Dating Exhibit Cards

[Chris Counts]

Does anybody know where the best information is on dating Exhibit cards? I've been using the guidelines on the website below ...

http://www.moviecard.com/zamerican/e...itgeneral.html

Unfortunately, I have cards that don't match any of the guidelines. Is there a betteer source?

[DaveH]

We a have a board member, Adam, who has an excellent site on all Exhibit cards. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it. I'm sure he will see this post and let you know what it is.

dh

[Matt]

This is the only web site I know for Adam:
http://www.americasgreatboxingcards.com/Home_Page.html

[DaveH]

After Matt's post I stand corrected. Maybe Adam doesn't have his Exhibit site anymore.

dh

[botn]

Well to each his own. I prefer dating women...

In any event, try this link.

http://imageevent.com/exhibitman/int...ngexhibitcards

[smtjoy]

Not sure what exhibits you are trying to date but Frank has a nice list on how to date the 1939 to 1966 Exhibits

http://centuryoldcards.com/1930/1939-66ExhibitInfo.html

Post some scans and we will do the work for you.

[Zach Wheat]

Chris:

Here is the info I have on dating Exhibits. Unfortunately I am not sure where most of this information came from. Information on 1921-38 Exhibits can be gleaned from the Old Cardboard website (do a search by year of issue) to compare the different Exhibit fronts. Basic information from issues from 1938 on are as follows.

1939-66 EXHIBIT SUPPLY COMPANY
"MADE IN USA" (all caps) was used from 1939 through 1950

1939-41 "MADE IN USA" of 3/4 inch - 1939-41 sets were 16 cards and the 1942 sets were 32 cards. Averill, Gehrig, Gomez, Hartnett, Klein, Kreevich, Cordially, Lombardi, Mulcahy, Very Best Wishes Newson (sic), Rizzo and Russell. The "#9" Williams was also issued in this period and is about "medium tough".

1942-45 "MADE IN USA" of 1/2 inch - Include Rieser and Pollett who did not have full years until 1941.

1946 "MADE IN USA" of 9/16 inch - New plates were made and all cards given a red-brown color. Williams "no #9", Feller "pitching", and Greenberg "sideview" first shows.

1947 "MADE IN USA" of 1/2 inch - Exhibit returned to the production of a 64-card set. Dickey, McQuinn and Ott were dropped with 28 of the others continuing on. There were 35 new cards with the "Salutations" dropped. The 1947 set was really half salutations and half new style.

1948 "MADE IN USA" of 5/8 inch - 39 cards can be identified as from this year. A rarity was created as Barney McCosky was issued in error as Barney Mc Caskey.

1949 "AN EXHIBIT CARD" - 32 of the cards were given this new distinctive mark, and team cards were added for the first time. Eddie Waitkus was reissued with the "C" for Cubs airbrushed off his cap, so actually 33 cards were identifiable as being issued in 1949.

1950 "MADE IN USA" of 7/16 inch - 25 new cards were issued.
"Made in USA" (upper and lower case) from 1951 through 1953

1951 "Made In USA" - Exhibits abandoned the custom of changing the size of the mark each year and merely changed the mark to upper and lower case. There were 33 cards issued with this mark in the years 1951 and 1953.

1952 - B&W makes them easy to identify.

1953 - (same as 1951 above).

"PRINTED IN USA" (all caps) from 1954-1956
1954-56 "PRINTED IN USA" (upper case) - Thirty cards were issued in this way. All except one, the Pee Wee Reese, had the player's name set in a distinctive typescript. In 1955, an anomaly occurs where the Rizzuto and Doby that first appeared in 1949 appears with the "AN EXHIBIT CARD" scratched off.
"Printed in USA" (upper and lower case) 1957-61

1957-61 "Printed in USA" - The first two years, 1957-58, brought 35 cards marked in this way of which 28 were completely new to Exhibit. A total of 47 changed cards were introduced in 1959, giving the first year when all 64 cards had the same mark "Printed in USA." Even the "Salutation" Williams was updated this way. Up to now all cards were still somewhat reddish brown. (1960 B&W) And then in 1961 all cards were a deep brown. It is thus possible to do some dating by color in this issue.

1960 - B&W makes them easy to identify.

1961 - Players or new poses who appeared in 1960-61 but not continued thereafter include: Richie Ashburn as a Cub, the real Frank Thomas (C on cap), Bud Daley, Jackie Brandt, Hank Bauer (plain cap) Don Blasingame (plain cap), Rocky Colavito (portrait to chest), Joe Cuningham (batting), Ted Kluszewski (plain cap), Harvey Kuenn (plain cap portrait), Carl Sawatski (plain cap), Herb Score (plain cap) and Roy Sievers (plain cap).

1962 and 1963 - Stats on the back

1963 "Printed in USA" on the back - The set was expanded to 64 cards and the additional 32 new cards had the instead of the front.

