Posted By:
John SLyman,
I can't wait to read this article as I have always been fascinated by this set. I purchased the example below from a longtime and well known collector who purchased it directly from Burdick in the early 60's. On the reverse in Burdick's hand reads "first I ever saw probably unlisted candy card". Whether he was alluding to the football issue as the first he ever saw or just the set in general is open to debate.
Another interesting question relative to the football cards is their date of issue. Red Grange has a card in the set that labels him as a member of the University of Illinois team. That would would put the date of issue somewhere around 1925. It could be that the producers of the set felt that Grange was better known from his collegiate playing days. There are pro players in the set but they are labeled simply as professional with no team affiliations. The fledgling NFL probably carried far less marketing clout than college in the 1920's.
"Rube" Wagner was the captain of Wisconsin in 1928 and also made some All-American teams that year. It is unlikely that Wagner would be featured among 18 other players as a college freshman. Based on that information and some of the other football players issued it is probably safe to assume that the baseball and football players were issued around the same time.
Again, can't wait to read the article. Hopefully some collectors with some more knowledge about the issue will be prompted to share. I wish I had a Gehrig to post!
