The Jewell Cigarette Company was an American tobacco manufacturer based in Kansas City, Missouri that produced chewing and smoking tobacco from 1889 until 1958. During the early decades of the 20th century, Jewell released a series of baseball cards as promotional inserts in their tobacco products. These rare and coveted Jewell cards have become highly collectible among sports memorabilia enthusiasts today.
Jewell cards are considered some of the finest and most beautifully designed baseball cards of the pre-war era. Produced between 1909-1915, each card featured a clean and elegant portrait of a major league ballplayer on the front. On the back was a short bio and stats for that season. The cards had a thick, high-quality cardboard stock and were quite large at approximately 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. This gave Jewell cards an impressive, premium feel compared to the thinner and smaller cards being produced by other companies at the time.
Today, finding complete sets of these early 20th century Jewell baseball cards in top condition is extremely difficult. Only around 200 total Jewell cards are believed to have survived in collectible grade. The scarcity and superior craftsmanship of these cards has made high grade Jewell examples among the most valuable baseball cards that exist. Top star cards from the Jewell issues have sold at auction for over $100,000 each when graded and preserved in gem mint condition.
The earliest known Jewell issue dates to 1909 and includes 48 total cards. Some of the players featured in the 1909 set include Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Home Run Baker, and Eddie Collins. Cobb’s iconic 1909 Jewell card in perfect condition would be worth over $150,000 alone due to his fame and the extreme rarity of the piece. The 1910 and 1911 Jewell issues each contained around 60 cards and also featured top players of that era such as Tris Speaker and Eddie Plank. From 1912-1915, Jewell put out smaller checklist sets of approximately 24 cards per year. Notable stars in the later issues include Stan Coveleski, Jim Thorpe and Dan Brouthers.
While most of the information on Jewell cards is player stats and accomplishments from that particular season, some cards provide interesting historical tidbits. For instance, the back of Rube Marquard’s 1911 Jewell card states he threw the fastest fastball ever clocked, estimated at an incredible 98 mph. Considering the crude equipment used to measure pitches in 1911, if true this would make Marquard’s heater among the fastest on record. The card for pitcher Eddie Cicotte from the 1912 issue mentions that during one stretch he threw 63 consecutive scoreless innings over 10 games.
In addition to their widespread appeal among dedicated baseball memorabilia collectors, Jewell cards hold strong cultural value due to the players and periods of early professional baseball they represent. The cards capture a key transitional stage as the national pastime was growing from a regional sport into the gigantic mainstream spectacle it became by the 1920s. Hall of Famers like Nap Lajoie, Walter Johnson and Ed Walsh are preserved in their athletic primes on Jewell issues from when they were among the first true baseball superstars.
While producing cards as tobacco inserts was a common promotional practice in the early 20th century, Jewell stands alone for the care and artistry put into their baseball card creations compared to competing brands. It’s likely no coincidence the company ceased card production at the same time the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 was passed, restricting tobacco advertising. With no more tobacco ties required, modern collectors focus pure appreciation on the historic and aesthetic value of these seminal sports collectibles. In the rarified world of early baseball memorabilia, exquisitely preserved Jewell cards from the pioneer professional era still hold legendary status.
