1928 w502
 

I realize that this release is categorized as a strip card "W" but in looking at graded cards from PSA and SGC (not that many) very few are graded authentic + the reverse has different wordings - like it might have been a board game. Finally most of the cards have pretty straight cuts like they were cut by machine. Does anyone know who released this set?

I can speak to the W part of it. TPG's totally suck at grading any kind of W card. They just get it wrong A LOT. How many sheets or strips of W502s have we seen? (hint, almost none, if any at all). W502's weren't handcut unless they are trimmed....and that goes for the worst W card handcut designations of all, W575-1. They almost all say handcut on the slabs and they weren't handcut unless trimmed after the fact.
The TPG's putting handcut on these kinds of issues (W503 is the same, as are many more) is just stupid. They should know better. Rant over.
I don't "think" we know who released the W502 set, yet. They are believed to be associated with some kind of game.
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My favorite is the 1921 W-UNC Self-developing Strip cards. They are not strip cards, not self-developing, and hell, there's probably a decent chance they're not 1921.

every thread needs a card
 

W502 example

I’m hoping Al. C. will chime in on this, as he used to collect them. To answer your question, no specific company has been found to be behind W502s. As you probably know, there are actually two different W502 sets, issued in 1928 and 1931. The former generally mimics the ice cream cards and York Caramels from around 1927-28, which clearly were not issued as strip cards. Both sets have game results but can be found with blank backs also, so there could be multiple issuers for each of the W502s. There is also an Earl Smith found in a greenish tint-- a rare card for sure.

It is unclear to me why Burdick labeled these as “W” sets, although that designation does not mean they had to be strip cards– see for example Exhibits, W600 Sporting Life Cabinets and W554 (Kashin related). It does seem certain that they were not hand-cut, at least as a rule. It is possible they were printed in strips and then cut into individual cards before leaving the factory, but if some strips are found (I know of none myself) that doesn’t settle the issue. I have seen strips of E91s and those of course are not considered strip cards. And then there is the famous T206 Wagner strip.:eek:

Here is one of the few I have left--note that the game description can be oriented in either direction.
https://photos.imageevent.com/imover...w502schalk.jpg

Unfortunately nobody knows who made these, at this point. I've had on my to do list for YEARS to dig into it, as that information is certainly discoverable.

It's funny because we have a W502 Ruth in our upcoming auction and in the description I actually mentioned this - despite the cards being "W" cards and labeled by the grading companies as "hand cut," they most certainly are machine cut. This is not the only set where the grading companies include the confusing and inaccurate "hand cut" designation on their flip, and despite all logic and 20+ years of being in business, they continue to do it.

Anyway, after spending an inordinate amount of time on these cards some years ago, I had a few speculative ideas about their origin (my opinion on this is worth what you paid for it, so please bear that in mind). I think they were probably similar to other issues that were produced by a company and marketed to small businesses for use as a promotion - in this case, probably sporting goods retailers - as opposed to being produced by one single company (hence the reason there is no advertising message on these cards). UNLIKE, say, the far more sophisticated Mendelssohn cards or blank-backed E121 cards that could contain printed advertising backs, the W502s are far more crude.

The back printing, at its most basic, gives you four possible baseball outcomes: single, double, triple, or home run. About half the backs are blank. This leaves the possibility that youngsters could use these cards to play a game by turning the cards over (half the time you're out, but half the time you get a hit - not bad).

However, the double, triple, and home run cards also contained a redemption offer where you could bring the card in and receive a baseball in return. These cards are far more scarce than the "one bagger" or blank backs.

For the more, um, [I]detail-oriented among us, the printed text on the reverse includes some variations, and can also be found oriented bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom. But who among us concerns ourselves with such trivialities?

-Al

Edited to add: to Todd's point, the 1931 cards are CONSIDERABLY more scarce than the 1928.

Thanks Al. Hopefully we will get more definitive answers someday.
Here is a variation, just to show that the same player can have different backs:
https://photos.imageevent.com/imover...8w502jones.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/imover...w502jones2.jpg

Al, I've raised my hand! I'm striving for every variation of every Sam Rice card ever issued. Here's a scarce back W502 that I'd be happy to trade for a scarce back W502 of Rice.

An earlier post asked why W502s were designated as "W" cards even though they weren't issued in strips. My understanding is that the "W" designation refers to cards issued without any associated product. So, exhibit cards were properly catalogued as "W" cards, and W502s may have been properly designated too. We just don't know because we don't know if the W502s were issued with a product, though Burdick apparently believed they were not. The "W" designation was never meant to refer to strip cards alone. It just so happens that many cards issued without a product are also strip cards.

Sweet W502 Ruth with the ultimate - the Home Run back!!!

Very NICE BABY Ruthie!

Here's the cleanup hitter with a " 3 bagger". Lou was lightening quick.:D