Set Complete! "The Little Wonder Picture Series" (W515-2)

[T206Collector]

A few years ago, I stumbled across a dealer at a show selling a stack of beater strip cards from the 1920s for $100. I bought them because I noticed there was a Ruth in the group. With a couple of other kinds included was about half of the 60-card W515-2 set from 1923. I figured that given my condition expectations I would just put the other half together in a few weeks and complete the set. Boy was I wrong!

This has been tremendously challenging. Nobody sells these things. And when they do come up for sale, it's usually their "easier" and smaller W515-1 counterpart. I prefer the larger "The Little Wonder Picture Series" cards. It's taken me a few years to acquire the rest.

This is really an amazing set, with so many cool HOFers, including two Ruths, Cobb, Johnson, Hornsby, Wheat, Alexander, McGraw, and others. Finally, with a little help from a board member who pointed me to Mark Macrae's catalog, I was just able to add "Bullet" Joe Bush to finish off my set.

It's been an amazing journey. What a strange diversion from T206 cards. Now what they heck do I do with this thing?!

[Econteachert205]

It's a beautiful set. I'd keep it and slowly upgrade.

[ethicsprof]

congrats, Paul.
I never realized that Clarence Walker looked so much like John Malkovich.
all the best,
barry

[Shoebox]

Congratulations on completing the set!

[freakhappy]

Congrats on completing the set, Paul! Very colorful!

It was mentioned earlier to keep and upgrade these guys, but from the sounds of it, that might take forever to accomplish since they never seem to come up for sale. I'd say enjoy them as much as you can now and as for tomorrow...who knows what that will bring

[the 'stache]

It really does have an outstanding checklist, doesn't it?

[h2oya311]

Congrats on completing the set!!! I was tempted to do something similar when I had a few outstanding looking W515-1s, but figured I already have three collecting focuses (foci), so why layer on a fourth. But they are pretty cool, I must say !

Just enjoy them for a while...even if the fun of the chase is now over...I swear that's why we all do this...the thrill of the chase. It's hard to appreciate what you've got, sometimes. Just keep them for a while and remember how hard it was to piece it together . As a few have already mentioned, an occasional upgrade would be a good way to keep the spark going.

Congrats again!

[obcbobd]

Congratulations!

I bought the Babe for $5 in about 1976, and just recently said I might as well go for the set. I'm about 1/2 done. These cards do not come up for sale that often. Good news is that when they do they are often cheap. But it will take a while.

[wolfdogg]

Nice. I finished that set several years ago after doing pretty much what you did. Bought a collection of strip cards. In it was what I thought was just a complete set of W515. Then in an issue of SCD, in bob lemkes column " Standard Catalog" Update", he mentioned some strange W515s surfacing with writing on top and a little larger in size. I checked my set and behold!....I had 56 of the 60 larger and with the letters at top. I contacted lemke and told him what I had. Sent photos and size comparisons. He mentioned it a few issues later in his column. The pictures you see in the Standard Catalog for W515-2 and The Little Wonder Picture Series are cards from my set.....which has been since been sold......

[ZenPop]

My advice would be to give this set to me and then start over. Always remember: It's the journey!

...on a more serious note: CONGRATS! These are awesome! It's an amazing set and colorful set! I don't know how you feel about it, but they would look great framed just the way you have them laid out.

Cheers!

[T206Collector]

Thanks for all of the comments and kudos. One of the interesting thing about laying them out like this is you can see that they were perhaps issued in three series of 20.

The first block of 20 are awash in bright yellow colors; the next 20 have backgrounds and some color variations; and the final 20 are more solid and bright colors, like oranges and such.

Anyway, it is a colorful and fun set to put together and have. But, I really do agree that I am more a set builder, who enjoys the chase, than a set owner. No urge to sell or trade at this time, as I do want to cherish the journey a while. Perhaps I'll upgrade here or there, but I have so many other collecting pursuits I'm in right now that I doubt I'd put a penny further into W515-2 that could be allocated to something I'm still chasing.

Anyway, hope this inspires the set collectors out there ...ENJOY THE HUNT!

[Leon]

I don't bump too many old threads but figured I would chime in a bit and also inquire on this one. I thought I had a W515-2 already and this strip would be an upgrade from a single card. Come to find out, I didn't have a -2 at all, but do have a few of the -1 strips of 10 cards. Does anyone know if these -2s came in strips of 5, like this shown, or did they come in strips of 10, like the -1s? my guess is they were strips of 5,but not too sure. And as noted they sure are a bit bigger than their -1 predecessors too..

