Altered 1914 Cracker Jack Christy Mathewson

[Rhotchkiss]

Great question Sean! I have nothing to contribute but I sure hope we get some answers.

A redemption is an interesting theory, but why just Matty? Could it somehow have to do with the fact that it’s only in 1914 (no 1915 equivalent)…

[PhillyFan1883]

I was always was under the impression- talking with older dealers-- the corners were susceptible to be torn off after being removed from the original cracker jack boxes. Matty is not the only player from the 14 set you see with corners missing. I have seen almost every player with a corner missing on my journey to collect the set.

[spec]

1914 Cracker Jack are on a brittle stock. I suspect many lost corners when mounted or removed from albums that used photo corners or simply slits to hold the cards.

[Casey2296]

As thin as they are I'm surprised that any of them survived without tears or creases. Fun to see those Mattys lined up.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by spec

1914 Cracker Jack are on a brittle stock. I suspect many lost corners when mounted or removed from albums that used photo corners or simply slits to hold the cards.

This makes the most sense to me.

[brianp-beme]

I own 8 1914 Cracker Jack cards. Every single one of them has at least one corner missing. The cards are thin and brittle, and if I am not careful, the Miller shown might shed its top left corner at the crease the next time I handle it, and I believe the bottom right on the Meyers is fortified with tape to prevent another slice from cleaving off.

Brian

[brunswickreeves]

These are pretty amazing cards to hold in hand. They feel as though they're on rice paper. Their shockingly small size but mighty images and bold red color are quite astounding. Regarding their condition, grading companies will actually reject them for grading if there is too much paper loss and they're at risk of falling apart with transfers between multiple graders.

[mrreality68]

I would gladly take one any one great cards, great looking, and those “defects”/blemishes give it character

Someone is very lucky to have them in their collections