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...]
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...]
Hundreds of Forgotten Tobacco-Era Cards Found Inside Pennsylvania House
If you’ve ever dreamed about going into an old house and stumbling across a long-forgotten stash of really old baseball cards just sitting there for the taking, a Pennsylvania man can tell you exactly how it feels. And he didn’t have to go far to find them. “Jerry” lives in the north central part of the state. The home next door to his had been falling into … [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...]
Several Pitfalls for Collecting Old Judge Cards
Cataloged as N172 by Jefferson Burdick in his American Card catalog, the 1886-90 Old Judge issue is a massive issue. While several hundred cards are known, there are thousands of unique cards counting all of the variations. By PSA's count, more than 4,500 different cards exist. As one of the earliest sets of baseball cards, the Old Judge issue has always drawn collectors, … [Read more...]
T205 Set Offers Plenty of Alternatives for Collectors
The T205 gold border set is one of the more popular pre-war issues. It followed the revolutionary T206 set and is distinctive for its lifelike portraits, gold borders, and biographical summaries on the backs. Assembling a complete set can be a costly venture for many collectors. However, collecting the entire issue isn't the only option. Here are several different ways to … [Read more...]
T213 Coupon Cigarettes Set A Confusing Pre-War Issue
From 1910 through 1919, Coupon Cigarettes issued a number of pre-war tobacco cards. While the sets were familiar to other cards such as the T206 set, there has always been some confusion about these cards. Here's a bit more on the unique T213 Coupon Cigarettes releases. T213 Coupon Cigarettes Basics The T213 Coupon Cigarettes cards are really split into three subsets, mostly … [Read more...]
T216 Peoples Tobacco Cards Featured Three Advertisers
The T216 Peoples Tobacco issue is a rare one that is easily recognized by its three distinctive advertising back sponsors in Kotton, Mino, and Virginia Extra. Here's a closer look at the issue. T216 Peoples Tobacco Basics The T216 Peoples Tobacco cards look similar to other tobacco and candy issues of the era. Each one features a color lithograph of a player on the front … [Read more...]
Rare Multi-Sport T227 Series of Champions Headlined By Baseball Players
The 1912 T227 Series of Champions issue was a set of 25 cards honoring some of the top athletes in their sports. Here's a closer look at this unique tobacco issue. T227 Series of Champions Overview The T227 Series of Champions set was a small release issued with Miners Extra and Honest Long Cub tobacco products. In terms of appearance, this set is a little different from … [Read more...]
