New to zeenut cards

[Ghiselin]

I recently acquired a small collection of ZEENUT Pacific Coast League baseball cards. Mostly 29/30 series, a few with coupons. These cards are not packaged, just loose cards in a box. My research to date indicates that there are "sets" of these cards but I can't determine what constitutes a set. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[sbfinley]

I highly recommend Jim Horne’s Zeenut Guide if you can track a copy down. It has everything you need to know.

[qed2190]

get in touch with Mark Macrae.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Excellent advice Steven and Larry.

The ones that still have coupons on them are very desirable so hang on to those ones for sure. Check out OldCardboard.com (Link at the top right of this page) and look up the Zeenuts info under the E-Cards link at the top of their site. There are 25 sets, and they have some great starter info.




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[Vintage70s]

Originally Posted by Ghiselin

I recently acquired a small collection of ZEENUT Pacific Coast League baseball cards. Mostly 29/30 series, a few with coupons. These cards are not packaged, just loose cards in a box. My research to date indicates that there are "sets" of these cards but I can't determine what constitutes a set. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Connect with Mark Macrae on here. He has a vast knowledge of Zeenuts and the PCL and probably owns more than any person in the country. He knows everything about ZeeNuts he will know.

[JollyElm]

I believe Mark is member ID: oaks1912.
(But he certainly doesn't look to be approaching his 113th birthday.)

[Exhibitman]

Oh boy, now you're in for it. Welcome to the T206 of the PCL. I've been following the cards since the 1980s. There are so many ways to collect Zeenuts, you're gonna have so much fun. You might want to search online for checklists. In 1929-30, the keys are HOFers Gomez, Lombardi, Nevers (football HOF), and popular guys and PCL legends like Buzz Arlett, Ox Eckhardt, Prince Henry Oana, Jimmy Reese, and many, many MLB players like Frank Crosetti, Bob Johnson, etc. As someone else noted, the coupon cards are highly prized; probably 99% of the cards do not have the coupons. if you see a famous last name on a Zeenut, odds are it is one, or his brother, cousin, son, uncle, etc.

And a card

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Ghiselin

I recently acquired a small collection of ZEENUT Pacific Coast League baseball cards. Mostly 29/30 series, a few with coupons. These cards are not packaged, just loose cards in a box. My research to date indicates that there are "sets" of these cards but I can't determine what constitutes a set. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Always fun to get a box of old cards 'out in the wild', which I assume is the case if these cards were in a box loose. Adam's post above gives you a nice visual of the 1929 and 1930 sets, the Horne Zeenut 'book' is a definite must if interested in Zeenuts, Mark is indeed the best one to contact, but until then, below is some basic 1929 and 1930 Zeenut information to chew on:

Separate sets of Zeenut cards were issued in both 1929 and 1930. The 1929 set consisted of 168 cards of players of 8 Pacific Coast League teams: Hollywood (12 cards), Los Angeles (24), Oakland (23), Portland (20), Sacramento (21), San Francisco Missions (23), San Francisco Seals (24), and Seattle (21).

The 1930 set consisted of 186 cards of players from the same 8 PCL teams:
Hollywood (20), Los Angeles (23), Oakland (30), Portland (14), Sacramento (22), San Francisco Missions (26), San Francisco Seals (28), and Seattle (23).

The cards in both years originally came with attached coupons on the bottom. Printed on this coupon on the 1929 cards is "This offer expires April 1st, 1930. The 1930 cards instead have "This offer expires April 1st, 1931".

Each of the player photo portions of the 1929 cards have a printed "29", while the 1930 cards have "30".

The biggest name cards in the 1929 set would be Ernie Nevers of the Missions, a football HOF player, baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi (before his MLB career), Jimmie Reese (popular player/coach and a Babe Ruth roommate), HOF pitcher Lefty Gomez, Henry Oana (Hawaiian born player), but also plenty of other notable and desired PCL stars and ones that went onto (or after) some success in the majors. The 1930 set includes another card of Lombardi, as well Nevers, and Harry Rosenberg (popular card of Jewish player), and other popular players.

Hopefully this helps identify what you have, and so that we can get some vicarious thrills, keep us informed with what you ended up with.

Brian

[Casey2296]

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Welcome to the forum, Zeenuts are awesome to collect, good luck on your journey and have fun

[ValKehl]

Brian, why do you suppose that the offer mentioned on the 1930 cards "expires April 1st, 1921"?

[conor912]

Mark is the Yoda of anything PCL….and doesn’t look a day over 110 Hi Mark!

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Brian, why do you suppose that the offer mentioned on the 1930 cards "expires April 1st, 1921"?

Because perhaps I think the year is 2015?


Brian (Val has a way of making a fellow go back and correct a mistake a decade in the making)

[Beercan collector]

Originally Posted by Ghiselin

I recently acquired a small collection of ZEENUT Pacific Coast League baseball cards. Mostly 29/30 series, a few with coupons. These cards are not packaged, just loose cards in a box. My research to date indicates that there are "sets" of these cards but I can't determine what constitutes a set. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

How many cards in the “small” collection ?
How many have coupons ?
What are the names of some of the players ?
Is it possible to post a pick ?
Thanks
Eric

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Because perhaps I think the year is 2015?


Brian (Val has a way of making a fellow go back and correct a mistake a decade in the making)

Sorry Brian, but this was an example of my pay-too-much-attention-to-detail illness!

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Sorry Brian, but this was an example of my pay-too-much-attention-to-detail illness!

Not a bad illness to have Val. Without folks afflicted like you, the world would require more copy editors and proofreaders, and thus associations for such professions would be forced to book larger convention centers for their meetings.

Good for the larger convention centers, not so much for the smaller ones.

Brian

[Vintagedeputy]

Great conversation. I have a handful of beat-up, no name players Zeenuts that I was thinking about sending to SGC.

[Leon]

I like some of the crazy poses...

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I believe Mark is member ID: oaks1912.
(But he certainly doesn't look to be approaching his 113th birthday.)

Elm, I just read in the paper this morning that a Brazilian nun is now the world's oldest person at 116, eclipsing a 115 year Japanese woman.
I don't fancy my chances.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Elm, I just read in the paper this morning that a Brazilian nun is now the world's oldest person at 116, eclipsing a 115 year Japanese woman.
I don't fancy my chances.

You're burying the lede, my friend. She is still smoking hot!!!

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

She is still smoking hot!!!

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Leon

I like some of the crazy poses...

I am always good for a couple group scans of Zeenut crazies.

Brian