Bobby Veach Coal Company Trade Card

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Bobby Veach Coal Company Trade Card
Year	1930s (?)
Size	3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Images	Black and White
Type	Trade
Number in Set	1

Bobby Veach Coal Company Trade Card Overview

Bobby Veach Coal Company Card Bobby Veach spent 14 years in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Detroit Tigers. After he retired, he started the Bobby Veach Coal Company in the 1930s.

To advertise his business, Veach had these unique trade cards printed. Veach’s presence on them helps but the cards are even more desirable with his Hall of Fame teammates, Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, on the card as well.

The black and white image on the front shows all three players and has their names printed in the white border area at the bottom. The back of the card promotes Veach’s coal business and also has a message that February has been dedicated to father and son along with a small drawing of a baseball player.

The exact date of the printing of this card is unknown. It features the three players in their Detroit Tigers uniforms but SABR notes that he did not purchase an interest in the coal company until 1933. He didn’t become the sole owner until 1935 so 1933 (possibly even 1935) seems to be the earliest that the card could have been printed. Veach lived until 1945 so it is possible that this is a post-war issue by the definition of this site.

Heritage Auctions notes that only two of the cards are known to exist and that the cards are hand cut, which could mean that many copies were not printed and greatly distributed.