• 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 / Sports Subjects are Keys in the 1929 Stevens-Davis Men of America Set

Sports Subjects are Keys in the 1929 Stevens-Davis Men of America Set

June 22, 2020 By Anson Whaley

In the late 1920s, the Stevens-Davis Company based out of Chicago produced a set of miniature booklets for its employees. These booklets were presented as a special gift and featured stories of famous men in America. Titled Men of America, the set’s value is largely linked to the sports subjects that were featured in it. Here’s a closer look at this set of collectibles.

About the 1929 Stevens-Davis Company Set

The Stevens-Davis Company distributed these booklets to their employees as a motivational gift. This listing states that they were given to employees as part of a ‘service station sales builder contest.’ Sets of the booklets were presented inside of a collectible box with the ‘Men of America’ name on the front.

Other Stevens-Davis collectibles are known. For example, Heritage previously auctioned a set of comic illustrations that were apparently also given to salesmen. But the Stevens-Davis Men of America booklets are easily the most recognizable collectibles distributed by the company.

While the boxes for the Men of America set are rare, they are still found today. In fact, many times when complete sets are sold, they include the original packaging. Each set also included an insert as an announcement that it was for a ‘Special Prize Winner.’ The insert included a color illustration along with the Men of America title and the Stevens-Davis Company name and address (1234 Jackson Boulevard in Chicago). Inside of the folded announcement was a message from O.D. Miller, who was president of the company.

The booklets, of course, are not technically trading cards. However, they are basically treated as such by some collectors. They were categorized in the American Card Catalog as H572 by the book’s author, Jefferson Burdick. They have been identified at times as a 1928 issue and others as having been distributed in 1929 — the latter seems to be the more accepted date.

These booklets measure approximately 2 1/2″ wide by 4 1/4″ tall and featured a mix of subjects. The cover included a picture of the man featured as well as his name and a brief title. Pages in the book detailed his career and provided a bit of background information.

In addition to using real photos on the cover of subjects, some also included cartoon illustrations related to the man in question. And one of the notable characteristics of these collectibles is that the designs on the front were unique, different from others. Even the fonts used for the Men of America title and other text varied from booklet to booklet, creating sort of a hodgepodge of designs. Each booklet included eight pages and a total of 52 different booklets are in the set, though, a few variations have been noted.

The Sports Subjects

Subjects in the set ranged to feature men in all sorts of industries and occupations. All were famous with subjects including past presidents, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, innovators like Thomas Edison, and businessmen, including Henry Ford. While most of the subjects in the set are non-sports related, a few athletes are included. And while there are only a handful of athletes in the release, they are generally the most valuable cards in it.

From the baseball world is former commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis. A U.S. Federal Judge, Landis was baseball’s first commissioner and is most known for his decision to ban eight members of the Chicago White Sox team for their part in the 1919 World Series gambling scandal.

Landis wasn’t a player, of course, but his booklet is more important than many collectors realize. He was baseball’s commissioner from 1920 until his death in 1944. But despite that tenure, he is not found on many collectibles during his time in that capacity. Landis’ booklet is actually cited as his ‘rookie card’ by most.

But Landis isn’t the only sports figure in the set. Also here is legendary football coach Walter Camp. Camp was a player, a coach, and also a writer who is sometimes referred to as the Father of American Football as he was responsible many of the game’s innovations and helping to shape the sport in its early years.

Like Landis’ booklet, his is largely important because he is found on so few early cards and collectibles. Camp’s booklet is not exactly a contemporary one and it was actually printed after his death, which occurred in 1925, a few years before this set was issued. But it is one of his still one of his earlier collectibles that can be found and one of the more desirable issues in the release.

Finally, a third booklet was distributed simply titled American Athletes. This booklet features golf Hall of Famer Bobby Jones on the cover and is often identified solely as a Jones issue. However, Jones is merely one of the athletes that is included inside of it. The back of the booklet is also worthy of recognition since it includes Baseball Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.

Beyond those men, other fringe ‘athletes’ are included, such as aviators Charles Lindbergh and Richard Byrd.

Variations, Rarity, and Value

As mentioned, at least a few variations of the booklets are known today. There are two versions of No. 11 in the set with one featuring Thomas Jefferson and another one focusing on Independence Day. These variations have the same color illustration but one simply includes a drawing inset of Jefferson and changes the title from Independence Day to Thomas Jefferson. Two versions are also known for booklet No. 19 — Myles Standish and William Bradford. Finally, two versions of businessman Haley Fiske’s No. 42 booklet are known — one includes only a portrait photo while the other is a full-body picture. Thus, while 52 booklets are recognized as being included in the set, there are actually a total of at least 55 of them. This page shows images of two of the three variations.

The reasons for the existence of the variations are unknown. But while the variations are interesting because of the small number of these booklets that were printed, there is not much premium in terms of price for them. It is also not clear, which of the variations are rarer.

While collectors will find these booklets today, they are quite rare. That is understandable as they were only created for a company promotion and not widely distributed.

Despite that rarity, the prices for them are only modest. Commons in the set start in the $5-$10 range and complete sets start around $75-$125. That modest sum even includes sets with the box and original paper announcement. Prices for the sports subjects vary but are usually the most valuable ones in the series.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Oddball Ty Cobb Cards from the Pre-War Era The Wayback Collector: 5 Unique Pre-War Cards of Baseball Veterans Studying the Rarity of the 1928 F50 “Ice Cream and Candy” Baseball Cards V117 Maple Crispette Set Brought Major League Baseball To Canada 1930s Multi-Sport Rogers Peet Set Promoted Popular Clothing Business Donuts and Cards: D146 Issue Featured Ruth, Rockne, Grange Ty Cobb 1915 Cracker JackHuge Find of 1914, 1915 Cracker Jack Cards Consigned to Auction

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: Sports Card News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1920s baseball cards, Bobby Jones, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, pre-War cards, Stevens-Davis Men of America, Walter Camp

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

  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball & Football Card Auction Ending October 3, 2023
  • REA September 2023 Encore Auction Brings in $1.7 Million in Sales
  • PWCC September 2023 Premier Auction Recap

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