[T206Collector]

I would've guessed 5, but the hash lines on my Baker and Wheat above suggest otherwise. Not sure.

[Spike]

Originally Posted by Leon

I don't bump too many old threads but figured I would chime in a bit and also inquire on this one. I thought I had a W515-2 already and this strip would be an upgrade from a single card. Come to find out, I didn't have a -2 at all, but do have a few of the -1 strips of 10 cards. Does anyone know if these -2s came in strips of 5, like this shown, or did they come in strips of 10, like the -1s? my guess is they were strips of 5,but not too sure. And as noted they sure are a bit bigger than their -1 predecessors too..

Bumping this again...ten years later. :-)

Based on what's visible on the strips and cards themselves, W515-1/2 and the "Little Wonder Picture Series" represent several (at least three or four) printings under one catalog number, since its 60 baseball players are known on ten-card strips, 16-card (4x4) multi-subject panels, five-card "Little Wonder" strips, one-card inserts, and perhaps other arrangements.

W515-1/2 baseball appears with up to 120 cards across several subjects, so at least one printer produced them all at some point.

* #1-60 W515-1/2 baseball
* #1-10 "W515" boxers (needs another number, IMO)
* #1-10 Hollywood actors
* 20 unnumbered "3 lines text" Hollywood actors
* 10 unnumbered "3 lines text" presidents
* 10 unnumbered "3 lines text" western subjects

Example of baseball players on panel with other subjects, (first found by Dean's Cards.)



(See Moviecard's "3 lines text" strip page for more mixed sport/non-sport examples.)

In addition to larger art, W515-2 "corrected" #7 Clarence Walker's cap from striped (Phillies) to plain white (A's). The footer text still got his league wrong (NL), as he'd been in the AL throughout that era.

All "Little Wonder" cards use five-card strips and appear to coincide with W515-2 baseball's last twenty numbers (#41-60). I think "Little Wonder" printing exposes internal confusion over photo licensing, as #1-40 cards show somewhat clumsy overprints to add ©U-U photo credits. Compare the cleaner title for #42 Kamm to #24 Stengel's top edge.



The printer miscalculated card widths for that U-U overprint, with middle cards getting multiple © and end cards uncredited.



While the ACC knows W515-1 and W515-2 for size and cropping differences on an otherwise matching #1-60 checklist, prewarcards.com shared two examples (Fleer Co. and Jersey Ice Cream) of print runs with advertising backs, similar to M101-4/5 baseball. Fleer refers to single-card inserts and Jersey describes five-card strips. This implies that "Little Wonder" strips coincide with the advertising backs that include Jersey Ice Cream. Fleer's "complete set of 120" reinforces that their print run included all the sport/non-sport subjects, cut into single cards. (Unknown as yet if Jersey Ice Cream told kids how many cards their "set" contained.)



Based on baseball players and teams, W515 first came out in 1923. Since 1920s industry magazines show strip card makers advertised identical products for several years, I suspect whoever made W515 also sold these strips for many years, even after its players started to retire or move on to new teams.

One mystery remains, as several W515-2 cards from the #1-40 run show a "dotted G" photo credit, as highlighted on this Waite Hoyt card. It appears to be printed as an alternative to ©U-U that was later "fixed" during the "Little Wonder" overprint. If anyone knows which company used that dotted G logo, it could reveal who printed this set.

[Hankphenom]

These are great. What an interesting set!

[minibbcards]

Great information and a very colorful set.

[Leon]

I don't know the answers, Matthew, but that is some nice research. Very interesting to a lot of us nerds. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Spike

Bumping this again...ten years later. :-)

Based on what's visible on the strips and cards themselves, W515-1/2 and the "Little Wonder Picture Series" represent several (at least three or four) printings under one catalog number, since its 60 baseball players are known on ten-card strips, 16-card (4x4) multi-subject panels, five-card "Little Wonder" strips, one-card inserts, and perhaps other arrangements.

W515-1/2 baseball appears with up to 120 cards across several subjects, so at least one printer produced them all at some point.

* #1-60 W515-1/2 baseball
* #1-10 "W515" boxers (needs another number, IMO)
* #1-10 Hollywood actors
* 20 unnumbered "3 lines text" Hollywood actors
* 10 unnumbered "3 lines text" presidents
* 10 unnumbered "3 lines text" western subjects

Example of baseball players on panel with other subjects, (first found by Dean's Cards.)



