1914 Cracker Jacks

[sniffy5]

I think just about everyone at this point, 1914 CJ collectors or otherwise, have pretty much gotten tired of talking about and hearing about this set. It's very popular and very cool, and I'm sure most agree. But I'd really like to hear the opinions of all the learned vintage card gurus that make this site so critical and important to the hobby: What is with the low pops? Should we think 95% of the cards got thrown out right away? (And I'm sure the card backs are lying about numbers to begin with). Or is it a case where the cards were only packaged for a month or two as prizes, thus very limited? Single prints and double prints happening as well? I know there are no sure answers, but with a set that was allegedly distributed nationally, why do only 50 or so, on average, exist for each card? What is going on there?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by sniffy5

I think just about everyone at this point, 1914 CJ collectors or otherwise, have pretty much gotten tired of talking about and hearing about this set. It's very popular and very cool, and I'm sure most agree. But I'd really like to hear the opinions of all the learned vintage card gurus that make this site so critical and important to the hobby: What is with the low pops? Should we think 95% of the cards got thrown out right away? (And I'm sure the card backs are lying about numbers to begin with). Or is it a case where the cards were only packaged for a month or two as prizes, thus very limited? Single prints and double prints happening as well? I know there are no sure answers, but with a set that was allegedly distributed nationally, why do only 50 or so, on average, exist for each card? What is going on there?

Some of the low 1914 population has to be due to the thin, almost paper-like, stock they were printed on.

[GregMitch34]

Some had so much caramel on them--kids ate them as snack?

[rainier2004]

Classic topic by a classic collector...and a nice guy.

I always thought the printing came in 2 waves, #s 1-72 and then the final 72 cards. I based this on looking at overall pops and those really tough numbers seem to mostly fall in the second group. I think they either a) produced the same number of all 144 card and dumped the second printing or they second printing was never as big as the first.

As Leon said, horrible, fragile stock on those 1914s so many were destroyed. We see a similar pattern in the pops of HOFers related to "commons" as there are a ton of Jax, Matty, Cobbs, etc but few of the Cadys, Pratt, and other no namers...they just got chucked.

CJ was also distributing other items as well at this time and creates another variable IMO. I really think that second series is a big part of all this.

[sniffy5]

Thanks Steve!! Yes, all you said about the cards is true. We can also factor in the idea that primarily children ate the Cracker Jacks, as opposed to the adults who smoked and were more apt to collect and keep cigarette cards. But still having said all that, and all that has been said already, I still don't understand why so few survived. I personally believe that, judging from the quality of the paper used for the 1914's, the folks at Cracker Jack did not really take the "card as a prize" promotion very seriously. I very much doubt the cards were distributed for an entire baseball season, or nationally. If that were the case, there would be more around.

The fact that CJ essentially reprinted the exact set the following year, and indeed took it quite seriously, what with the album, and mail away sets, and better card stock kinda indicates that they were making them readily available to everyone who wanted them across the country. In other words, meeting a demand that was not met the previous year. Based on these facts, I bet that the 1914's were extremely limited to begin with.

[rainier2004]

I can go along with the demand theory based on the thin stock and obvious upgrade the following year. They also took the time to update teams changes and add another 32 players although most were insignificant and points more in the direction of increased demand.

On the distribution though, there are roughly 3xs as many 1915s as 1914s...contrary to popular belief the 1915s aren't as plentiful as some seem to think and there are definitely harder cards to find in the set. I always thought the geographic pattern of both years would have been similar, baseball was only represented my certain areas. CJ would have simply upped the supply the following year. 3xs to me when total pops of cards from the 1915 set are still in the 60s, just isn't a ton of cards being produced. Kids did open these packages, I would agree that more should survive then. I just don't think that many were produced, I believe there were 2 prints in the 1914s and I think there are still some pockets of 1914s unknown to the hobby.