Jesse Owens is one of the most recognizable names in the history of the summer Olympics. The iconic track and field performer is remembered for famously winning four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games. In addition to winning gold in the 100m dash, 200m dash, and the long jump competition, he also won a team gold with the U.S. 4x100m relay team. The importance of Owens’ medals was heightened even more as they were won in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, which hosted the games.
Despite the fact that they are fast approaching 100 years old, Owens has numerous pre-war cards that were issued in the 1930s that are attainable to collectors. His rookie card found in the 1935 Muratti Cigarettes set may be too expensive for some . However, there are plenty of affordable cards of the legendary figure, too.
Before the days of the internet, cards of Owens were much more difficult to find for American collectors. That’s because many were printed overseas and few reached the U.S. Today, with eBay and online dealers, though, Owens’ cards are much easier to access.
Here are a few of his earlier (and cheaper) issues.
Jesse Owens 1936 Reemtsma Cigarettes Cards
Owens’ most populous cards are found in the 1936 Reemtsma Cigarettes set. The Reemtsma cards were issued initially for the 1932 Olympic Games. And Owens became a focal point of the 1936 set when the cigarette company offered another series of cards. Even though the cards were distributed in Germany, Owens is one of the most featured subjects. In all, he appears on a total of seven cards (eight if you count one where his name appears on a board).
Traditional collectors are not always interested in these cards. That is because they more closely resemble photos instead of actual trading cards. They are glossy, but paper thin since they were meant to be glued inside of a collectible album. However, they feature real black and white images of Owens and, frankly, look really nice.
The most popular Owens card in the 1936 Reemtsma series is arguably the vertical card featuring him running shown here. In raw, mid-grade condition these cards start around $20-$30. Part of the reason for the low price is because these were mass produced. While an exact production number isn’t known, it’s safe to say a lot of them still exist as a check of eBay will attest.
And if you’re looking for even bigger bargains, look for the cards that picture Owens with other subjects. Those are typically a little more affordable.
Jesse Owens 1938 Churchman Kings of Speed
Collectors looking for a more card-like Owens will find one in the 1939 Churchman Kings of Speed set. The 50-card multi-sport set includes some other recognizable names, such as famed aviator and businessman Howard Hughes. But there’s no doubt that Owens is the star attraction. His is the most valuable card in the series.
The card measures like a traditional 1930s cigarette card. The front features Owens in full sprint while the back provides a full-card biography. The back also includes the Kings of Speed title and Churchman name.
Like the Reemtsma cards described above, these were designed to be included into an album. However, instead of being glued inside, these cards could be inserted and held into place with small slits in the album pages, which held the corners. While that meant sparing the back from glue damage, many of the corners on cards today have indent marks where they were held. That makes finding high-grade examples difficult. To date, PSA has graded approximately 550. None have been given a PSA 10 grade and only six have received PSA 9s. Fewer than 10% have even been given the PSA 8 grade.
In raw, mid-grade condition, these cards typically start around $30-$40.
Jesse Owens 1936 Muhlen Franck
Similar to the Reemtsma Cigarettes cards, the Muhlen Franck cards were also more like miniature photographs, designed for an album. With a larger size and paper thin stock, there are many similarities between the two releases.
The big difference, however, is that the Muhlen Franck cards are printed in color while the Reemtsmas were black and white creations. Additionally the Muhlen Franck albums offered slits for their cards, similar to the Churchman albums — as opposed to the glue-in style of Reemtsma albums. Similar to the Churchman cards, collectors will often find these with the indent marks on corners as a result.
In all, Owens is featured four times in the set. While rarer than the Reemtsma Cigarettes cards, the Muhlen Franck cards are not too difficult to find.
Jesse Owens 1936 Pet Cremer
More album-issue cards of Owens are found in the 1936 Pet Cremer set. Pet Cremer appears to have been a company producing cleaning, soap, and laundry products.
These are significantly smaller than the oversized Reemtsma and Muhlen Franck cards. However, they also have a gloss on the cover. This has often wrinkled over time, creating small crackling in the surface of many of them.
Owens has three cards in the Pet Cremer set, but only one picturing him as the sole subject (shown here). In a second card, a small Owens is seen among other runners in a race. In a third, he is shown with track and field teammates.
The cards are certainly rarer than the others on this list but can usually be found for fairly modest prices.
Jesse Owens 1937 Ogden Champions
If you’re looking for an Owens card that is a bit more expensive, try his 1937 Ogden’s card.
This card has often been miscategorized as a 1936 issue. However, it was printed in 1937 and the set is simply titled “Champions of 1936” as a look back to the preceding year.
The card features a great color depiction of Owens and because it is a standard cigarette card size, it is quite popular with collectors. Unlike the Reemtsma, Muhlen Franck, and Pet Cremer sets, this Ogden’s Champions of 1936 set isn’t an Olympic-based issue. Instead, Owens is found in a series with all kinds of athletes, including tennis players, golfers, boxers, and more.
While it was issued later than those sets, however, it is still significantly more expensive but is also one of the more colorful, attractive Jesse Owens cards you can own.
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