• 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 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Wander Franco 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
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie 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 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 / Behind the Exhibits: The Early Cards (Part I)

Behind the Exhibits: The Early Cards (Part I)

September 1, 2020 By Anson Whaley

Exhibit cards are among the more affordable pre-war cards that can be had. While it’s true that some can be expensive, by comparison, they can often be a good way to score some bargain-priced cards of big name players. Here’s the first in a three-part series focusing on these vintage issues. First, we’ll take a look at the earliest Exhibit cards.

The First Exhibit Baseball Sets

1921 Exhibits Babe Ruth

So what are Exhibit cards? While many collectors know about these gems, many others do not.

Essentially, Exhibit cards were cards that were offered in arcade machines that usually cost one cent or two cents. You’d put a penny or two in and you’d get an Exhibit card. These cards were oversized, about the size of a postcard. While Exhibit cards featuring baseball players are the most popular, Exhibits were produced for all sorts of subjects, including boxers, football players, other athletes, and movie stars.

When the term ‘Exhibits’ is used, it generally refers to those cards produced by the Exhibit Supply Company. That company was based in Chicago and was the company responsible for the great majority of these cards out there. However, it should be noted that they were not the only company producing these types of cards.

Lou Gehrig rookie card

Other similar cards can also be referred to as Exhibits, even if they weren’t produced by the Exhibit Supply Company themselves, similar to products such as Q-Tips today. If someone uses the term ‘Exhibit cards,’ they could be referring to other types of these cards not issued formally by the Exhibit Supply Company. For the sake of this series, however, we’re going to be looking primarily here at the Exhibit Supply Company’s baseball cards.

The first of their Exhibit baseball cards were issued in 1921. The set remains quite popular today and had a basic design with the player’s name in bold, cursive font and his team and league in a small font. The cards are relatively basic with black and white images and blank backs. That was a theme seen in the earliest Exhibit sets. That first set paved the way for later Exhibit sets as it included a wealth of big names. Among the biggest were Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby, and Tris Speaker.  While they can’t be classified as cheap, they do offer an opportunity to land some large, sharp-looking cards from their playing days for a fairly reasonable cost.

Even though those are the oldest Exhibit cards, they are among the more plentiful ones from the pre-war era. There are 64 cards in that set and over the next several years, the sets often consisted of either 64 or 128 cards.

The most valuable Exhibit cards from these early years are generally the ones with the biggest names. Ruth and Cobb Exhibits, for example, are always near the top in any set in which they appear.

Perhaps the most famous Exhibit from these early years, however, is one featuring Lou Gehrig.  The Iron Horse would appear on several Exhibit cards but his 1925 card is particularly notable because, while he played sparingly in 1923 and 1924, 1925 was his first full-time season and the card is his rookie issue. Even in low-grade condition, it commands five figures. Even modestly graded examples can sell for more than $50,000.

Varying Designs

As the years went on, Exhibit cards changed their appearance. The 1922 set, for example, had player names in a thinner style of font and the look changed again for a 1923-24 release. In 1925, Exhibits began printing player and team information inside of a box. And in 1926, 1927, and 1928, there were assorted styles with print appearing at the bottom of cards.

Here’s a very rough, brief checklisting of the types of layouts used on the Exhibit cards in the early years.

  • 1921 – Thick cursive lettering for player names
  • 1922 – Thinner sursive style of lettering for player names
  • 1923-24 – A different style of cursive lettering for player names
  • 1925 – Printed information inside of a box
  • 1926 – Some cards with information inside of a box, others not
  • 1927 – Information outside of a box with green tinted images
  • 1928 – Information outside of a box with blue tinted images

Dating the cards to precise years is sometimes easy and other times a bit more difficult. Many of the cards issued in 1926, for example, are believed to be repeated from the 1925 set. PSA states that the repeated cards have a light blue tint. However, most of the designs make it relatively easy to determine to which set a card belongs.

These early Exhibit cards issued from 1921 through 1928 were classified as W461 in the American Card Catalog by author Jefferson Burdick. In all, there are more than 500 cards in these sets combined and you can find quite a few on eBay at any given time.

‘Other’ Early Exhibits

While the baseball-only Exhibits mentioned above are the most popular, there are several other notable early releases.

One is a 1929 Exhibit postcard featuring small ‘stamp cut outs’ of movie stars as well as the legendary Babe Ruth. Eight of these stamps (stamp cuts not traditional usable stamps) were printed on a postcard and Ruth is featured because he appeared in several movies. Also pictured that is of interest to sports collectors is Hall of Fame boxer Jack Dempsey.

Additionally, a 1925 Exhibit set featured world champion athletes in all sorts of sports. Ruth headlines the set as the lone baseball player but his is hardly the only desirable Exhibit in the set. Almost all of the cards in this ‘Champions Exhibit’ set command interest because of their rarity and the checklist also includes boxing legend Jack Dempsey, golf star Gene Sarazen, and tennis great Bill Tilden, among many others.  Ruth’s is the most valuable but even commons are heavily pursued because of the rarity associated with them.

In addition to the baseball-only sets mentioned above, a set of Exhibits with postcard backs was issued with an assumed printing ranging from 1925 through 1931. These are often lumped in with the earlier sets described but are in fact classified separately.  You can usually find a few dozen for sale on eBay but better examples and rarer cards can be pricey.

Finally, major league baseball players weren’t the only baseball players featured in Exhibits. A special set was produced in 1928 for Pacific Coast League minor league players. The cards had the same blue tint as was found in the 1928 major league set and includes many players that ultimately made their way to the big leagues. The biggest star in that set is Hall of Famer Earl Averill, whose career was just beginning.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

The Roaring 20s: A Look at Baseball Collecting 100 Years Ago Pre-War Card Games Were Popular Player Endorsements 1925 W504 Strip Cards Featured Four Teams Bargain Hall of Fame Cards of the 1920s (Part III of IV) 5 Pre-War Exhibit Card Bargains 1928 George Ruth Cards Helped Market the Babe’s Candy Company Five Types of W516 Strip Cards Confuse Collectors 1923 Lections Set Combined Baseball and Politics

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, Sports Card News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1920s baseball cards, Exhibit cards, pre-War baseball cards

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. 

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card Auctions
  • Graded Rookie Cards opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos 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

RSS Auction Report

  • SCP Auctions Offers Wilt Chamberlain Rookie Season Uniform Auction – End June 17, 2023
  • Selling Your Collection? Consign or Sell To Detroit City Sports
  • PWCC Weekly Sunday Auction – Ending June 11, 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