Texas Tommys from Cardinet Candy Co. ??

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Posted By: Mark Macrae

Frank... your information is correct. Cardinet Candy Company was based in Oakland & is DEFINITELY linked to Texas Tommy candy & cards. There is also a theory that Cardinet is responsible for two other issues which are native to Northern California, but this theory cannot YET be proved. As you pointed out, a San Francisco based swing / jazz dance called "The Texas Tommy" was popular during the 1910-1915 period. Cardinet named the candy after this dance. Earliest documented use of "Texas Tommy" , the candy product, was in 1912, where a half page ad was prominantly featured in the Oakland Oaks home programs at Freeman's Park. The Texas Tommy cards have turned up , virtually exclusively, in the Northern California area, stretching from just south of San Jose in the south to Santa Rosa in the north & Sacramento in the east. The central point of these cities is roughly Oakland, which is where the candy company was based. Like other sets marketed in Northern California during the pre World War Two era, interest in major league cards was secondary to the Pacific Coast League & were not as actively collected by the kids of the day . With the exception of pre & post season exhibition games,firsthand exposure to major leaguers was RARE. Cardinet lasted into the 70's / 80's timeframe & was bought out by another company. They were far more famous for their "Baffle Bar" & "UNO" than they were for Texas Tommy... Hope this helps