Most Overlooked Decade in Hobby History?

[clydepepper]

IMO, Cards from the Roaring 1920's aren't given as much attention as they deserve.

Show us your favorite cards from the 1920s:

1923 WG7 Walter Mails Game Walter Johnson SGC 80.jpg

1922 E120 American Caramel - WALTER JOHNSON PSA-5.jpg

1922 Exhibits- Moses Yellowhorse.jpg

1922 V61 Neilsons Chocolate Bars- HARRY HOOPER.jpg

1923 Willard Chocolates WALTER JOHNSON PSA-5.jpg

1926-29 EXHIBITS- ROGERS HORNSBY PSA-DNA.jpg

1928 Harrington Ice Cream - BABE RUTH SGC-60.jpg

1928 W-502 6- BABE RUTH PSA-5.5.jpg

1928 Yeulings Ice Cream- Rogers Hornsby PSA-7.jpg

[clydepepper]

I forget to include this one:

1923 WG7 WALTER MAILS GAME - WALTER MAILS PSA-4.5.jpg

[HRBAKER]

[Kawika]

Some interesting and cool cards in the twenties (Billikens, anyone?) but just about everything seems to have been in black-and-white, unlike the 'teens and 'thirties which had a riot of colorful issues.

[rhettyeakley]

The 1920's is perhaps my favorite decade to collect! The game of baseball morphed into the game of today during that decade and the "Dead Ball Era" was officially gone! I love the real photos...photography had come a long way and you could get real action shots by the 1910's but in the 1920's is when they finally hit their stride.

All this being said the 1890's is BY FAR the most overlooked decade of collecting and if you were just going with any 10 year period 1895-1905 would take the cake. So few sets and some great players that barely had a collectible, let alone a card, made during their entire careers!

[brianp-beme]

The color you do find in the 1920's basically comes in strip cards. An acquired taste for some, but others just naturally like ginger and coconut...go figure.

Brian

[clydepepper]

Jeff - I love that Sizzler!

Rhett- I agree that the 1890s are more overlooked than the 1920s, but I don't have any of those to show.

I guess I'll have to look for some Mayo Plug issues, don't think anything else would be affordable to me.


...think I'll check Krauss and find out what all was produced back then.

[Leon]

1920s don't get as much attention as the earlier or later cards, I agree. Here is a nice one...

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Love me some American Caramel's!! I'll try to post some on my flight home

[darwinbulldog]

Some 80s from the 20s

[Jobu]

One of my favorites. I love looking at this one from Ruth's first season in pin stripes (1920).

[h2oya311]

Love the Sisler and the Pathe Freres Ruth. Here's a few of mine from the roaring 20's:

[h2oya311]

and how could I forget my Klein collection...always looking for any color/tint variations of this card that I don't already have!

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

and how could I forget my Klein collection...always looking for any color/tint variations of this card that I don't already have!

I was trying to think of any 1920's issues involving color besides strip issues and couldn't think of any besides the 1922/23 Zeenuts with sepia tinting, but those Exhibits definitely qualify.

I just showed these 1921 W9316 cards in another thread, but it makes sense to post them here too. Sometimes color is not a good thing.

Brian

[Jobu]

Great idea on the Exhibit tint run! I might have to find a pose I like and start one of those too.

Originally Posted by h2oya311

and how could I forget my Klein collection...always looking for any color/tint variations of this card that I don't already have!

[ullmandds]

while the 20's is a good answer...how about the 40's???

[ejharrington]

Being relatively new to the hobby, I always noticed there were significant gaps in cards offered from 1917 to 1933.

[pokerplyr80]

The only 20s card currently in my collection.

[DeanH3]

[GasHouseGang]

Here are a couple from late in Cobb's career. Sorry, I only have the scan from the auction.

[Butch7999]

Are game cards allowed at this party?

[Tom S.]

Haven't seen any examples from these sets yet, so I'll put these out there:

[Seiklis]

Few of mine

[Tom S.]

Some other types from the 20's:

[Tom S.]

Non-US produced cards count too :

[brianp-beme]

If you strip away a decade full of black & white, all you are left are strips of color.

Brian

[oldjudge]

Rhett is exactly right. The decade of the 1890s was the quietest decade of card issuance by far. What must have made it seem even worse to contemporary collectors then was that the second half of the 1880s was probably the greatest time for cigarette card issuance ever. Then, in early 1890, James Duke formed the American Tobacco Company, a monopoly that controlled over 90% of the cigarette market. Overnight, the need to insert cards to differentiate one cigarette brand from another was obviated. Really the only semi-significant card issue of the 1890s was the Mayo set. The only set encompassing most of Major League baseball was the amazing Whitehead and Hoag pins. So, if you love cards, you have good reason to hate James Duke.

[Cozumeleno]

Some of mine

[packs]

One of my favorite cards:

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

Are game cards allowed at this party?

I've been around the block a few times, but I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know what card issue this is. The only game cards I'm aware of from the 1920's are the Walter Mails Game Cards and the Major League Die-Cuts. Would you care to enlighten me (us)? What does the back look like?

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by Seiklis

Few of mine

]

Looks like the same bug that ate your Shaute ate my Ruffing...

