More and more pre-war collectors are turning their attention to boxing cards. That’s especially evident by the rising prices for some of the iconic early fighters. Cards of Jack Johnson, John Sullivan, and Jack Dempsey have risen dramatically in the last few years.
While there is no dearth of pre-war boxing sets, the 1910 T220 Prizefighters release is one that is heavily targeted. Its relatively low prices and big names have made it a hit with collectors.
About the T220 Prizefighters Set
With a total of 50 boxing cards, the 1910 T220 Prizefighters set provides a nice challenge for collectors. The cards were distributed inside packages of Mecca and Tolstoi cigarettes.
Technically, the set is called the Champion Athletes and Prizefighters set. That has led many collectors to believe that it was initially expected to be a series that included other types of subjects. However, the set is limited purely to fighters.
Images in the set are notable for a few reasons. First, the same images were used in the much rarer T223 Dixie Queen set. That was essentially a parallel tobacco series believed to have been issued around the same time. Second, the background scenery on many of the cards is quite unique. Boxers are pictured against a series of interesting backdrops, including rings near bodies of water, in large fields in rural areas, or even just in the road.
The cards are larger than the narrow type of tobacco cards from the baseball issues, like T205 or T206. But at 2 1/2″ by 3 1/4″, they are similar to other American Tobacco Company issues spanning other subjects. At that size, too, they are similar in size to today’s cards but just a hair shorter. The cards used color lithographic images of boxers with thick white borders. Backs include a biography of the fighters up to that point in their career. Most of the card fronts include only a fighter’s name. However, some include small related captions.
The set mostly features cards of individual boxers. However, a total of seven cards picture two fighters as they show some popular fights.
Key Subjects
One of the thing that makes this set spectacular is that the subjects span many years, covering fighters from as early as the 1860s through the present day.in 1910.
The biggest name in the set is Hall of Famer John Sullivan, generally recognized as the last heavyweight bare knuckles champion (under London Prize Ring rules) and the first heavyweight champion in the gloved boxing era. Sullivan’s career had ended nearly two decades before the set was released but his card is still the most valuable and the key card in the set. He is actually featured twice as he is also one of the subjects featured on the cards depicting famous fights as he is pictured along with Jake Kilrain. He is hardly the only key figure, though.
Another key subject is Jack ‘Nonpareil’ Dempsey. Collectors unfamiliar with boxing cards might be inclined to believe this card features the famous American fighter that was heavyweight champion in the 1920s. However, this Dempsey was a middleweight that fought in the 19th century and was given the ‘Nonpareil’ name as a reputation for being unbeatable. While not as popular today as the later Dempsey, he was a legendary fighter after which, ultimately, the later Dempsey (born as William Harrison Dempsey) was named in the ring.
Heavyweight champion James Jeffries is there, too — albeit pictured only on a dual card with popular fighter Tom Sharkey.
Additionally, the set is known for depictions of several early Black fighters. The likes of Joe Gans, Peter Jackson, and George Dixon are all desired by collectors and sell for above the common level. The set also includes numerous other Hall of Famers and champion fighters.
Some Black standouts, including Joe Jeannette and Sam Langford are missing in action. However, the biggest name missing from the set, easily, is the legendary Jack Johnson. Johnson was not only a well-known fighter at the time this set was produced, but he was the heavyweight champion of the world. Johnson surely was not excluded because of his race since the set included several other Black fighters. However, his absence is clearly felt and the reason for it is unclear. Had he been included, his card would easily be the most valuable one in the release.
Finally, the most unique cards in the set may belong to Professor Mike Donovan. Donovan is the only subject in the set with two individual cards — one picturing him as a young fighter in the 1860s and one that depicts him as an older man in the present day. After his fighting days, he became a renowned teacher, even instructing president Teddy Roosevelt in the sport.
Backs and Variations
While a basic set contains a total of 50 cards, there are a couple of notable things. First, a master set spans beyond that total because the backs are found with both Mecca and Tolstoi advertisements on the reverse. While the Tolstoi cards can be found, as is the case in many other series’ featuring numerous brands, the cards are pretty rare.
Similarly rare is a 25-card subset of the full series that features silver-colored borders. The silver-bordered cards are so rare that some, even, have only been seen a handful of times.
The cards with the silver borders are a bit of a mystery. But what we do know is, they are only found on cards in half of the set. Several of the bigger cards, including both Sullivans, do not have a silver edition.
Prices and Rarity
Part of what makes the set easy to build is because the cards are not terribly rare. While you may not find them at your average card shop, or even show, they are readily available from dealers online or on eBay. They were not produced as numerous as many baseball cards but building a basic set with Mecca backs is not too difficult. None of the cards are considered tough to find in relation to the others.
Prices for raw commons in decent low-grade condition can be found starting around $10. Some of the key cards are in the $20-$25 range with Sullivan starting around $50. Considering there are only 50 cards in the series and none are terribly expensive, building a complete set is not terribly pricey and can usually be done starting for as little as $250-$350.
The Tolstoi-backed cards and cards with the silver borders are more valuable. While the prices on these can fluctuate greatly, low-grade commons of each type usually start around $25-$35.
You can check out eBay’s current inventory here.
