2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the infamous Chicago Black Sox scandal. In 1919, several members of the White Sox conspired to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The result was the ban of eight players from Major League Baseball by Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the sport's commissioner. Some of the players, like Shoeless Joe Jackson, were stars. Others were … [Read more...]
Top Banner 486X60
W555 Cards Are Small in Size But Fetch Big Prices
The W555 cards aren't your typical strip issue. In fact, they are not really a strip card at all. While classified by Jefferson Burdick in his American Card Catalog as a W-Card, the reality is that these are now known as a hand cut candy card of sorts. Collectors familiar with early cards will also note that many of the images are cropped versions of photographs that were … [Read more...]
Babe Ruth Rookie Card Found in Old Piano Now at Auction
Baseball card finds have turned up in all kinds of places over the years. Inside walls. On dusty garage shelves. Under floor boards and in countless old desks and dressers. Add one more to the list. Inside an old piano. It's not a new find, but one you've probably never heard about because it's been under wraps since the 1990s. The 1916 M101-4 Babe Ruth blank back … [Read more...]
Broadleaf/Cycle Shortprints are the Keys to the T207 Set
Issued in 1912, the T207 release is a different kind of tobacco baseball card set. We've written about the set here before and, personally, it's a favorite of mine. From the dark and mysterious aesthetics and somewhat odd player checklist, it's significantly different than most other tobacco sets from the same time period. The set is difficult to complete for any number of … [Read more...]
5 Black Sox Baseball Card Bargains
Baseball cards featuring players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox team are not generally inexpensive. Collectors heavily pursue cards featuring the eight banned 'Black Sox' players and that demand has driven up prices over the years. Now, with the 100th anniversary of the famous team, their cards have never been more popular. But while many of these cards are a bit on the … [Read more...]
M101-4/5 Baseball Card Craze Included Department Stores
The M101-4 and M101-5 baseball cards are often referred to as the Sporting News sets. Created by Felix Mendelsohn in 1916, these two similar black and white sets included some iconic cards, including what is generally recognized as Babe Ruth's major league rookie card. The sets have mostly the same checklists but include some variants in terms of who is included in each one and … [Read more...]
A Look Inside the Surprisingly Rare T332 Helmar Stamps Set
In the early 1900s, tobacco companies were stuffing packages of cigarettes with trading cards. Cards are the items that are most collected today but some companies used other types of premiums instead of them. In 1911, for instance, Helmar Cigarettes distributed packs of their product with small stamps featuring baseball players. T332 Helmar Stamps Overview The 1911 Helmar … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: More Than a Century Later, Tobacco Cards Remain Popular
When collectors think about the earliest baseball cards, tobacco cards are often the first ones cited. While some trade cards technically existed before tobacco issues, many of them did not feature real, professional players. That is part of the reason why collectors have gravitated more towards tobacco sets as a sort of 'go to' in terms of pre-war issues. Tobacco cards are, … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Dazzy Vance Family Produces Rare 1919 Zee-Nut Card
Produced from 1911 through 1938, the Zee-Nut baseball sets represented one of the longest-running pre-war series. They were produced on the west coast and the checklists consisted of minor leaguers so many names are not recognizable to even seasoned collectors. However, the Zee-Nuts sets do include several players that ultimately had Hall of Fame careers. One of those is … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 5 Pre-War Issues to Watch in 2019
As collectors, we're always looking for the next big thing. That's true at any time but the start of a new year always brings along all sorts of re-evaluations from collectors. Some will maintain their current course and change little, if nothing. Others will switch gears. And others will start looking for some bargains that may be had. Others still will just watch from afar … [Read more...]
