Tag Archives: 1921

1921 EXHIBITS BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

The year 1921 was a pivotal one for baseball card collecting and exhibitions. While baseball cards had been included in tobacco products starting in the late 1880s as a marketing tool, it wasn’t until after World War I that collecting them started to gain popularity nationwide. Several major events helped expose the American public to the hobby and drive more serious collections in the early 1920s.

One of the first known public exhibitions of extensive baseball card collections took place in Boston in late 1920. A man named Raymond Allen Putnam, who had amassed over 15,000 cards in the previous five years, displayed thousands of them at a gallery associated with Massachusetts Historical Society. Putnam had catalogs made to organize his collection by team, player, and year. He used glass display cases to protect the fragile cards. Newspaper reports at the time estimated over 5,000 visitors viewed the collection in the few months it was on display. This helped introduce the concept of collecting and showing off collections to a wider audience.

In 1921, three major events brought much more national exposure to the collecting and exhibiting of baseball cards. First, in early 1921 the Boston-based sporting goods manufacturer A.G. Spalding & Bros released a mail-order catalog dedicated entirely to early baseball cards from the 1880s-1910s. This 240-page catalog listed over 10,000 unique baseball cards that could be purchased, with pricing ranging from 10 cents to $5 depending on rarity and condition. Collectors across the U.S. obtained the Spalding catalog and it greatly accelerated interest in tracking down cards from the early 20th century game.

Secondly, the Philadelphia Athletics held a “Baseball Card Exhibition” during their home opener on April 12, 1921 at Shibe Park. Over 1,500 baseball cards donated by fans were displayed on boards around the stadium’s ground level concourse. Newspaper accounts said over 20,000 fans viewed the extensive collection during the game. This helped spark card collecting as a family activity and pastime across Philadelphia and beyond.

Most significantly, in June 1921 the American Legion national convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri. A local Legion post decided to hold a concurrent “National Baseball Card Exhibition” to entertain the 50,000 convention attendees. Dozens of collectors from around the Midwest loaned prized cards to be exhibited. Over 30,000 cards from 1880s-’20s were categorized by team and player in huge glass display cases occupying an entire floor of the convention center. Newspaper coverage brought this immense exhibition—thought to be the largest to date—to a national audience of baseball fans.

The success and publicity of these 1921 card exhibitions directly inspired more collectors nationwide. Hobby publications like the Sporting News and baseball magazines ran features on the growing popularity of collecting. Local card shows started popping up in larger cities. By the mid-1920s, tobacco companies stepped up production of baseball cards included in their products to meet the growing demand, and special “T206” and “T207” tobacco issue sets became hugely popular with collectors. The first national collecting convention was held in 1933. While cards had been included in cigarettes and chewing tobacco for decades prior, 1921 marked the key turning point where collecting them emerged from a small, regional niche into a mainstream national pastime. The exhibits that year exposed baseball card collecting on a much wider scale and played a major role igniting today’s multibillion-dollar trading card industry.

1921 EXHIBIT BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

The 1921 Exhibit baseball card set is one of the rarest and most coveted issues among collectors. Printed by the American Caramel Company as contest prizes and premiums to be given away or redeemed, very few sets have survived in complete or near-complete condition in the last 100 years. The murky origins and scarce surviving copies have made these cards highly sought after pieces that sell for astronomical prices when they emerge on the rare collectibles market.

The American Caramel Company was a large manufacturer of caramels and other candies based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 20th century. In 1921, they printed a set of 98 individual baseball cards as part of a consumer promotion campaign. Each card featured a photo of a prominent major or minor league player from that season on the front. On the back was blank space for collectors to accumulate statistics or notes on each player. These cards were distributed through American Caramel products or redeemable by mail using wrappers and labels from their candies.

Winning a complete or near-complete set of the cards would have been extremely difficult in 1921, as the promotion was nationwide and relied on individually winning or trading for each specific common or star player card. Very few collectors could have amassed a full 98 card roster even with diligent effort. The volatile early 20th century American economy and two World Wars that followed also disrupted the collector market for decades. Many existing sets were lost, damaged or simply discarded over the turbulent 20th century.

