As baseball cards became more popular in the first part of the 20th century, issuers and distributors became more innovative. Baseball was big business and it didn't take long for companies to figure out that offering "baseball pictures" in packages of tobacco and candy was a hit. Before you knew it, all kinds of companies were offering cards. They were found in packages of … [Read more...]
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1933 W574 Set an Oddball Strip Issue
Most strip sets of baseball cards from the pre-war are kind of quirky and the W574 issue certainly fits that bill. These black and white cards are among the later strip cards that were produced in the pre-war era and have several interesting characteristics. Here's a closer look at this interesting 1930s set. W574 Strip Card Basics Believed to have been issued in 1933, the … [Read more...]
T330 Piedmont Art Stamps are Unique … and Elusive
Believed to have been issued in 1914, the T330 Piedmont Art Stamps are among the more unique tobacco issues. Even though they have are technically classified as a T-Card issue in Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog, they could just as easily be classified as a stamp issue. Here's more on this pre-war set that slips by many collectors. T330 Piedmont Art Stamps … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: Boom of the 1909-11 Years (Part II of III)
This three-part series will take a look at the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s. Part II will take a look at the height of the tobacco card era. More specifically, we'll cover the sets from the 1909-11 time period. At the turn of the century, it took a while for tobacco … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: The Early Years (Part I of III)
This three-part series will take a look at the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. It is often said that the earliest baseball cards were trade card issues. While that is technically correct, the hobby really started growing its roots in the era of tobacco cards. Tobacco cards featuring baseball players generally got their start in the 1880s. While we … [Read more...]
Heritage to Offer Historic Babe Ruth 1933 Butter Cream Card in July Auction
Heritage is gearing up for its big summer auction and one of the headliners is a truly special card. Included in the company's July 18-19 Summer Sports Card Catalog Auction is an incredibly rare Babe Ruth 1933 Butter Cream card. About the 1933 Butter Cream Set While it is a later pre-war issue, the 1933 Butter Cream cards are extremely rare in any condition. Categorized as … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 5 Unique Pre-War Cards of Baseball Veterans
Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember those that have served this country in the military. And as baseball card collectors, most of us know that some of the game's earliest heroes on the diamond also were veterans. Some players had only brief stints during wartime while others missed several years of their careers. Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson suffered the … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh Show Offers Plenty of Vintage Cards, Autograph Signers
The annual Pittsburgh Card Show was held this weekend and I managed to attend on Saturday. What I found was the usual solid mix of dealers with another good selection of vintage cards at Main Line Autographs' latest showcase. In all, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-80 dealers from all over the country. That is nothing new for the popular show, which has gained … [Read more...]
W554 Baseball Set is Small but Challenging
The W554 baseball card set isn't your typical strip card issue. Nevertheless, these oversized photos are classified as a W-Card release. Here's a look at these unique cards. W554 Strip Card Basics Believed to have been issued in 1930, W554 cards are more like small photographs than your traditional baseball cards. And at 5" wide x 7" tall, they are even larger than other … [Read more...]
Early and Mid 1940s Saw Few Baseball Card Sets
Baseball cards first made their mark in the late 1800s and early 1900s, primarily as tobacco card inserts. After a brief respite of sorts during World War I, the 1920s and 1930s saw the creation of even more sets. But by the 1940s, the collecting world was again on a bit of a hiatus. The 1930s brought about the gum card boom and, by that time, cards had really shifted from … [Read more...]
