FS $12.000 1913 WG5 National Baseball Game Complete EX

[carolenny]

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The score card has a Tom Barker back. It has Fenway Brewing ad on the front. As acquired by me circa 1985, most probably as originally packaged.
Overall condition is Excellent, with slight toning. Pictures taken with the camera look perhaps whiter than they are, while the scans look more yellowed than they are in reality.
Creases on Rucker, Sweeney, two of the batter cards, and Milan.

Ty Cobb appears on two cards. He is seen on one of the unnamed action cards as a sliding baserunner.

Cobb is not named but it is a picture of him. The card has increased in value over the years but is still not quite as valuable as Cobb’s primary card with a closeup of him and with his name printed on it.

This card has gained quite a bit of traction as one of Cobb’s more affordable cards.

Distributors
Early advertising for the game from the Boston Globe in 1913 showed where this game could be purchased. Ads listed a total of 17 Boston dealers, including: Henry Siegel Company, Houghton & Dutton, C.F. Hovey, Shepard Norwell Company, Murphy Brothers, Iver Johnson Sport, William Read & Sons, Linscott Sporting Goods, Hooper, Lewis and Company, Samuel Ward and Company, Hill, Smith and Company, Liggett Drug Stores, Riker-Jaynes Drug Stores, Klein’s Drug Stores, Walker-Bintel Drug Company, D.H. Posner, and the Timothy Smith Company.

In addition to those options, the game was also available at all hotel and railroad news stands.

[BobC]

Ummm, not sure this is a complete National Game set after all. Otherwise, why do you include a card that is obviously from the Tom Barker game instead, and not from the National Game? I can't tell for certain, but it doesn't appear to be a card with a player on it, but the Score Card that was part of the game set instead. Still, one of the cards needed to complete a full game set, so technically it is not a complete National Game set after all it seems. Still a great item, and set.

[Casey2296]

Love the Fenway Breweries Baker, GLWS.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Love the Fenway Breweries Baker, GLWS.

This actually looks to be the Fenway Breweries set/version of this National Game set, as noted on the card case, Baker card, and the Score Card as well. It is actually rarer than the regular National Game set IIRC. However, I still have a question about the one Tom Barker card back shown in the images posted, and which card is on the reverse. That would still seem to keep this from being a complete National Game set after all.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by BobC

This actually looks to be the Fenway Breweries set/version of this National Game set, as noted on 0the card case, Baker card, and the Score Card as well. It is actually rarer than the regular National Game set IIRC. However, I still have a question about the one Tom Barker card back shown in the images posted, and which card is on the reverse. That would still seem to keep this from being a complete National Game set after all.

My apologies to Len and I don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm curious, Bob, do you think there was a Fenway Breweries stamped set from both 1913 and 1914?

Lens fantastic collection would seem to prove that's the case.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My apologies to Len and I don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm curious, Bob, do you think there was a Fenway Breweries stamped set from both 1913 and 1914?

Lens fantastic collection would seem to prove that's the case.

Yes, there is a 1913 Fenway Breweries/Tom Barker Game set listed as a separate set in the old SCD catalogs. Look in the F section under Fenway Breweries. But the SCD catalogs list it as being a special set of the Tom Barker Game set only, not also for the National Game Set, which Len's item seems to prove otherwise. And only two cards in these entire sets had the Fenway Breweries designation on them, the Frank Baker card and the Score Card. The only other Fenway Breweries indication was on the boxes these Fenway Breweries game sets came in.

When you look at the National Game box in the Len's images, it clearly shows the Fenway Breweries reference on the box itself. And if you look closely, you'll see the red printing on both the Baker card and the Score Card in the provided images as well referencing Fenway Breweries. So apparently Fenway Breweries did special game sets for both the Tom Barker Game and National Game sets.

But there is still that one card back showing it is a Tom Barker Game card, and not a National Game card, so once again, this is technically not a complete National Game Set. And from the way the images are presented, it looks like the Tom Barker card may be the Score Card that is a Fenway Breweries version, but that is just a guess on my part. Still, a very rare and desirable set/lot of cards. I've seen the Fenway Breweries Baker and Score Cards before, but never an actual game/set box marked as a Fenway Breweries set version.

As for the 1913 and 1914 references though, I thought both sets (National Game and Tom Barker Game) came out in 1913. Is your 1914 reference in regard to the separate Polo Grounds Game set that came out in 1914? If so, I have never heard or seen any indication or reference to the Polo Grounds Game also ever being a Fenway Breweries issue, and don't believe such a version of the Polo Grounds Game exists.

Also sorry to the OP for sort of hijacking their thread, but hopefully made up for it somewhat by having mentioned the added rarity to this item/set being the Fenway Breweries version. Also wanted to honestly let people know the set is probably not technically complete since there appears to be one card from the Tom Barker Game set that is included. Still, a super rare and desirable set/item. GLWS.