Experienced collectors looking for early cards of postwar stars have often been led to cards released just after the Second World War. Two such series that are well-known were made by Sports Exchange, an early hobby outlet that issued its own “Trading Post” periodical from 1945-1950. Burdick classified the sets as W602 (small cards, called “Miniatures” in the hobby … [Read more...]
Finding John Lawsky: Message on 1941 Double Play Ball Card a Fun Vintage Mystery
Every picture tells a story. That’s an old Rod Stewart song, but a 1941 baseball card also has a mysterious tale behind it. Picture this: It’s like a message in a bottle. On the back of a 1941 Double Play card is a note written by John R. Lawsky of Athol, Massachusetts. “Who ever gets this card, bring it to 30 Fairview Ave. and as a reward you will get 5 … [Read more...]
Behind the Exhibits: The Later Years (Part III)
Exhibit cards are among the more affordable pre-war cards that can be had. While it's true that there are some expensive ones, by comparison, they can often be nice ways to score some bargains of big name players. Here's a three-part series focusing on these unique cards. We've already looked at the earliest Exhibit cards from the 1920s as well as the 4-on-1 series that … [Read more...]
Rare 1940s Pacific Coast Baseball News Premium Featured Babe Ruth
The legendary Babe Ruth has a slew of great post-war vintage cards that were issued after his playing career. One of the lesser known ones is a special card from the 1940s that was a premium for a publication. Here's a closer look at this rare card that is not discussed all that often. About the Babe Ruth Pacific Coast Baseball News Card This black and white card was offered … [Read more...]
Bond Bread Series: 1947 Jackie Robinson Set
Bond Bread issued three baseball card sets in the 1940s and 1950s. Over a three-part series, we'll be taking a look at each one. The first part of this series reviewed the company's 48-card D305 set that was issued in 1947. In this second part, we'll cover is the company's set of Jackie Robinson cards, which featured only the Dodgers' star rookie. Here's a closer look at this … [Read more...]
The Bond Bread Series (Part I of III): Jackie Robinson Rookie Card Headlines 1947 Set
Bond Bread issued three baseball card sets in the 1940s and 1950s. Over a three-part series, we'll be taking a look at each one. The first issue is the company's 1947 set of 48 cards, which primarily featured top baseball players in the era immediately after World War II. Here's a closer look at that popular set, which includes rookie cards of Jackie Robinson and Yogi … [Read more...]
1948 Hall of Fame Exhibits Set Offers Big Names at Bargain Prices
Stop at a penny arcade, carnival or other places where you might find a vending machine from the early 1920s to the 1960s and you'd probably see them. Cards produced by the Exhibit Supply Company had a long run. Their look varied quite a bit over the years and while they were never all that colorful, most of baseball's all-time greats and not-so-greats appeared on … [Read more...]
Athletes Headline the 1945 Leister Autographs Game Set
During World War II, the creation of sports cards was halted dramatically. But several sets were created during wartime, even if some of them weren't technically trading cards distributed inside of packs. The 1945 Leister Autographs game set was one of those -- here's a closer look at this interesting game card set that was issued during World War II. 1945 Leister Autographs … [Read more...]
1944 New York Yankees Stamps Set Celebrated World Series Champs
It was the end of a dynasty. The New York Yankees had appeared in every World Series from 1936 through 1943 with the exception of 1940. Even more impressive is that they won the World Series six times in those seven appearances. The Yankees would go on another incredible run starting in 1947, winning six more titles in another seven-year stretch. In 1943, they needed only … [Read more...]
1941 St. Louis Cardinals Team Issue Set Boasts Plenty of Key Cards (Part II)
This is the second of a two-part series on the 1941 St. Louis baseball team-issue card sets. Offered for sale at Sportsman's Park, the home stadium for both the cardinals and Browns, they represent two of the relatively few war-time sets. Part I focused on the St. Louis Browns set while Part II below looks at the Cardinals set. 1941 St. Louis Cardinals … [Read more...]