1964 - The company just reissued the (64) 1963 cards with blank backs. It is hard to tell some of the older poses from previous cards; Spahn for example, still having his one and only pose.

[Chris Counts]

Thanks for all the help!

[paul]

What about 1965 an 66?

[Exhibitman]

Don't forget the reissues. ESCO appears to have issued a given card for as long as a player was around regardless of whether it combined different styles of cards in annual "sets" If you look at image #158 from my site, it shows an uncut sheet that has to be no earlier than 1960 because it shows Colavito with Cleveland, where he was traded post-1959. Yet right next to that card is the no #9 Williams Salutation card.

[fkw]

The Exhibit info I have on my site was copied mostly from a story in the Feb. 12, 1993 SCD written by Bob Schulhof.

Here is the complete info I have saved (It was posted within an auction description about 5 years ago on eBay)

The Post-War Exhibit Baseball Puzzle



By



Bob Schulhof



Sports Collectors Digest

February 12, 1993





The Exhibit Supply Co. of Chicago produced the longest running of baseball cards in existence, covering the interval from 1921 through 1966, making them very popular with collectors. While the price guides give values and checklists for each year through 1938, they lump everything after 1938 into just two “sets”. If there was ever a hoax on the collector world it is all those baseball card price guides that divide the later Exhibits into 1939-46 “Salutations” and 1947-66 everything else. Then you have a hard time explaining why Joe DiMaggio is listed at $15 while Ed Kranepool is spotted at $40. (This is only in books. I have seen people pay $100 for a Kranepool if they could find one!)



The fact is there was a set of 16, 32 or 64 cards issued each year from 1939 through 1966 with minor changes from year to year. This latter fact would make one think that all cards were of equal scarcity since Exhibit produced exactly the same number of each player in any given year.



After 1939, to make up each yearly set, Exhibit would review the previous year’s issue, keep some poses and players identical to the year before and add some new ones. While many Exhibit collectors collect by pose only and do not try to keep their cards in yearly order, some may wish to organize theirs by the year in which they first appeared. This practice of dropping some poses each year and adding new ones leaves a lot of room for variation in scarcity for a single player or pose since one pose might be a one-year issue, while another could have a run of five or even 10 years in the same form. The point is though, there is no such thing as a 1947-66 set! Even cards from the “Salutation” set are to be found merged in with the “1947-66” set.



The cause of the frustration is that Exhibit did not mark the cards with the year of production. They did give a clue to dating however, in that the post-war cards carried an identifying mark. “MADE IN USA” (all caps) was used from 1939 through 1950, “Made in USA” (upper and lower case) from 1951 through 1953, “PRINTED IN USA” (all caps) from 1954-1956 and “Printed In USA” (upper and lower case) after 1956. In the years before 1951 the “MADE IN USA” varied in size each year so that Exhibit fanatics can in fact close in on the year of issue of each card.



Even the great researcher Elwood Scharf (of the old Trader Speaks) was not able to unravel the Salutations produced from 1939 to 1945, all of which were produced in brown. We do know the 1939-41 sets were 16 cards and the 1942 sets were 32 cards. He lists as short runs and so hardest to find: Averill, Gehrig, Gomez, Hartnett, Klein, Kreevich, Cordially, Lombardi, Mulcahy, Very Best Wishes Newson (sic), Rizzo and Russell. The “Number 9” Williams was also issued in this period and was rated about “medium tough.” Paper shortages limited production, but Exhibits may have been the only baseball cards consistently available through the war years. These cards bore a large “MADE IN USA” of ¾ inch.



There were six cards to be found with ½ inch :MADE IN USA” which had to be replacements during 1942-1945 as they include Rieser and Pollett who did not have full years until 1941. In 1946, new plates were made and all cards given a red-brown color and a “MADE IN USA” of 9/16 inch. Fifteen pictures were repeats of what came before, while there were 14 new ones, and particularly Williams in a full-length batting pose, Feller in his follow through and a Greenberg side view. There were three changes in pose.



1947 was a big year as Exhibit returned to the production of a 64-card set. This would continue in all remaining sets except for the stat backs of 1962. Dickey, McQuinn and Ott were dropped with 28 of the others continuing on. DiMaggio continued to be produced into the “50s and the Williams uninterrupted through 1961, still in “Salutation” form! Hence, the “common” Williams. There were 35 new cards with the “Salutations” dropped, and a ½ inch “MADE IN USA” mark. These are the first cards referred to as the “1947-1966” set. The 1947 set was really half salutations and half new style.



Thirty-nine cards may be identified as 1948 since they sported a new 5/8 “MADE IN USA”. A rarity was created as Barney McCosky was issued in error as Barney Mc Caskey”. This was later corrected to a still incorrect “Mc Coskey” leaving one rare error (McCoskey) and one common one (Mc Caskey). They never got it right.



