The T201 Mecca Double Folders set was interactive, long before the term came into vogue. Each card featured two players with a long vertical image of one on one side and the top of of a second on the other. The cards had a factory 'fold' and when the top half was folded down, the second player's upper body would be displayed against the same lower body of the player on the … [Read more...]
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Chasing Tobacco: Winding Down (Part III of III)
This is the final part of a three-part series covering the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I and Part II of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s as well as tobacco cards produced from the boom of 1909-11. While tobacco cards remained popular internationally for decades to come, American tobacco cards featuring … [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...]
Rare 1939 African Tobacco World of Sport Set Features Babe Ruth
The 1939 African Tobacco World of Sport set is proof that tobacco cards spanned the entire globe. Not many tobacco card sets featuring baseball are found from Africa, but this one is an exception. Truth be told, the 1939 African Tobacco World of Sport set is a multi-sport issue with little baseball in it. That is relatively common with international tobacco sets as baseball … [Read more...]
Notes: Studebaker to Join Beckett; Tobacco Pack Breaks Planned; Big Bucks for Brady (Again); Baseball Card Bar Top
SGC Senior Autograph Authenticator Larry Studebaker is joining Beckett Authentication Services. A source confirmed to us Tuesday night that Studebaker is expected to start his new job as an authenticator for BAS in April. He had been working for SGC since 2013. Beckett opened its autograph authentication business in the fall of 2016, led by former PSA … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Card Collecting ‘Fad’ Outlasted Expectations
While it is difficult today to imagine a world without card collecting, it is worth noting that not all believed the hobby would be around for the long haul. An early newspaper article demonstrates that belief. In the early 1900s, tobacco card collecting was getting to become quite popular. An article appearing in the September 15, 1910 Pottsville Republican newspaper made … [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...]
Did This Guy Once Buy a T206 Wagner for a Buck?
There were no top loaders. No plastic pages. Certainly no plastic slabs. Then again, baseball cards weren't really thought of as a "valuable" collectible in 1950. They were, though, occasionally worth writing about. In June of 1950, a newspaper in Newport News, VA took a photo of Norman B. Good, a local collector who had just acquired the last card … [Read more...]
Bargain Hall of Fame Baseball Cards of the 1910s (Part II of IV)
Many collectors don't realize how affordable some vintage baseball cards truly are. Collectors don't even have to settle for cards of lesser known players, either. While many issues depicting Hall of Famers are pricey, plenty of bargains exist, too. Over a four-part series, I wanted to take a look at some of the more affordable pre-war Hall of Fame cards available to … [Read more...]
