D327 Holsum Bread Cards + The Timing Of The Black Sox Scandal

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Posted By: Paul

I just posted a picture of my D327 Holsum Bread card of Eddie Cicotte in the "recent pick up" thread. As most of you know, this set has the same format as the E121 American Caramel cards, but some of the players, poses, and team listings are different. Cicotte, for example is found only in the Holsum set, as is Joe Jackson.

I'd now like to figure out if this set was issued in 1920 (the last year Jackson and Cicotte played) or 1921 (as listed in the Standard Catalog). I think the key may lie with the history of the Black Sox scandal. I know that the Black Sox were not permanently banished from the game until August 1921. This suggests the cards could have been printed in early 1921, with the expectation that Jackson and Cicotte would be two of the leading stars of the White Sox. But I also know that none of the Black Sox played even a single game in 1921. So, I am guessing that the Black Sox were officially suspended in some fashion before the start of the 1921 season. Unfortunately, with my poor web-searching skills, I haven't been able to confirm this.

Do any of you know if the Black Sox were officially suspended before their permanent banishment in August 1921? If so, when did this occur? It seems to me that if the Black Sox were officially out of baseball well before the start of the 1921 season, and not likely to return, then the Holsum Bread Company probably wouldn't have included them in a 1921 set. This would mean that the set was probably issued in 1920. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.