Diamond matchbooks
 

Anyone have any idea why the grading companies don't grade these? I only noticed them because for my main and pretty broad area of interest (pre Super Bowl), a lot of players don't have cards, but they have these. And I'm not one to get excited about oddball collectables, but these actually have really nice "football card style" write ups/bios, so despite not being "cards", they are basically the type of collectable I like. Thanks for any info.

Probably because the expense of developing a new slab isn't justified based on the number of inquiries they get.

I don't collect the football ones, but I have a bunch of the baseball and I agree with you they are quite attractive for an oddball set.

It also might have to do with the various widths they'd have to support since some of these are flat like bobtails (without the striker) and match covers (with the matches removed), some have the matches intact and a collector wants the case opened so you can read the entire matchbook, and others are closed matchbooks that just show the players image.

They are cool, though. Here are a few of mine

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...3Matchbook.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...40130_0051.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...e/scan0034.jpg

jeff

SGC grades and encapsulates the match covers [with the matches removed] in their tall boy holder. A baseball example:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...k%20Herman.jpg

I just graded the entire 1933 set. Very very tough to complete.

Thanks to everyone for the posts.

Jeff - I really like that Grange - I can always count on you for some nice scans.

That is really good news about SGC - I wasn't expecting to see one in a holder. Props to SGC.

After I posted of course, I actually surprised myself and found these in my Becket catalog right on my own shelf. Does anyone know if Jefferson R. Burdick collected and/or cataloged these with one of his numbers?

Carl, if you can get those scanned onto the SGC registry, that would be really nice to see. I heard 33 is the toughest set especially Arnie Herber
and Cal Hubbard. Was that your experience?

Yes he did (of course!). They are listed under the designation "U" in the ACC.

jeff

Thanks Jeff. I'd like to pick up an ACC at some point. The newer guides like Becket - do they still mention his designations? Mine (2012-2013 Football Card Price Guide) didn't as far as I can find.

Not the guides I have.

jeff

Hey John,

Do you subscribe to Gridiron Greats? Carl, Mike Bonner, and Mike Hatley have done some nice research on the the sets and presented it in GG's.

Congrats Carl on completing the '33 set...quite an accomplishment!

The football matchcovers were listed in the ACC:

U5: silver (90), orange or green background
U6: (164) all or part in four colors
U7: (56) 2 types, 3 colors
U8: Traditional rivals 1933 (12) 1934 (11)

Frank Nagy created the best known football matchbook checklist. There have been some discoveries over the years, but he was pretty darn close. Many of the colors have never been seen in the silver matchbooks.

I just know from conversations with Ed Kabala and Ron Barksdale, John Spano, among others some are very rare... No one really knows how rare though


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This continues to be a really informative thread. Glad to see the new posts.

John, glad you chimed in - you have the most matchbooks on your site that I've seen in one place (Also reminds me I need to follow up with you on something else). I've been a GG subscriber for about 6 months - but I did pick up the 4 Chicle related issues via backorder - I remember there was an article title - something like "Yes, I collect matchbooks" and at the time I just glanced over it. Now I can't find it. Do you remember the issue? If not, I'll go back and take a look.

On a side note, I started the thread around the time I was researching a player who's matchbook appears here: https://msbsportscards.com/msbsports...chbooks?page=2. The Chicle set has Clark, Presnell, and Caddel, but it turns out the missing backfield mate is no slouch. He may or may not have briefly held the all-time rushing record. I posted on this site to find out, but didn't get much of a response: http://www.pfraforum.org/index.php?showtopic=3588

Hi John,

If I recall correctly, it was thought in the late '30s that Ace Gutowsky broke the all time rushing records but it was later determined that he didn't have as many official yards as was thought and never did hold the record.

jeff

Thanks Jeff - I really appreciate someone discussing this. It's a personal favorite record - I even remember Jim Brown threatened to come back if a certain individual broke it.

I figured there was some statistical revisions that went on. I really think it's too bad though. Gutowsky was so close to being immortalized. And it wouldn't have taken anything from Battles as he was the original holder.

Specifically, what I found is that on 10-26-39, the newspapers were saying Gutowsky had bested Battles 3,399-3398. Now, we see Battles with a 3511-3279 lead. So Battles gained 113 yards after his retirement and Gutowsky lost 120 after he retired. Good thing I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'd say someone didn't want Gutowsky in the record books. Thanks Again.

I've got some of the Notre Dame matchbooks...
 

But my favorites are my John "Stumpy" Thomason books. Stumpy received a bear during his Rose Bowl trip in Jan 1929 and let it live under the GT bleachers. Nice that he got a "card"/matchbook.