[brianp-beme]

Most vintage collectors are familiar with the E120 American Caramel set which features 240 photographic cards, with 15 players from each of the 16 MLB teams in the early 1920's, when the set was issued. The American League players were issued with sepia tinting, while the National League cards were printed with green tinting. The cards are machine cut and were printed on lighter paper, and contain a team checklist on the back corresponding to the team of the player shown on front. E120 cards are commonly found and relatively popular with collectors, and the checklist has probably been set in stone at 240 since the time they were issued

Cards that have been commonly referred to as W573 are those that have black and white photos, and are also printed on lighter paper stock. W573 cards have been traditionally perceived to be a strip card issue, and rightfully so, as most appear to be hand cut, and strips of W573 cards are out there. Checklists in catalogs have always duplicated the 240 card size of issue for W573 as seen in E120 set. I will identify this most commonly seen W573 version as Type 1.

Many collectors have also probably seen blank back, lighter paper stock versions of these cards tinted sepia and green, as seen in the E120 American Caramel set. Sometimes these cards are referred to as E120 Blank Back cards, but I believe they are actually another W573 subset, as they usually seem to be found with rough borders, consistent with hand cutting as seen in the more common black and white W573 cards. I will identify these tinted blank back cards as Type 2.

What I haven't ever seen discussed is a third variety of W573 cards. These cards are black and white photos, like what is seen with the commonly encountered W573 cards, but are printed on a much thicker paper and are typically found with consistent machine cuts, and are also wider and taller (a consistent 2-1/4" x 3-3/8") than what is seen in the E120 cards or the other two varieties of W573 cards. They do not appear to be hand cut. This third variety seems to have been totally overlooked in our hobby. I will call these wider, machine cut blank back cards Type 3.

Something that has never been done is to try to identify what W573 cards actually exist, as it is fairly apparent that to anyone that has pursued them that all 240 subjects, as seen in the E120 set, do not exist. Below is first a list of Unconfirmed W573 Type 1 cards, second is Unconfirmed Type 2 cards, and third is the Confirmed Type 3 cards. Check your collections and post any that are not on the list, or contact me by PM. If not sure what the heck you have, post them here and we can try to figure it out.

My suspicion is that all 240 cards as seen in the E120 are NOT available in W573 Type 1, Type 2 or 3, and that there are cards in the E120 set that did not make it into any of the W573 subsets. Your help is appreciated to help expand these lists, for the benefit of mankind, of course.

I have included a scans of Johnny Mostil and Joe Schultz in each type mentioned, with E120 American Caramel on top left, Type 1 W573 on top right, Type 2 W573 on bottom left, and Type 3 W573 on bottom right.

Brian


W573 Type 1 (black and white, thin stock, hand cut) UNCONFIRMED list:

Eddie Ainsmith
Jim Bagby
Walt Barbare
Clyde Barnhart
John Bassler
Will Bayne
Walter Betts
Sammy Bohne
Joe Bush
Leon Cadore
Frank Calloway
Shano Collins
Harry Courtney
Stan Coveleski
Elmer Cox
Sam Crane
Walton Cruise
Jake Daubert
Phil Douglas
Louis Duncan
Jimmy Dykes
Frank Ellerbe
Dana Fillingham
Ollie Fuhrman
Larry Gardner
John Gillespie
Johnny Gooch
John Graney
Tom Griffith
Burleigh Grimes
Charlie Grimm
Joe Harris
Stanley Harris
Charles Hartnett
Bob Hasty
Walter Holke
Wilbur Hubbell
Bernard Hungling
Will Jacobson
Charlie Jamieson
Jimmy Johnston
W.R. Johnston
Bob Jones
Percy Jones
Joe Judge
Ben Karr
Johnny Kelleher
George Kelly
Lee King
Larry Kopf
Marty Krug
Nemo Leibold
Roy Leslie
Dolph Luque
Walter Mails
Al Mamaux
Rube Marquard
Stuffy McInnis
Mike McNally
Hugh McQuillan
Mike Menosky
Bob Meusel
Clyde Milan
George Mogridge
John Mokan
Roy Moore
Hy Myers
Rollene Naylor
Earl Neale
Art Nehf
Joe Oeschger
Ivan Olson
Frank Parkinson
Will Pertica
Jack Peters
Val Picinich
Clark Pittenger
Raymond Powell
Derril Pratt
Jack Quinn
Sam Rice
Eppa Rixey
Edd Roush
Everett Scott
Howard Shanks
Chick Shorten
Earl Smith - Washington
Elmer Smith
Sherrod Smith
Colonel Snover
Frank Snyder
Billy Southworth
Arnold Statz
Amos Strunk
Fred Toney
Pie Traynor
Elam Vanglider
Clarence Walker
Curtis Walker
Al Walters
Bill Wambsganss
Aaron Ward
Frank Welch
Ivy Wingo
Smoky Joe Wood
Everett Yaryan


