The height of the gum card era was the 1930s with Goudey, Play Ball, National Chicle, and others pumping out sets. But gum cards actually began much earlier, making their first appearance in the 19th Century. The 1888 G&B Gum card set is often cited as the earliest such release. 1888 G&B Gum Basics The 1888 G&B Gum cards didn't look like the later gum issues. … [Read more...]
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Distinguishing Album Cuts From True 19th Century Cards
In the 1880s and 1890s, the earliest tobacco sports card sets were hitting the market. Along with the creation of these cards, tobacco companies wanted to reward their best customers. One of the ways they did that was through the distribution of premium albums. These albums usually included pictures of all of the cards in the set, often against some sort of decorative backdrop. … [Read more...]
Blurred Lines and Misclassifications Exist Between E-Cards and R-Cards
In his American Card Catalog, author Jefferson Burdick categorized candy, gum, and caramel baseball cards. These issues spanned several decades and in an effort to better classify them, he broke them out into two sections - E-Cards for early candy and gum cards and R-Cards, later candy and gum issues. While the two classifications exist, however, the line is somewhat blurred … [Read more...]
A Look at the Six Horizontals in the T206 Set
The T206 set is arguably the most important issue in the history of card collecting. There are numerous ways to collect it and all sorts of things make it unique. One of the cool aspects of the release are the six horizontal cards found in the set that consists of cards with a mostly vertical layout. Here's a brief look at each of the six cards and the players behind them. Joe … [Read more...]
5 Great Goudey Cards (Besides Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig)
The 1930s Goudey issues are among the most popular pre-war cards around. Part of the reason for that are the several Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig cards found in the set. But there's plenty more in the Goudey releases besides the cards for those Yankees legends. Here are five other big time cards from the company's popular sets. 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ty Cobb The great Ty Cobb … [Read more...]
1907 Grignon Cubs is a Unique Pre-War Issue
The 1907 Grignon Cubs set is one of the most unique pre-war postcard issues. And rarely seen, it's also one of the hardest to find. Here's a closer look at this interesting team issue. 1907 Grignon Cubs Basics The 1907 Grignon Cubs set is a team issue for the Chicago Cubs. They are named as such because the copyright holder as identified on the front in the border area was … [Read more...]
A Look Into the Weird World of Blankets and Felts
T-Cards (tobacco) and E-Cards (early caramel) are well known American Card Catalog designations, obviously. But some other categorizations from Jefferson Burdick's popular resource are scarcely used or collected these days. One of the more unique classifications? Blankets and felts. What are Blankets and Felts? Blankets and felts (roughly known as B-Cards), quite simply, are … [Read more...]
1886 Old Judge N167 Set Often Regarded as First True Tobacco Set
To collectors, Old Judge Cigarettes are most famous for being home to the massive N172 set, which was distributed in packs and spanned several years in the late 1880s. While that set is one of the most popular pre-war sets of all time, a much rarer Old Judge issue was created, around the same time as that one began - the N167 Old Judge set. 1886 N167 Old Judge Set Basics The … [Read more...]
Five Types of W516 Strip Cards Confuse Collectors
Strip cards, by nature, are often quirky and were often designed without much detail. One issue, however, sort of takes the cake when it comes to confusion - the W516 issue. W516 Strip Card Basics The W516 strip cards are believed to have been produced in 1920-21. As with many strip issues, details are lacking when it comes to determining exactly who distributed them. The … [Read more...]
Supplements are Affordable Pre-War Options
Pre-war cards are often expensive and often something that the average collector avoids. But there are numerous affordable options to collect as well and some of those include supplements. While several can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, plenty are affordable and can be had for under $50. Overview Supplements were inserts that were added to publications as a type … [Read more...]
