Comprehensive Exhibit Supply Co (ESCO) Information

[smtjoy]

Ok here is my start on this, hopefully Adam, Matt, Jimmy and some of the other exhibit collectors can add to it.

Ranking exhibit card scarcity-

Ranked from a type card collectors view of only needing one card from each (based on finding one on an ebay 7 day auction)-

Very Scarce
1933
1926-29 Baseball/Boxers 4 on 1

Scarce
1922 Eastern Exhibit
1923-24
1926
1926-29 Baseball 4 on 1
1928 PCL
1929 Star Picture Stamp Ruth-Dempsey
1931-32
1938

Uncommon
1925
1926-29 PC
1927
1928
1929-30
1934
1935
1936
1937
1962 Stat Back- Red Ink

Common
1921 ($20-40)
1922 ($20-40)
1939-46 Salutation ($2-5)
1947-66 ($1-3)
1962 Stat Back- Black Ink ($2-5)
1963 Stat Back ($2-5)


OK looking at it from a player collector view of needing one certain card-

Very Scarce (up to 10+ years to get)
1928 PCL
1933
1926
1938
1931-32

Scarce (up to 5 years to find)
1923-24
1922 Eastern Exhibit
1925
1926-29 PC
1926-29 Baseball 4 on 1
1929-30
1929 Star Picture Stamp Ruth-Dempsey
1939-46 Salutation SP's

Uncommon (1-3 Years to get)
1927
1928
1934
1935
1936
1937
1947-66 SP's
1962 Stat Back- Red Ink

Common (within 2 years)
1921
1922
1939-46 Salutation Commons
1947-66 Commons
1962 Stat Back- Black Ink
1963 Stat Back


And finally from a set collectors view on needing every card-

Nearly Impossible (20+ years to lifetime to complete)
1926
1926-29 Baseball/Boxers 4 on 1
1928 PCL

Very Hard (10+ years to complete)
1923-24
1925
1926-29 PC
1931-32
1933
1939-46 Salutation

Scarce (5-10 years to complete)
1922 Eastern Exhibit
1926-29 Baseball 4 on 1
1929-30
1938

Tough (3-5 years to complete)
1927
1928
1934
1935
1936
1937
1962 Stat Back- Red Ink

Common (1-3 years to complete)
1921
1922
1947-66
1962 Stat Back- Black Ink
1963 Stat Back

[Exhibitman]

Several sets are missing:

The 1928 PCL issue is 32 of the worst pains in the neck you will ever chase. I'd put them right up there in the top 3.



I'd also put completing the PC backs up there towards the top because of the short prints:



Also, the mixed baseball-boxing PC back 4 on 1 series: as far as I know no one has a complete set. There are four known cards but a fifth is very likely (details to be shared once I finish writing them up for my blog):



Also, the PC back 4 on 1s w/4 ballplayers. Very few of those around and an uncatalogued one (Miller, Collins, Kelly, Klein) just sold in the last Legendary auction:

[smtjoy]

Ohh thanks Adam, correct thats near the top, Added-

[Jacklitsch]

Adam is right. 5 or 6 of those 28 PCL's popped up on eBay this year but before then I don't think I had seen one offered in years.

Nice work Scott!!!

[smtjoy]

Adam, how scarce would you rank the 4 on 1 boxers/baseball cards? In the last 4-5 years I have only seen two for auction so my guess would be near the top and doing a set nearly impossible to complete.

[calvindog]

Adam, this makes two. Do you know where we can see the other images?

[rhettyeakley]

The PCL Exhibits are extremely tough to come by. I have never heard of a complete set being offered EVER. Here are the two that I managed to keep for myself... (Don't let the fact that this is the 2nd Averill to be shown fool you, these are TOUGH!)

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Adam, this makes two. Do you know where we can see the other images?

http://www.americasgreatboxingcards....g_Updates.html

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by smtjoy

Adam, how scarce would you rank the 4 on 1 boxers/baseball cards? In the last 4-5 years I have only seen two for auction so my guess would be near the top and doing a set nearly impossible to complete.

Right towards the top.

[calvindog]

Adam, thanks, your article is helpful. I won mine in I believe Lipset's auction this past April and was not certain what I had.

[Rickyy]

This is a great thread. I appreciate all the back ground on the issues since I'm trying to collect several HOF exhibit cards (only exception to my type card collecting which also includes all the exhibit cards by year).

I've noticed in my hunt certain cards of each year are harder to find than others (both HOF and non HOF cards). The toughest for me to find so far was the Earle Combs 25 exhibit. That one was harder to locate than the PCL exhibit cards.

Also I'm still looking for a salesman sample exhibit cards with the advertisement stamped on the card..I've seen very few of those. One came up awhile back on ebay...I think it was for Ken Williams.

Ricky Y

[marfak]

Very interesting, Scott. In my experience (15 years of chasing baseball Exhibits) the 1923-1924, 1926 and 1933 sets are very tough if not impossible. The Salutation set hung up the Gehrig, Averill and Kreevich but I got it done eventually. The others are just going to take a lot more time and $$$.

[buymycards]

Thanks Adam, very nice!

Rick

[Exhibitman]

As far as image desirability goes, I think you'll find that the images are more or less repeated from 1921-24 and 1925-28. A few are different but many more are recycled.

[Ladder7]

Just found a new favorite thread. Important info... Great work!

[Aric]

Does anyone have or know where I can find the old street address for the Exhibit Supply Company in chicago?

I live in Chicago and am interested to know where it was located.

[glchen]

I won the set of five 1926-29 Baseball/Boxers 4 on 1 Exhibits from the Lipset auction that just ended: Link. So obviously, the set was not impossible as somebody had "completed" it. Saying that however, I think these are different variations as two of these cards have sideways movie scenes in them, which I'm not sure have been seen before. When I receive the cards, I'll post bigger scans including scans of the fifth card not shown by Lipset.

[Exhibitman]

Nice pick-up Gary. The last two baseball players [Smith and Kelly] were ones that I knew were out there because I have cuts of both. It should complete the known ballplayers because the same art was issued in ten-card strips, at least for the boxing:



And there are known baseball strips too:



The only way to tell them apart accurately is to hold them in hand and compare them--the strips are thinner and slicker than the Exhibits.

As for the interplay of movie and sports, there are cards known with baseball and boxing, baseball and movies, boxing and movies, and movies only.




I don't think it is possible to exhaustively catalog every combo. I have scans of several different movie-only cards that I will have to dig out and post.