The Church of the SubGenius has had a variety of membership cards since it's inception in 1953.
Early Church (1953-1975)[]
The Early Church of the SubGenius had several different membership card designs.
Charter membership (1953)[]
Charter membership card of "Kitten" Anderson. While the card is faded and worn, the phrase "Charter Member" can be seen in red ink under the SubGenius Cross.
While the Church of the SubGenius began with an opportunity meeting led by J.R. "Bob" Dobbs on Sunday, 5 July 1953, the first official meeting when membership cards were handed out was Sunday, 26 July 1953. This was the night of not only a full moon but also a rare total lunar eclipse.
The charter membership cards of the 23 original members were not numbered and were and are, like the charter membership they represent, irrevocable. They featured the symbol of the Early SubGenius cross, then called the SubGenius cross.
Early membership (1953-?)[]
Numbered membership card of John Dillinger. The membership number can be seen in red print under the early SubGenius Cross. Oddly enough, the number is 00722 and Dillinger reportedly died on July 22. Odder, his death was reportedly in 1934 but the cards weren't issued until 1953.
After the original 23, other members joined. Their membership cards were in much the same style including the SubGenius cross. However, they were numbered and were revocable, although revocation very rarely occurred.
These cards were issued in 1953 through the 1970s, although an alternate design was also used in the latter years.
Late Early membership (late 1960s-1975)[]
SubGenius Star Cross used on many SubGenius membership cards in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
As paganism was becoming more acceptable in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many membership cards featured a design with a symbol quite different from the Christian cross. This was a revised SubGenius cross sometimes called the SubGenius Star Cross or the SubGenius Star. Membership cards were still numbered and revocable.
The exact number of membership cards issued by the Early Church is debated. John Dillinger's card is no. 722. As there were 23 charter members whose cards were not numbered, this would mean when Dillinger joined there were 745 members. The most reliable sources state there were 23 charter members and 735 other members of the Early Church.
Modern Church (1980+)[]
The New Church of the SubGenius (1980+) has had more than one card design. The primary are the Dallas design and the Cleveland Heights design.
Dallas design (1980-1999)[]
Dallas design membership card of Swank Ivy.
This card was prominent during the years that the SubGenius Foundation was headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas card features an image of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and a galloping horse carrying a rider who's holding what is allegedly a book (although some claim it's an item much more controversial at the time, a gigantic frop cigarette). This was issued sometime during the years the Church was headquartered in Dallas, Texas, between 1980 and 1999, to approximately 25,000 members. These cards were unnumbered and originally not revocable.
Cleveland Heights design (1999-2017/2019)[]
Cleveland Heights design membership card of Donald Trump.
This design was used when the SubGenius Foundation headquarters are in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The Cleveland Heights design, like the Dallas design, features an image of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and a galloping horse carrying a rider who's holding what is allegedly a gigantic frop cigarette (although some claim it's an item much more controversial in modern times, a book). In addition, it features two pyramids with the Dobbs head in the center (The Holy Seal) and the words "Church of the SubGenius," and also a variation of the dollar sign with elements of the Early SubGenius Cross and the pre-SubGenius Troika Cross. This was issued sometime between 1999 and 2016+ to approximately 15,023 members as of December 2016. Like the Dallas design, these cards do not include membership numbers. However, they and membership can be revoked without warning with a refund.
Glen Rose design (2017/2019+)[]
Glen Rose design membership card of Elwood P. Dobbs.
Virtually identical to the Cleveland Heights design, the primary difference is that this version show the Glen Rose, Texas, address. While the Church moved to Glen Rose in October 2017, they continued using selling cards with the Cleveland Heights design until 2019.