Posted By:
robert aWe've talked about it before, but since "caramels" came with caramels, more kids had access to them and kicked em to the curb. The original product was probably cheaper than tobacco cards, purchased for kids or by kids and the cards were treated poorly. I could see older gentlemen purchasing a pack of piedmonts and throwing the card(s) in a book or in an envelope.
I agree that e94s and e98s are really tough to find in great shape.
I also think caramels were more likely to be found in lower grade due to the way they were packaged. Specifically, I think e96s are the caramels with the most staining on them. These cards must've been packaged in direct contact with the candy and probably in the summer (baseball season) when they were likely to melt all over the cards.
Rob