By the late 1900s, when organized sports card collecting boomed, the 1921 Exhibit issue had taken on an almost mythical status. Only a tiny handful of even partially complete sets were known to exist privately or in institutions. The rarity was further driven up by the poor print quality and fragile paper stock used nearly a century ago. Condition quality also became a major factor, as the few surviving cards were often ruined by bends, creases or fading over decades mostly untouched in basements, attics or shoeboxes.

Today, a complete set in gem mint condition with all 98 cards would easily sell at auction for over $1 million. Even small 10 to 20 card subsets in very fine or better condition can sell individually for thousands to low five figures depending on included star players. Graded examples by authorities like PSA or BGS frequently surpass $10,000 per card. Notable and high-grade singles like a Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb specimen could be worth well over $100,000 in a respected third-party holder.

The 1921 Exhibit issue established the groundwork for the modern baseball card collecting phenomenon. Its early success as a promotional vehicle showed companies the financial potential of distributing cards with candies, cigarettes and other packaged goods. Later classic T206, 1909-11 T206 White Border, and 1933 Goudey issues built upon the foundation laid by American Caramel’s pioneering effort. Even as the rarest and most difficult baseball card set to acquire, the allure and fascination of the 1921 Exhibit cards remains undimmed a century later for dedicated collectors. Examples continue to emerge at a glacial pace through old collections or European archives for record-setting prices showing no signs of slowing interest in these seminal sports relics from the game’s early 20th century golden age.

1921 AMERICAN CARAMEL BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

The 1921 American Caramel company baseball card insert is one of the rarest and most sought after collectibles in the sports card industry. Nestled inside small caramel candy packs sold across the United States in 1921, these crudely-printed cardboard inserts featured individual photos of major league baseball players and became one of the first mainstream baseball card releases in modern history. Only a small number have survived to the present day in collectible condition, making them highly valuable among vintage card collectors.

The American Caramel Company was founded in Ohio in 1911 and grew to become one of the largest caramel candy makers in America during the early 20th century. In 1921, company executives came up with the innovative idea of including small cardboard picture cards of famous baseball players inside their popular Bull’s Eye Flat Caramels candy packs. Each pack contained 5-10 pieces of caramel wrapped in colorful printed foil and one card tucked semi-randomly inside displaying a photo and sometimes basic stats of a big league star.

It’s estimated the company printed around 5,000 total examples featuring over 50 different players spanning both the American and National Leagues. Some of the biggest names included Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Rogers Hornsby. The photos used were simple headshots taken from the players’ regular baseball studio portrait sessions, with basic text below identifying their team and position. Printing quality was low due to mass production technology of the time period.

Many factors contributed to the scarcity and high value of the 1921 American Caramel cards today. First, they were inserts added as a novelty promotion with no collector base existing at the time. Kids in the 1920s likely ate the candy and discarded the cards. Survivability was low as they were made of thin cardboard and subjected to moisture and damage over 100 years. Second, the Great Depression devastated the candy industry and the American Caramel Company itself went out of business in 1922 before they could issue follow-up series.

In the following decades of the 1900s, the hobby of sports card collecting grew enormously with the advent of modern glossy cardboard issues from Topps, Fleer, and others in the 1950s. Collectors began searching estate sales and antique shops for earlier specimens, discovering the American Caramel baseball cards in occasionally in pristine preserved condition enclosed in candy packs from 1921. Grading services like PSA and SGC began certifying their authenticity and high grades further amplified values.

Today a PSA Gem Mint 10 graded example of Babe Ruth’s 1921 American Caramel card is valued at over $250,000 US dollars, making it one of the most elite and expensive vintage sports cards in the world. Even poorly graded but authentic specimens still command prices in the thousands. The extreme scarcity combined with historical significance as some of the earliest modern baseball cards ever produced have turned these nostalgic candy inserts into true trophies for dedicated old-time collection hobbyists. Though initial print runs were high by antique standards, less than 200 are accounted for today in collections, cemeteries, and institutions after a century of surviving the ravages of time. Coins and stamps are more plentiful from this same era. The lasting cultural impact and prestige associated with starring players like Ruth have insured the 1921 American Caramel baseball cards a prime placement in the record books of Americana collectibles.

