H804-38 An Accurate Barometer Trade Cards Set

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	H804-38 An Accurate Barometer Trade Cards
Year	1800s
Size	2 3/4″ x 4 3/8″
Images	Color
Type	Trade
Number in Set	4

H804-38 An Accurate Barometer Trade Cards Overview

This set is part of the baseball comic series of trade cards. Noted collector Frank Keetz assigned it the designation used in his book, “Baseball Advertising Trade Cards 3rd Edition.”

Two baseball cards are known to be in this small set as well as at least one questionable non-sports card. In the two baseball cards, one happy boy is shown with the chance to play baseball while a sad boy is depicted on the other with no baseball for a week, per the caption.

Two other cards could be considered sports or non-sports cards in the series. Using the same ‘An Accurate Barometer’ name/design, a boy is shown bundled up due to the weather on one of them. On another, the same child in the baseball images is shown with a large fan with the caption stating that it is hot and could get hotter. It could be argued that the same boy is featured on all four cards, so since the other two are baseball issues, the hot/cold cards could technically be loosely considered as baseball cards as well.

Most are featured without any advertiser or retailer information printed on the fronts. However, that is not always the case as those have been seen on them occasionally.

Inserts?

This set is mostly classified as a trade card, which is correct. But some are also known to have been used as product inserts.

One, for example, has been seen with a redemption program on the back. John E. Mills of Lebanon, PA, a coffee manufacturer, states that by returning 25 of the small cards packed with their coffee, the consumer would receive a free, beautiful picture measuring, 16″ x 22″ without printing.

We know from this that, at least some of the An Accurate Barometer cards were distributed in packages of coffee, making them an insert of sorts.

That ‘without printing’ designation is an interesting one. Since printing is on the front of the trade cards, it is possible that the picture would be one of those. That would mean that larger premium photos of these cards may exist.

Similarity to May Yet Become/Wed President Set

These card are also similar to another trade card set with the tagline, May Yet Become/Wed a President. Those cards feature boys and girls. The boys have cards that indicate they could become a president while the girls are pictured on cards saying they could marry a president. With women now running for president, times have changed a bit, safe to say.

These cards could be mistaken for belonging together since they have similar drawings and, more importantly, the same type of font. Additionally, several of the ‘President’ trade cards also have the same background – white with a cream/tan colored splash. However, we can safely say those cards are not part of the ‘An Accurate Barometer’ set for a couple of reasons.

First, none of the cards have that tagline and, instead, have the ‘President’ tagline, signifying them as part of a different issue. Second, there are four cards in the President this set along with the four in the ‘An Accurate Barometer’ set. Fittingly, they each have the same number of cards and that seems to indicate these are two four-card sets. If designed by the same artist, it would make sense that they would each have the same number of cards.

Other Unaffiliated Cards

In addition, some other similar cards appear to have been produced as well. While having the same design and similar pictures of children, these appear to be separate issues altogether.

How many could exist is unknown. But at least two similar cards with the titles ‘Compulsory Education’ and ‘Striving for Honors’ are known. These sets are about children in school as opposed to playing sports.

The titles are in the same style as the cards in the other sets referenced here. To date, I am not aware of any separate sports cards in this set.