E107 Breisch Williams - As Complete a Set as exists

[Rhotchkiss]

Late last year I cut a deal to acquire the most complete E107 Breisch Williams set known to exist. The set, which was issued in 1903-04, contains 147 Type I players, with 13 team variations, for a total of 160 Type I combinations, as well as 7 Type IIs (missing only Seybold, if it exists). I acquired the set raw, but last week submitted the entire set to SGC for authentication/grading. Pictures of the set, in its raw state, are attached. Much of this set came originally derived from one collector, who acquired a large group of E107s removed from a scrap book; thus the back damage. The cards look incredible in person. While some are beaters for sure, others are in tremendous condition for their age.

The E107 set is exceedingly rare and important, which is what attracted me to the set. I am aware of no card that has more than 20 known examples and many cards are less than 10 pop, with some only having 1-3 known. It appears the most common cards are of Philadelphia Athletics players, which makes sense since that is where the Bresich-Williams factory was located. The cards have three different backs: (i) One of 150... (ii) One of 150 with a BW stamp, and (iii) Blank. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the set, some of which is discussed below.

The E107 set was the only "card" distributed between 1896 and 1908, which means it contains many rookie cards and some of the only examples of certain HOFers and players who made their career during that time period. As you can see, many of the E107 poses are (later) used as portrait poses in the T206 set. Here is an excerpt I found online regarding the set:

"History of E107 Breisch Williams:

The E107 Breisch Williams cards are generally considered to be the first “conventionally sized” baseball card issue of the 1900s. True, the Sporting Life Company began distributing oversized W600 cabinet premiums in 1902, but many elite, vintage card purists forgo the angle of collecting cabinet and/or postcard-sized cardboard artifacts, preferring instead to focus their want lists and associated budgets on pieces of more standard, card-like dimensions. With that in mind, the 1903 distribution of E107’s ended an 8-year drought, with the popular 1895 Mayo’s Cut Plug, 40-subject set (N300s) serving as the last previous baseball card issue fitting the desired parameters. While there is some ambiguity associated with the exact origin of the landmark E107 set, what we do know is that the Breisch Williams Company, Inc. utilized the well-known Caramel Factory in Oxford, PA. to produce its caramel, marshmallow, and cream candy products, and that some of these contained E107 inserts during 1903 and 1904. At the turn of the century, the Oxford factory was one of the most prominent global facilities of its kind, and the organization eventually changed its name to the “Williams Caramel Company” (the namesake of 1910’s E103 Williams Caramel production). Not too long after the E103 issue, the company renamed itself once more, to “Oxford Confectionary,” and took responsibility for the 1921 E253 Oxford Confectionary set. This was the concern’s final baseball card effort, and the business closed for good in 1929—the onset of the Great Depression.

Set Significance and Composition:
The significance of the E107 Breisch Williams set cannot be overemphasized. Baseball had successfully passed into the 20th century, and a stern, virtually unflappable man by the name of Ban Johnson was in the process of rocking the baseball world with his newly formed “American League.” Convincing players to “jump ship” from the established National League, Johnson was able to steal many N.L. stars for his newly formed A.L. teams by offering unprecedented, lucrative salaries. It’s ironic that the initial 1903 calendar-year distribution for E107’s coincides with our National Pastime’s inaugural World Series—where the A.L.’s Boston Club bested the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5 games to 3. Famous for its iconic black-and-white portrait images, many of the Breisch Williams illustrations can be attributed to the legendary photographer Carl Horner. Approximately eighty percent of the images show the players in their period-style uniforms, with the remaining subjects wearing formal attire. There are currently 160 known “Type I” (Basic Set) and 8 “Type II” Breisch Williams subjects, with the 160-subject basic set holding 147 different players and 13 additional team variations. Therefore, a complete “Master Set” encompasses all 168 Type I and Type II subjects—but no such “completed” set is thought to exist.

The issue’s most renowned subjects are Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson, and both of these incredible gems are extremely rare and valuable. Less than ten specimens (graded and un-graded, combined) of either Wagner or Mathewson have been documented. Of the remaining 21 Cooperstown inductees, some of the more prestigious subjects include Ed Delehanty, Ned Hanlon, Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Addie Joss, Nap Lajoie, Rube Waddell, Wee Willie Keeler, Jack Chesbro and Chief Bender; Delahanty and Hanlon stand out as two of the foremost 19th century stars who were winding down their professional baseball careers in 1903. Population estimates range from one to somewhat fewer than a dozen specimens for most E107 subjects—all E107’s are rare, indeed. E107’s roster of baseball stars serves as a virtual “Who’s Who” of the National Pastime at the beginning of the 1900s."

I feel very lucky to own a set of this age, rarity, and importance, and I am thankful there is a forum where I can share this with friends and others who appreciate old cardboard (because my wife and kids sure don't). There are members on here (Scott, Luke, Steve, etc) who know much more than I about the set and its origins, and I invite them to join in with any knowledge they have.

Happy New Years!