In 1949, 32 of the cards were given a new distinctive “AN EXHIBIT CARD” mark, and team cards were added for the first time. Eddie Waitkus was reissued with the “C” for Cubs airbrushed off his cap, so actually 33 cards were identifiable as being issued in 1949. The team cards first appear in this year.



In 1950, 25 new cards were issued with a 7/16-inch “MADE IN USA.”



After 1951, Exhibit abandoned the custom of changing the size of the mark each year and merely changed the mark to an upper and lower case “Made In USA”. There were 33 cards issued with this mark in the years 1951-1953. The 1952 set is easy to identify being unusually in B&W.



Cards from 1954-56 may be identified as having the mark “PRINTED IN USA” all in upper case. Thirty cards were issued in this way. All except one, the Pee Wee Reese, had the player’s name set in a distinctive typescript. In 1955, an anomaly occurs where the Rizzuto and Doby that first appeared in 1949 appears with the “AN EXHIBIT CARD” scratched off.



The years 1957-61 saw a new mark, that of “Printed in USA”. The first two years, 1957-58, brought 35 cards marked in this way of which 28 were completely new to Exhibit. A total of 47 changed cards were introduced in 1959, giving the first year when all 64 cards had the same mark “Printed in USA.” Even the “Salutation” Williams was updated this way. Up to now all cards were still somewhat reddish brown so it is revealing to note that in 1960 all cards were issued in black and white, and then in 1961 all cards were a deep brown. It is thus possible to do some dating by color in this issue.



1962 and 1963 saw a new fad for Exhibit, that of printing statistics and biographical information on the back. This was a welcome trend and was apparent on many different issues by the company from recording artists to astronauts. The baseball cards had complete statistics to compete with the gum cards of the day. All 1962 issues retained “Printed in USA” on the front. Twenty new cards were added and the 1962 set was dropped to an even 32 cards, 16 from each league. It was printed in both red and black versions. The “Printed in USA” added for 1962 was 11/16 inch. Thus, a number of players were omitted who saw only a one or two year run, creating rarities.



Exhibit also updated cards of players who switched teams by just airbrushing out the old team ID. Players or new poses who appeared in 1960-61 but not continued thereafter include: Richie Ashburn as a Cub, the real Frank Thomas (C on cap), Bud Daley, Jackie Brandt, Hank Bauer (plain cap) Don Blasingame (plain cap), Rocky Colavito (portrait to chest), Joe Cuningham (batting), Ted Kluszewski (plain cap), Harvey Kuenn (plain cap portrait), Carl Sawatski (plain cap), Herb Score (plain cap) and Roy Sievers (plain cap).



For 1963, the set was expanded to 64 cards and the additional 32 new cards had the “Printed in USA” on the back instead of the front.



By 1964, the company was in trouble and as an economy measure the 64 1963 cards were just reissued with blank backs. It is hard to tell some of the older poses from previous cards; Spahn for example, still having his one and only pose.

[mybuddyinc]

Optometrist: Now then, I want you to read as much of this chart as you can.

Bugs Bunny: [reading chart] "A-T-W-R-K-L-N-O-C-W-O-D-R-K-G-S-O-L-T-Y-K-L-O-N-D-C-R-P-L-D, Acme Eye Test Chart, printed by the United States Printing Office, Washington, D.C., Reg. U.S. Pat. Off."

Optometrist: Uh... yeah.

[Exhibitman]

"The point is though, there is no such thing as a 1947-66 set! Even cards from the “Salutation” set are to be found merged in with the “1947-66” set."

Precisely! I wonder where the habit of splitting them into two issues began?

[paul]

I just went through my 1939-46 Salutation Exhibits in light of this information, and found two interesting things. First, based on this very unscientific study, the 1942-45s appear to be much, much tougher than the others. I have 23 cards. 13 are from the 1939-41 series. 9 are from the 1946 series. Only 1 card is from the 1942-45 series, and that's the scarce Ted Williams "No. 9 Shows" card.

The other interesting thing is that all of the 1939-41 cards have a sepia tint to them. So does my 1942-45 Williams. But the 1946s are much closer to pure black and white. This may be an easy way to distinguish the 1946s from the others.

Just curious, does anyone have a 1939-41 Williams? Or is it possible he was introduced in the 1942 printing? After all, why would anyone have printed a rookie in such a small set in 1939?

[Exhibitman]

Every card still left on my want list is in the first print run

[Chris Counts]

I've looked unsuccessfully for years to pick up Salutation Exhibits of Dizzy Dean and Lou Gehrig. I've seen a few Deans offered, but never a Gehrig. How much should I expect to pay for one of either in Vg-Ex?

[Exhibitman]

A Gehrig in that shape or better will likely set you back somewhere north of $1,000. I was happy to get one with a nice front and back damage.

Dean is not that hard to find compared to the other HOFers from the earliest print runs; a little patience and you should be able to land one for under $100.