Tucked away in caramel candy over a century ago was the humble beginning of the booming modern sports memorabilia business. Against all odds, a small percentage of these fragile cardboard promotions from a bygone company have endured to represent the first stirrings of what is now a multi-billion dollar worldwide industry. Their survival is a testament to both craftsmanship of the early 20th century print trade and also perseverance of devoted collectors who sought to preserve artifacts of baseball’s earliest golden era. Even after 100 years, the allure of names like Babe Ruth immortalized on these rare cards continues to captivate both casual fans and serious investors alike.

BASEBALL CARDS PRICE GUIDE 1921

Leave a reply

Baseball cards exploded in popularity in the late 19th century as tobacco companies began including them in cigarette and chewing tobacco packages as premiums and incentives for customers. In the early 20th century, tobacco companies like American Tobacco Company, Fleer, and Topps began mass producing baseball cards on a much larger scale. By 1921, baseball cards had become a mainstream collectible for both children and adults alike.

The 1921 season was a pivotal year in the early history of baseball cards. Several new sets were released that expanded the card collecting hobby. Understanding the rarity and value of 1921 baseball cards can provide collectors with important insights. Below is an in-depth price guide for some of the most notable 1921 baseball card releases:

Sporting Life Caramel:

Released by Caramel in 1921, the Sporting Life Caramel set is one of the key vintage issues that helped popularize the pastime of baseball card collecting in the early 20th century. The set features 16 players from the National League and 16 from the American League. Some key rarities include Babe Ruth’s card, which in near-mint condition can fetch over $25,000. Other high-value cards include Ty Cobb ($10,000 NM), Rogers Hornsby ($8,000 NM), and Walter Johnson ($7,000 NM). Most commons in played condition sell for $100-300. The set as a whole in complete but played condition can sell for $5,000-$8,000 depending on centering and wear of the cards.

American Caramel:

Also issued by Caramel in 1921, the American Caramel set shares design similarities to the Sporting Life Caramel set but features different players. Some top rarities include a Lou Gehrig rookie card valued at $15,000 in near-mint condition. A near-mint condition card of Home Run Baker can sell for $5,000 as well. Most commons range from $50-200 in played condition. A complete but played set would sell in the $2,000-$4,000 range.

Cracker Jack:

1921 saw the debut of baseball cards inserted in Cracker Jack boxes. The set featured 16 players from the American League and 16 from the National League. Top stars included Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson. Cracker Jack cards from this inaugural season are quite scarce in high grades. An NM-MT Babe Ruth would be worth $20,000-$25,000. Other keys like Cobb ($10,000 NM) and Johnson ($7,000 NM) also command premium prices. Most commons range between $100-300 in played condition. A complete played set sells for $4,000-$6,000.

Tip Top Bread:

Issued by the Tip Top Baking Company, the 1921 Tip Top Bread set is one of the more plentiful vintage issues. The set has 24 total cards featuring players from both leagues. While not as scarce as other 1921 releases, some keys can still fetch strong prices. A near-mint Lou Gehrig rookie is valued around $8,000. Other stars like Ruth, Cobb, and Hornsby in NM can reach $3,000-$5,000. Most commons are fairly affordable, selling in the $20-100 range depending on condition. A complete played set would sell for around $1,000.

Sweet Caporal:

Sweet Caporal cigarettes issued a set in 1921 that is quite rare and valuable. The 24-card set featured a mix of current stars and past greats. An uncut sheet of 4 cards sells for around $15,000 in near-mint condition, showing the scarcity of high-grade examples. Singles include a $10,000 price tag for a Babe Ruth and $7,000 for a Ty Cobb, both in NM. Most other commons range from $100-500 depending on condition, making this one of the most valuable and sought-after 1921 issues.

The 1921 season saw several new and important baseball card releases that helped popularize the hobby. Understanding the rarity and condition sensitivity of these early tobacco and candy issues is key for collectors. Sets like Sporting Life Caramel, Cracker Jack, and the scarce Sweet Caporal brand sets can contain some truly valuable keys for dedicated vintage baseball card collectors. With the hobby continuing to gain new collectors, demand for intact high-grade examples from this seminal period will likely remain strong.