The highly anticipated Russell's Rustlers Playing Card thread has arrived!

[brianp-beme]

To fulfil my promise in the October Pick Up thread, I am creating this post on the 1906-10 Russell's Rustlers playing cards. The one I recently picked up (in the recent Brockelman Auction) happened to be the final remaining player photo I needed for a 'complete set', so there was much rejoicing. As I always say, it is always better to dream small and celebrate the fulfillment of that dream, than to dream large and not get a thing done at all.

Over the last 12-15 years I have picked these up at cheapy cheap prices...I think the last one (shown top right on both scans) was my most expensive one, at $12.50 or so. I can't say collecting these cards was anywhere near my top collecting priority...I would just pick up when I spotted a photo pose that I did not have. I didn't even bother to find out how many player photos on the back of the playing cards made up a complete set until this past year, when I discovered the answer with the aid of both this set listing on the Prewar Cards website:

https://prewarcards.com/2016/09/15/1...and-checklist/

and this on the KeyMan Collectibles site:

https://keymancollectibles.com/cards...seballboys.htm

Check them out for a fuller description of this issue.


I do have a question for the Russell's Rustlers experts on here (there has to be a least a couple of dozen folks vying for the coveted Russell's Rustlers Expert Crown). Are all of the players available with both red and blue borders? I swear I am not going after a master set of these, which, come to think of it, would either be 12, or 18 (see below inquiry), or possibly could be considered 648 or 972 cards, if you consider a master set only truly complete if you have 54 of each of the 8 player designs in each of 3 possible colors (a deck of 52 playing cards plus the Joker and substitute card - which happens to have been my latest pickup shown above). Also, are there actually 3 different color borders/overall tint available? The bottom left card on the first scan actually looks more greenish to me, as does, not quite as obvious to me, the upper right card.

I just simply know I want to know, and maybe a reader of this readable thing can help a fellow collecting fellow out.


Brian

[gabrinus]

That's cool Brian!!...Jerry

[GeoPoto]

If your thirst for Russell's Rustlers is not fully satisfied by the playing cards, you can move on to pocket schedules:

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1699175723
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1699175727

[judsonhamlin]

Do those player images come from Ludlow, Massachusetts or Ludlow, Vermont- or is there any way of knowing?

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Do those player images come from Ludlow, Massachusetts or Ludlow, Vermont- or is there any way of knowing?

Judson, I am glad someone was able to make out the name on their uniforms...perhaps now we just need a New Englander among us to let us know which local Ludlow team the manufacturer hired to pose for the photos.


Brian

[judsonhamlin]

Said playing card factory - now upscale condos

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

If your thirst for Russell's Rustlers is not fully satisfied by the playing cards, you can move on to pocket schedules:

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1699175723
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1699175727

Those pocket schedules are even neater than the playing cards, and they are the ones that stretch the issue time line to 1910.

Brian

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Said playing card factory - now upscale condos

Cool! I can see why they would be upscale condos...that factory produced (in my eyes) some upscale baseball playing cards. Perhaps there is still a storage area that has not been opened in over 100 years near that smokestack that has a stash of these waiting to be discovered.

Brian

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by gabrinus

That's cool Brian!!...Jerry

Almost missed this...thanks Jerry.

Brian

[JustinD]

I have a small handful of these myself as they just are usually so inexpensive it’s hard to walk away.

I don’t have any schedules though, looks like I’ll be keeping an eye out for one.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by JustinD

I have a small handful of these myself as they just are usually so inexpensive it’s hard to walk away.

I don’t have any schedules though, looks like I’ll be keeping an eye out for one.

It was the same with me...I figured I might as well add them to my collection. It was when I found out I actually had 5 of the 6 poses that it became a just slightly higher priority. If I do get any more it would be ones with the schedules as well.

Brian