The Lone Ranger went on the air on January 30, 1933 and through the radio years had a number of sponsors with just about all offering something for the young listeners. Many of these giveaways were extremely well made- especially those from the 40s.

Probably the earliest of the Lone Ranger premiums was the black & white "photo" of the Lone Ranger on Silver marked "Michigan Radio Network". The cast of the Lone Ranger radio shows made numerous public appearances around the Detroit area in the period before syndication. It is likely that this & other photos were given out to the young fans by the radio station.

As a side note, in the summer of 1933, just six months after the show began, an event was planned by the Detroit Department of Recreation for a public appearance of the Lone Ranger and his white horse Silver on Belle Isle. A local white circus horse named "Hero" was hired to portray "Silver". Brace Beemer, who was the narrator for the show at the time, played the part of the Lone Ranger. Earle Graser was still the on-air Lone Ranger and would continue the role until his untimely death in 1941, at which time Brace Beemer officially took over. 70,000 fans showed up for the Belle Isle event- many more than had been anticipated, and the crowd began to get a little out of hand. The Lone Ranger himself had to be enlisted to help bring order to the mob.

The Lone Ranger sponsorship really began in earnest in 1934 with Detroit based Silvercup Bread, followed shortly thereafter by Merita Bread, Bond Bread and many other bakers as the popularity of the show grew. Silvercup set up ranks where a young listener could advance step by step up to the Chief Scout 5th Degree & receive the coveted Chief Scout Badge. And what a beauty it was!

In June 1937, a contract was signed between George Trendle and Republic Pictures for a Lone Ranger serial. In 1938, soon after the release, Lone Ranger/Republic premium badges began to appear.

The introduction of the Lone Ranger Safety Club in 1938 brought a new wave of premiums- more badges and deputy stars along with now harder-to-find paper items. The star badges from the not-as-well-known bread companies like Cramers, Franz, Gatelys, Master Bread, Weber, Poe, Bestyett, Rath, etc. are still sought out by the completist.

In 1938, King Feature Syndicate brought out the Lone Ranger newspaper strip that in turn led to several LoneRanger pinbacks. Gum, Inc. issued a set of 5 8” x 10” full color cards in the same year which are now considered quite rare.

Lone Ranger (Ice Cream) Cones sponsored a few unique premiums during the late 30s. A comic book, picture bracelet, beanie cap and Lone Ranger and Tonto rings, to name a few. They all fetch a hefty price today when they can be found- but beware of the fake Lone Ranger Cones script pin often seen on eBay.