(See Moviecard's "3 lines text" strip page for more mixed sport/non-sport examples.)

In addition to larger art, W515-2 "corrected" #7 Clarence Walker's cap from striped (Phillies) to plain white (A's). The footer text still got his league wrong (NL), as he'd been in the AL throughout that era.

All "Little Wonder" cards use five-card strips and appear to coincide with W515-2 baseball's last twenty numbers (#41-60). I think "Little Wonder" printing exposes internal confusion over photo licensing, as #1-40 cards show somewhat clumsy overprints to add ©U-U photo credits. Compare the cleaner title for #42 Kamm to #24 Stengel's top edge.



The printer miscalculated card widths for that U-U overprint, with middle cards getting multiple © and end cards uncredited.



While the ACC knows W515-1 and W515-2 for size and cropping differences on an otherwise matching #1-60 checklist, prewarcards.com shared two examples (Fleer Co. and Jersey Ice Cream) of print runs with advertising backs, similar to M101-4/5 baseball. Fleer refers to single-card inserts and Jersey describes five-card strips. This implies that "Little Wonder" strips coincide with the advertising backs that include Jersey Ice Cream. Fleer's "complete set of 120" reinforces that their print run included all the sport/non-sport subjects, cut into single cards. (Unknown as yet if Jersey Ice Cream told kids how many cards their "set" contained.)



Based on baseball players and teams, W515 first came out in 1923. Since 1920s industry magazines show strip card makers advertised identical products for several years, I suspect whoever made W515 also sold these strips for many years, even after its players started to retire or move on to new teams.

One mystery remains, as several W515-2 cards from the #1-40 run show a "dotted G" photo credit, as highlighted on this Waite Hoyt card. It appears to be printed as an alternative to ©U-U that was later "fixed" during the "Little Wonder" overprint. If anyone knows which company used that dotted G logo, it could reveal who printed this set.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This beholder sees zero beauty, so if they were mine, I couldn't dump them quickly enough and try my hand at something like M116 Sporting Life. But the next guy might think my taste in aesthetics is horrid! If they work for you, that's all that matters.

Seeing as it's you, Paul, what about trying your hand at a similar autograph project to your T206s? Yes, lots of challenges/expense in this one should you choose to do it, but at least it's a fraction of the size. Looking over all the players, it's definitely more of an expense than it would be a challenge, although it's not entirely without its challenges. Unlike T206, a complete set of autographs is achievable. It's an odd assemblage of "easy/cheap" and "expensive yet available (if not plentiful)" with a much smaller segment of "rare/expensive" than you'd think from a 102 year old set.

...it might have helped if I had noticed the 2014 date of the first post.

[brianp-beme]

Here is a side to side illustration of the different sizing of the two sets of W515 cards (W515-2 on left, W515-1 on right). Note that the W515-2 have an enlarged player image (and more of the original artwork was utilized compared to what is seen on the W515-1 cards).


Brian (overall I slightly prefer the W515-2 enlarged look. Note on his W515-2 Adams has a full "P" on his uniform, and on other cards in the W515-2 set you will sometimes get an extra button depicted!)

[ValKehl]

Here's another example of what Brian just posted:

[Spike]

Overlaid Waite Hoyt's W515-1 image onto W515-2, which now makes it possible the "dotted G" sign is an artist monogram. About a dozen W515-2 players show that letter, with W515-1's closer cropping hiding it.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Hey Spike! Long time bro.

Great info and very interesting. Even if you don't like the set, the info is wonderful to know. I don't have much to add other than this scan of my four card strip.

Thanks



.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by ethicsprof

congrats, Paul.
I never realized that Clarence Walker looked so much like John Malkovich.
all the best,
barry

Congrats Paul. It's always nice to complete a set. Wow Barry, I didn't see that resemblance until your post.

[jbsports33]

Congrats!

[brianp-beme]

I failed to do it 11 years ago, but congrats Paul on finishing the W515-2 set.

Brian

[Fred]

Threads like this are my favorites to read. It's always good to see board members writing about completing prewar sets.

Nice job!

[Fred]

Threads like this are my favorites to read. It's always good to see board members writing about completing prewar sets.

Nice job!

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Seeing as it's you, Paul, what about trying your hand at a similar autograph project to your T206s?
...it might have helped if I had noticed the 2014 date of the first post.

Ha! The “good” news is I sold the set during COVID to help fund — what else — my T206 player autograph project! So we are on the same page.