While tobacco and candy cards were popular earlier, the 1920s saw the introduction of several unique baseball card sets. Among the more interesting types of cards were those distributed by ice cream producers. One of the more obscure ice cream sets not discussed too much is the 1925 Holland Creameries set.
Here’s a closer look at this rare 1920s issue.
About the 1925 Holland Creameries Set
Holland Creameries was a Canadian company based out of Winnipeg. Finding much significant information on the business is a bit difficult these days. However, this old publication states that they had a 6,090 cubic foot facility consisting of cold rooms for the storage of their products — specifically ice cream and butter. Additionally, a 1925 article in the Winnipeg Tribute, citing the company under new management, indicated that they were expanding to also serve pasteurized and clarified milk and cream. Those products were offered under a new name called Monogram.
The Washington Senators won the World Series in 1924, defeating the New York Giants in seven games. It was notable as it was the Senators’ first title. Hall of Famer Walter Johnson was near the end of his career and despite a 20-win season, did not have a great series. He lost his first two starts before winning Game 7, clinching the title. Johnson and the Senators would return to the World Series in 1925 but they’d lose that time to the Pittsburgh Pirates. That time, Washington lost a 3-1 series lead, dropping the final three contests. There, Johnson lost the finale.
To celebrate the team’s 1924 championship, Holland Creameries issued a team set of the Senators. The set is believed to have been issued in 1925. Some sources claim this is a 1926 set but that is unlikely because the Senators lost the 1925 title and these cards called the world champions. The cards have a fairly basic look with blue-tinted images (some appear black and white) of players in the middle. The top included the Holland name with the words “World’s Champions” directly beneath that. At the bottom of the cards were the players’ names as well as their position.
Backs of the cards were no doubt what some collectors were interested in. In addition to a card number, Holland stated that collectors could redeem a complete set of the 18 cards for one of several prizes — a brick of ice cream, three Holland banquets, three snowballs, or five Holland Delights. Collectors could redeem the set at Holland’s facility on Logan Avenue in Winnipeg. While all of the cards are difficult to find, Roger Peckinpaugh’s card is exceptionally tough as it is believed to have been shortprinted to limit the number of prizes that were redeemed.
While this baseball set is somewhat known by pre-war card collectors, it’s important to note that this wasn’t Holland’s only foray into sports cards. The demand for the baseball set may be greater, but Holland also produced a ten-card set of hockey cards in 1924-25. Those cards are also quite rare and while less known, are generally quite expensive.
Stars and Checklist
The 18-card set includes several notable players but leading the way is obviously Walter Johnson in terms of name recognition. However, as stated, the Peckinpaugh is believed to have been shortprinted and is the key card here. In addition to Johnson, the set also includes Hall of Famers Goose Goslin, Sam Rice, and Bucky Harris.
Here is the complete checklist of the set.
Ralph Miller- Earl McNeely
- Allan Russell
- E.R. Shirley
- Sam Rice
- Muddy Ruel
- Ossie Bluege
- Nemo Leibold
- Paul Zahniser
- Firpo Marberry
- Warren Ogden
- George Mogridge
- J.T. Zachary
- Goose Goslin
- Joe Judge
- Roger Peckinpaugh
- Bucky Harris
- Walter Johnson
Prices and Rarity
A regional baseball card set issued out of Canada that’s nearly 100 years old? All indications would point to this set being rare and, well, it’s quite rare.
How rare? Only a grand total of 70 combined cards across the entire set have been graded by PSA, SGC, and Beckett. With 18 cards in the set, that comes out to an average of less than four per card. Some ungraded examples exist, obviously. But with less than 100 total cards graded by all of the companies, it’s easy to see that these cards are difficult to locate.
Because of that, prices for these cards are generally pretty steep. Even modestly graded cards generally start in the $500-$600 range. A low-grade Walter Johnson fetched over $1,610 in an auction back in 2012. There’s another on eBay now graded Authentic because of trimming at the top.
As to the value of the Peckinpaugh, it cannot really be determined because of its rarity. This thread indicates that only one may be known to exist, which would make its value quite high.
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