Executive Order: Setting Record Straight on ‘First’ George Bush Autograph Cards

July 14, 2011

Some revisionist historians near Wall Street are receiving some ill-gotten gains this week by wrongly touting their new George W. Bush autographed card as “the first time ever that a living President has made their autographs available in a trading card product.”

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, right?

Clearly, that company overlooked, ignored or simply didn’t know about the pioneering autographed trading cards from George H. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, that appeared in Panini America’s popular 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball release, a point not lost on the folks over at Beckett Media. Panini America also produced poignant cards signed by the elder Bush and his wife Barbara that were inserted into 2008 Donruss Americana II.

“Obviously, we were thrilled to deliver the history-making first autographed trading cards of George H. Bush and the former First Lady three years ago,” says Ben Ecklar, Panini America’s Director of Product Development. “That was quite an accomplishment for the entire trading card industry and those cards remain popular with collectors and history buffs all these years later. We’re proud to have played a leadership role in that endeavor that has paved the way for other manufacturers.”