1925 Exhibit Champions Set and Checklist

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Exhibits Champions (W469)
Year	1925
Size	3 3/8″ x 5 3/8″
Images	Black and White
Type	Exhibit
Number in Set	32

1925 Exhibit Champions Set Overview

This Exhibit card set is different from the baseball-only and boxing-only issues produced. Instead, this set features baseball, boxing, and a lot more. The set is listed in the American Card Catalog as W469.

The cards are postcard-sized but have mostly blank backs to match many other Exhibit issues. Pictures of subjects are black and white and the athlete’s name is printed inside of a small rectangular box. Like other Exhibit cards, these were available in arcade machines for one cent per card.

While most of the backs are blank, some of the cards can be found with an advertisement for he set. Formally titled ‘Champions of the World’, the back states that there are 32 cards in the set. The back seems to have been written for dealers selling these cards as it states that collectors will want these cards and an offer to ‘Be first in your territory (to offer them)’ in addition to stating that the price is the same that dealers have been paying for other cards and imploring them to send their order in. Backs with these advertisements are extremely rare.

This multi-sport set is fairly rare and few of the cards even make their way to popular selling hubs such as eBay. Babe Ruth is the only baseball player featured and his, as you would expect, is easily the most popular and valuable card in the set. Boxers include Jack Dempsey while early wrestling star Strangler Lewis is included, too, along with hockey player Al Stinson. Other popular cards in the set are those for tennis Hall of Famer Bill Tilden and golf Hall of Famer Gene Sarazen. Additionally, the set includes a rare pre-war basketball card — a card for a high school team from New Jersey. All four major American sports are represented with the exception of football.

The set has even more than that. Track and field stars are included as are cards for other more obscure sports. Rodeo champion Kenneth Maynard, for example, is one of the lesser known subjects in the set.