• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / Old Baseball Card Sets / 1950s Johnston Cookies Braves Sets Targeted Milwaukee’s Baseball Fans

1950s Johnston Cookies Braves Sets Targeted Milwaukee’s Baseball Fans

January 30, 2018 By Anson Whaley

From 1953 through 1955, Johnston Cookies produced team sets of the hometown Milwaukee Braves. While somewhat of an oddball issue, the three releases continue to be popular among vintage baseball fans. Here’s a little more on these annual issues.

1953 Johnston Cookies Set

Johnston Cookies’ first foray into the baseball card market began in 1953. The cards were distributed locally and inserted into boxes of cookies and the complete set included 25 players. Cards are only slightly different from today’s standard issues, measuring, just slightly larger at approximately 2 9/16″ wide by 3 5/8″ tall.

The  design is similar to the 1952 Topps set as the player’s name and replica signature are printed in a box at the bottom. The cards have the Milwaukee Braves name inside of a tomahawk on the back. In addition, his name, biographical information, and a short paragraph are also present. The bottom included a short advertisement for the company with a slogan “No One Makes Cookies Like Johnston.” Mail-in offers were also available, which allowed a collector to secure a complete set.

Despite it being the oldest, this is actually the most inexpensive of the three sets. It is highlighted by Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn. As Mathews’ rookie card is found in the 1952 Topps set, his card here is a second-year edition. Complete sets and singles are not plentiful, but fairly available on eBay.

Johnston Cookies Hank Aaron 1954 rookie

1954 Johnston Cookies Set

This Johnston Cookies cardboard advertising sign sold for nearly $900 via Sig Auctions in October 2016.

The company continued its popular series in 1954. The 1954 set is arguably the most desirable as it contains a rookie card of Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. Aaron’s presence in the set gave it a big boost and he’s joined here by Mathews, Spahn, and Bobby Thomson, whose card is believed to be shortprinted. The cards had a decidedly different look, measuring only 2″ wide and nearly 4″ tall, making them much narrower than the initial release. A second major difference was that this set included 35 cards, ten more than the first issue. Cards again featured the player’s name and a replica signature at the bottom and a similar layout on the back as the first year. The backs, however, assigned card numbers to players based on their jersey numbers.

Seven cards are believed to be double printed and Thomson’s shortprint is believed to be the result of an early-season injury as his was yanked from production, per the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. That resulted in fewer of his getting out to the public, making it a scarce card in the set. In addition to the cards, uncut sheets of this set are known to exist.

Obviously, the Aaron card–issued during the same season as his “official” Topps rookie–drives the value of the set which is sometimes found in low grade for around $500. One with high-grade Aaron, Mathews, and Spahn cards sold for more than ten times that amount in 2017.  

  • 1954 Johnston Cookies on eBay

1955 Johnston Cookies Set

The final year of the Johnston Cookies sets saw yet another significant change as the cards were printed in panels of six. Why the change? No one can probably say for sure. But printing the in panels of six allowed collectors to accumulate sets much easier, so perhaps the company received some complaints about making a set easier to obtain. The design was a throwback, reverting back to the 1953 look on the front and back. One slight change was that the slogan on the back changed to, “Johnston – A Sure Hit Ever Time.”

Panels of six, like the cards in earlier years, were available inside boxes of the company’s product. The complete set includes 35 cards and one (Andy Pafko) was double printed to get an even distribution of six cards per each of the six panels. Key players here again include Aaron, Mathews, and Spahn – the latter two appearing in every Johnston Cookies issue. Individual panels could also be purchased through the mail from the company.

Today, the cards can be found in complete, unattached panels, or individually. Both are desirable to collectors but while sets of individual cards can start around $500, they often sell for more than double that if fully attached, depending on the grade – Heritage sold one at auction last year for $1,140.

  • 1955 Johnston Cookies on eBay
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Hot Dog Heaven: 1953 Glendale Tigers a Tough Regional Stapled, Stamped and Punched: 1960 Lake to Lake Braves Were Designed to be Traded 1950 Drake’s TV Cards a Precursor to 1955 Bowman Issue 1959-1961 Morrell Meats Dodgers Were Big League vintage baseball card collection rareREA Spring 2018 Auction to Feature Rare and Definitive Post-War Collection 1916 Babe Ruth rookie card PSA 7 near mintRuth, Aaron Rookies Set Pace in REA Auction 1952 Tip Top bread Mantle Snider Campanella Rizzuto1952 Tip Top Bread Set a True Rarity Topps NOW 2016 Bryce HarperTopps NOW Tally in Week One: 6,425 Sold

About Anson Whaley

Anson Whaley is a contributor to Sports Collectors Daily and has been an avid pre-war and vintage card collector for more than 20 years. He manages a pre-war sports card blog and database at www.prewarcards.com . You can email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter @PreWarCards.

Filed Under: Old Baseball Card Sets, Popular Stories, Sports Card News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1950s baseball cards, 1950s regional sets, food issue sets, Hank Aaron cards, Hank Aaron rookie card, Johnston Cookies, milwaukee braves

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Pristine Auction October 2023 Daily, Weekly and Featured Auctions
  • Alt Liquid Auctions Current Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • One of a Kind Collectibles Rare Autograph & Document Auction Ends October 12, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window