Sam Dodero didn’t get to the National Sports Collectors Convention this year but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. His decision to stay home helped the longtime Chicago area collector become the owner of two copies of an impossibly rare Babe Ruth card.
While others were browsing the aisles in Cleveland, Dodero was on his phone in a local auto dealer’s waiting room as his Honda was being serviced. As he scrolled Facebook, he spotted a photo of some old cards that piqued his interest.
There were eight cards in all, six actors and two of a young Ruth, one centered better than the other.
Believing they could be rare, Dodero got in touch with the seller and after a couple of days, he was invited to take a look.
“I had never seen these before myself,” Dodero told SC Daily.
He and his wife drove to a town hall in Northern Indiana where a deal was struck. The collection included what Dodero later identified as a group of eight cards from the 1920 W-UNC “Shoulderless” set.
Among the cards in the find were the two featuring Ruth who was in his first year with the New York Yankees. No Ruth cards from the set have ever been graded but it’s believed at least one or two reside in private collections.
The blank backed, sepia toned cards measure about 1 1/2″ x 2 5/8″ and like other strip card sets of the era, were meant to be cut from a longer strip featuring multiple subjects. The “Shoulderless” designation refers to the cropping of the photos used on the cards.
In addition to the Ruth cards were six others, including two of “Hoot” Gibson, a cowboy film star of the era, three of fellow actor Jimmy Aubrey and a single example of Joseph Schildkraut. The latter won an Oscar in 1937. Those three subjects are believed to be previously unknown.
It’s not known exactly how the Shoulderless strip cards were distributed but most strip cards were typically given away with the purchase of candy or other confections. Dodero says the family that sold him the cards indicated that a relative had owned a store that opened in 1903 and the cards likely originated there.
The population of cards from the set is a little difficult to pin down, with some residing in private collections that have never been graded but the overall population appears to be extremely small. SGC has graded only three examples, PSA none.
The Ruth card that’s been poorly cut contains multiple creases while the other is in better overall shape.
Eleven baseball players are known to exist from the set. A Ty Cobb card was added to the checklist just 11 years ago and was sold through Robert Edward Auctions. Rogers Hornsby, Tris Speaker and George Sisler are among the players with known W-UNC Shoulderless cards.
The value of the cards, especially the Ruths, is tough to gauge with little to no information on prior sales but it’s safe to say they’d attract plenty of attention if they’d ever come to market.
A longtime collector, Dodero told SC Daily that he’s already had strong interest for the Ruth cards, both from private collectors and auction companies but has thus far turned down offers to buy them–at least for now.
“I am a collector not a dealer,” he explained. “So I’m just keeping them in my PC.”
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Notes: Herpolsheimer’s Ruth Nets $154,684; Fogel Collection; Unopened Charity Sale Returns
Georgia “W” Card Find Includes Stack of Babe Ruth Cards
Top-Ranked Strip Card Set with Ruth, Cobb at Auction
