1949 British Automatic Company : Speed



The Speed trading card series was issued in 1949 by the British Automatic Company Ltd. of London. The 24-card collection showcases contemporary speed records across various categories. Each card measures approximately 2.5 x 3.5 inches (64 x 89 mm). The series was dispensed from coin-operated weight scales throughout England. Many card backs are stamped with a date and the user's weight, measured in stones and pounds.

An illustration of the "V-2 Rocket Bomb" is included in the series. The card image is based on Project Hermes V-2 No. 2, the first American V-2 fired from White Sands Proving Ground on April 16, 1946. The yellow and black V-2 paint schemes were used by the U.S. Ordinance Corps during early tests for Project Hermes.

1949 British Automatic Company : Speed #24 - V-2 Rocket Bomb

The German Vergeltungswaffe 2 (V-2) guided ballistic missile was originally designated as Aggregat 4 (A-4). The weapon was developed under the direction of Wehrner von Braun at the Peenemünde Army Research Center. A-4 MW 18014 is the first object launched into sub-orbital space. On June 20, 1944, the missile was fired from Peenemünde to an apogee of 109 miles (176 km). Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 attacks to reach Paris and London on September 8, 1944.

From 1945–1951, General Electric constructed 67 rockets from captured German V-2 components. The first American space launch was conducted at White Sands on May 10, 1946. Hermes V-2 No. 3 was fired to an apogee of 70 miles (112.7 km). The first animals in space were fruit flies placed inside the nose cone of Hermes V-2 No. 20. The Blossom 1 biological experiment was launched from White Sands on February 20, 1947.

1949 British Automatic Company : Speed #24 - V-2 Rocket Bomb


White, L. D. Final Report, Project Hermes V-2 Missile Program. Report No. R52A0510. General Electric Company, Defense Products Group, Aeronautic and Ordnance Systems Divisions, Guided Missiles Department. September 1952.


British Automatic Company : Speed
1 "Llanoria"
2 John Mikaelsson
3 Mervyn Wood
4 Fanny Blankers-Koen
5 J.C. Owens (Jesse Owens)
6 Finn Helgesen
7 R.M.S. Queen Mary
8 "My Love"
9 Mario Ghella
10 "Priceless Border"
11 Ostrich
12 Henri Oreiller
13 Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat
14 Swordfish
15 Cheetah
16 L.N.E.R. "Mallard"
17 Campbell's "Bluebird II"
18 E. Henne's B.M.W.
19 Duck Hawk
20 Cobb's Railton Special
21 D.H. 108 Jet Plane
22 Douglas "Skystreak"
23 Rocket-Propelled Sled, U.S.A.
24 V-2 Rocket Bomb