of Ted Williams, Sam Snead, Bob Feller and basketball star Bob Davies, the model for Clair Bee's Chip Hilton. The theme was "What sparks a champion, sparks you," and there was always the reminder that there's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties flake. In another set of early commercials, Mel Allen would say, "One of the things I like to do is talk about Wheaties. The other is to eat them." In 1954 Wheaties signed up the Yankee rookie Mickey Mantle.

But sales continued to dwindle, and General Mills decided to change direction. It made the monumental blunder of pulling Wheaties out of sports. The cereal went from Mickey Mantle to Mickey Mouse in hopes of capturing the children's market. The traditional silhouette of an athlete was replaced on the box by one of a child. Wheaties signed on The Lone Ranger and Wyatt Earp. The result was that while more kids were eating the stuff, many more adults were abandoning the Breakfast of Mouseketeers. In one year, 1956, sales dropped more than 10%. Even the revelation in that May's issue of Confidential magazine that Frank Sinatra was the "Tarzan of the Boudoir" because "he eats Wheaties" didn't help.

I always thought this A2623 newspaper ad premium 1954 Wheaties premium was something of resemblance:

[pawpawdiv9]

Found this photo dating to October 5-7th 1952 from the World Series
http://sports.mearsonlineauctions.co...entoryid=38183

[Frozen in Time]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Found this photo dating to October 5-7th 1952 from the World Series
http://sports.mearsonlineauctions.co...entoryid=38183

Hi Guys,

Hope you don't mind me invading your thread for a moment. Don't know anything about the '1951" Wheaties series but would like to try to underscore the significance of the dated Type I photo that I posted for Fred in evaluating the date of the photo used for his Wheaties "card".

One of the best forms of documentation for determining the time frame within which a photo was issued includes a vintage, first generation image with a dated byline and photographer's original, period stamping. In this case, 10/6/1952, at Ebbets Field during the WS taken by Yankee photographer Don Wingfield working for The Sporting News at that time.

If you look closely at the other 1952 photo with Reese posted in this thread you will see the same two blemishes - one on Mickey's right cheek, the other slightly below his lower lip on the right side in both photos.

So for what it may be worth, in my opinion, the photo on which the Wheaties "card" is based is absolutely from 1952.

Sorry for the intrusion and good luck with your quest for the final answers on the Wheaties issue.

Cheers,

Craig