[Vintagecatcher]

I am truly amazed at how many of our pre-war cards have withstood the test of time over the last 100 years or so. However, certain sets have faired better than others. Many factors are involved in this survival rate including: type of paper/cardboard used in production, how many cards were actually produced, method of card distribution, date of production in relationship to the major "paper drives" of the World Wars, and even the general popularity of the set all factor in to the equation. Survival rates for certain regional sets like those produced in Louisiana are lower simply because many have been lost in storm related situations.

My question to the board is which pre-war set(s) (1900-1920) have withstood the test of time best, and which sets have not withstood the test of time?

My vote for the set that has withstood the test of time best is the 1915 Cracker Jack set. Since many were mailed directly to the consumer unlike the 1914 set there seems to be a high percentage that are pristine.

My vote for the set that has not withstood the test of time would be the 1903 E107 Breisch-Williams set.

I'm curious to what the rest of the board thinks about sets that have and have not withstood the test of time.


Patrick