W573 Type 2 (sepia or green tint, light paper stock, hand cut) UNCONFIRMED list:

Previously unconfirmed cards that have been confirmed since creating list - Tom Griffith, Sherrod Smith

Babe Adams
Vic Aldridge
Grover C. Alexander
Jim Bagby
Home Run Baker
Dave Bancroft
Jesse Barnes
Clyde Barnhart
Lu Blue
George Burns - Boston
George Burns - Cincinnati
Leon Cadore
Frank Calloway
Max Carey
Jimmy Caveney
Ty Cobb
Bert Cole
Eddie Collins
Wilbur Cooper
Harry Courtney
Stan Coveleski
Sam Crane
Bill Cunningham
George Cutshaw
Jake Daubert
George Dauss
Bill Doak
Pete Donohue
Joe Dugan
Louis Duncan
Howard Ehmke
Frank Ellerbe
Bib Falk
Dana Fillingham
Art Fletcher
Jack Fournier
Ollie Fuhrman
Chick Galloway
Larry Gardner
Walter Gerber
Charles Glazner
Johnny Gooch
Goose Goslin
Hank Gowdy
John Graney
Burleigh Grimes
Oscar Grimes
Charlie Grimm
Heinie Groh
Jesse Haines
Earl Hamilton
Gene Hargrave
Bryan Harris
Joe Harris
Bob Hasty
Harry Heilmann
Walter Henline
Clarence Hodge
Walter Holke
Harry Hooper
Rogers Hornsby
Waite Hoyt
Will Jacobson
Charlie Jamieson
Ernie Johnson
Walter Johnson
Jimmy Johnston
Bob Jones
Percy Jones
Sam Jones
Ben Karr
Johnny Kelleher
Lee King
Larry Kopf
Marty Krug
Johnny Lavan
Nemo Leibold
George Leverette
Dolph Luque
Al Mamaux
Rabbit Maranville
Rube Marquard
Carl Mays
Hervey McClellan
Stuffy McInnis
Marty McManus
Mike McNally
Lee Meadows
Mike Menosky
Bob Meusel
Elmer Meyers
Clyde Milan
Bing Miller
Elmer Miller
Hack Miller
Clarence Mitchell
John Morrison
Hy Myers
Earl Neale
Leslie Nunamaker
Joe Oeschger
Bob O’Farrell
George O’Neil
Steve O’Neill
Cy Perkins
Tom Phillips
Herman Pillette
Ralph Pinelli
Wally Pipp
Clark Pittenger
Raymond Powell
Derril Pratt
Jack Quinn
Joe Rapp
Jimmy Ring
Eppa Rixey
Charles Robertson
Ed Rommel
Eddie Roush
Muddy Ruel
Babe Ruth
Wallie Schang
Ray Schmandt
Walter Schmidt
Hank Severeid
Joe Sewell
Howard Shanks
Bob Shawkey
Ralph Shinners
George Sisler
Earl Smith - New York
Earl Smith - Washington
Elmer Smith
Jack Smith
Allen Sothoron
Billy Southworth
Tris Speaker
Arnold Statz
Milton Stock
Jim Tierney
John Tobin
Pie Traynor
George Uhle
Curtis Walker
Al Walters
Bill Wambsganss
Aaron Ward
John Watson
Zack Wheat
Cy Williams
Kenneth Williams
Ivy Wingo
Smoky Joe Wood


W573 Type 3 (black and white, heavy paper stock, machine cut, wider) CONFIRMED list:

Confirmed since list created: Wilbur Cooper, Eppa Rixey, Babe Ruth, Tom Zachary

Vic Aldridge
Dave Bancroft
Jesse Barnes
John Bassler
George Burns – Boston
Wilbur Cooper
Stan Coveleskie
Albert DeVormer
Red Faber
Bib Falk
Chick Galloway
Goose Goslin
Hank Gowdy
Joe Hauser
George Kelly
George Leverette
Rabbit Maranville
Rube Marquard
Marty McManus
George Mogridge
John Morrison
Johnny Mostil
Joe Oeschger
Bob O'Farrell
Frank Parkinson
Cy Perkins
Ralph Pinelli
Wally Pipp
Raymond Powell
Jack Quinn
Emory Rigney
Eppa Rixey
Eddie Roush
Babe Ruth
Joe Schultz
Joe Sewell
Bob Shawkey
Earl Smith - New York
Arnold Statz
Milton Stock
George Uhle
Bill Wambsganss
Aaron Ward
Cy Williams
Tom Zachary