College Basketball/Football Schedule Blotters
College Schedule Blotters Overview
Ink blotters were generally rectangular cards that were popular in the days of fountain pens. They would usually be kept on desks and were used to allow people to wipe off excess ink. To properly absorb the ink, blotters are generally a little thicker and have a different texture than traditional cards.
While not standard trading cards, blotters with sports figures are absolutely collectible. Because they were used to absorb extra ink, you will often find them with ink spots all over them. Ones that haven’t been covered in ink demand a premium.
Various blotters were created for college basketball and football teams to advertise their schedules. In an effort to keep track of them, I have listed known ones below. Some blotters listed the schedules for more than one local college on their card. Any advertiser names are in parentheses and they are listed in chronological order.
Others surely exist and will be added to this list as discovered.
Basketball
- 1939-40 Earlham College Schedule (Bankers Life Company)
Football
- 1901 Princeton and Yale Schedules (New York Tribune)
- 1919 University of Texas Schedule
- 1926 Colorado College Schedule (The Democrat Publishing Company)
- 1927 Northwestern University and Northern Illinois State Teacher’s College (Secor’s)
- 1929 University of Michigan Schedule (Mayer-Schairer)
- 1935 Pacific Coast Teams (Chevrolet Car Dealerships)
- 1936 Cal / Stanford / USC / St. Mary’s (Remington Portable Typewriter)
- 1938 Michigan State (Dudley Paper Company)
- 1938 Missouri and Washington (Life and Casualty Insurance of Tennessee)
- 1938 Universities of Oregon / Oregon State / Portland (Froskist Ice Cream)
- 1939 Southwestern College (Winfield Steam Laundry and Dry Cleaning)
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