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Posted By: Rhett Yeakley

The recent Shotwell Candy discovery in the recent Huggins & Scott collection has prompted me to share a discovery I made about 2 years ago with a Witmor Candy back that I picked up. I was able to pick up a small collection of these cards and in the collection all the backs had the "more common" horizontal backs, but when I got them I discovered that there was actually two variations of the horizontal back.

Those that know the Witmor Candy cards (at least the few of us that care about them) know that the thinking was that the horizontals were "fairly tough" with the verticals being MUCH TOUGHER. While that is true I have not seen another copy of the second horizontal version outside of my collection, and I have been looking at every one that has been offered since I discovered the difference 2 years ago.

Of the two Horizontal backs the "common" one is the one with the 3rd line indented and the first line ending "pictures of the", while the difficult version has the 3rd line justified with the others and the first line ending "pictures of". It is also interesting to add that on the tough back the offer includes a glove, which may be why the cards are tough, as they pulled the glove portion of the offer on the other back.

While obviously this isn't as exciting as a new manufacturer it dose pose another back for those of us anal enough to try and get them all. However, it is a little bigger difference than the TOUGH Type 3 back E121 Series of 80 I reported a few years ago.

I am looking for those with Witmor's to check them out and see if you have the two variations of the horizontal backs.

-Rhett