[jerrys]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Rhett is exactly right. The decade of the 1890s was the quietest decade of card issuance by far. What must have made it seem even worse to contemporary collectors then was that the second half of the 1880s was probably the greatest time for cigarette card issuance ever. Then, in early 1890, James Duke formed the American Tobacco Company, a monopoly that controlled over 90% of the cigarette market. Overnight, the need to insert cards to differentiate one cigarette brand from another was obviated. Really the only semi-significant card issue of the 1890s was the Mayo set. The only set encompassing most of Major League baseball was the amazing Whitehead and Hoag pins. So, if you love cards, you have good reason to hate James Duke.

Yes, the practice of insert cards all but stopped when competition ended in January, 1890 when Buck Duke chartered the ATC - forcing his competitors to unite in order to survive. The 1895 N300 Mayo Cut Plug cards and in subsequent years the game and comic sets. Mayo fell at the start of 20th century.

However, during the quiet 1890s, Duke did go through the expense of issuing the 1893 N135 Talk of the Diamond & 1894 N142 Honest Cabinets Sets.

[yanksfan09]

I love 20's black and white issues... Also the decade of Ruth's dominance!

[Exhibitman]

Well, being an exhibit collector I am biased in favor of the Twenties. An amazing decade of cards especially from a diversity perspective. W and E led the way and The Bambino was in his prime.

[Butch7999]

Hi Derek, thanks for the question! Yeah, that's a pretty tough issue.
Baseball ~ The Modern Card Game, produced in 1921-22 by Schulz Amusement Card Co.

We've seen only a couple of examples, including just a lone complete set, in almost thirty years.
The card above is the only one we own. Here's another back-and-face, though:

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by Butch7999

Hi Derek, thanks for the question! Yeah, that's a pretty tough issue.

Very cool! I have certainly never seen one of these before and now I don't feel so bad that I had never heard of the issue. It certainly isn't on any type-card list I've ever seen. Can I assume that each card has the same image/player on front? It looks just like a 1922 American Caramel E120 - Series of 240. Do you know who the player is?

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

Very cool! I have certainly never seen one of these before and now I don't feel so bad that I had never heard of the issue. It certainly isn't on any type-card list I've ever seen. Can I assume that each card has the same image/player on front? It looks just like a 1922 American Caramel E120 - Series of 240. Do you know who the player is?

Just looked through some E120 images...looks like it's Heinie Groh (of the New York Nationals)...but interestingly, the border drawings are consistent with those used for some of the Cincinnati Reds players in the set. And the photo appears to have a shadow under him (vs. the photo used in the E120 set). I personally think the shadow under Groh makes the image much more awesome!

[Butch7999]

Hi Derek -- correct on Groh, and yes, the card backs are all identical.
Funny thing with card designs in this era -- there seem to be at least a few unexpected crossovers.
The Major League Base Ball Game by Parker Brothers, which has a confoundingly confusing history
involving a variety of back and face designs for its cards, multiple name changes, and copyright issues
with basically identical games made by other companies, includes on its rules sheet, for no apparent reason,
photos of the Cobb and Ruth cards from the E120 American Caramel and/or V61 Neilson Chocolate sets.

By the way, we took a few minutes to run through our files, and besides the Mails game (just us,
but we don't consider the cut-out player-figures from the Major League Ball game "cards"),
1920s games with cards also include...

'Babe' Ruth's Baseball Game (Milton Bradley, 1929-36)
"Babe Ruth" Witch-E Base-Ball Game (Baltimore Novelty Co Inc, c1920)
Hall's National League Card Game ~ Baseball (Hall's Baseball Card Co, 1925)
Hatfield's Parlor Base-Ball Game (The Hatfield Co, 1914-21) /
Hatfield's Parlor Base Ball (Federal Specialty Co, 1926)
Knickerbocker Base Ball (Reinig Game Co, 1923)
Lloyd's Scientific Baseball (Lloyd's Scientific Game Co, 1927)
The Major League Base Ball Game (Parker Brothers, c1922)
National Card Baseball Game (National Card Baseball Co, c1923?)
New Card Baseball Game (National Card Baseball Co, c1922-23?)
Olsen's Base Ball played with Cards (Olsen Games Co, 1922)
PlayBall (Warren Manufacturing Co, 1922)
Psychic Baseball (M C Meyer, 1920s) /
Psychic Base Ball (Psychic Base Ball Corp, 1927)
Universal Baseball Playing Cards (Lewis A Bedard, 1929)
Waner's Baseball Game (Waner's Baseball Inc, 1928-1930s)
World's Champion Base Ball Card Game (The Champion Amusement Co, 1919-1920s)

At least eight of those are what we'd call "scarce" to "rare." If anybody sees any of 'em, we call dibs.
None of those feature player photos, although most (not all) have at least some baseball-themed
illustration.

There's also The National-American Base Ball Game (the "Lajoie game") by Parker Brothers,
which debuted prior to or during WWI but may have stayed in production and on the market
into the 1920s. And one or two Japanese games may possibly qualify for the list as well.
As always, if we're wrong on the dates for any of those, we welcome corrections.