1937 Mayfair Candies Touchdown 100 Yards Set (R343)

‘It’s In The Details’
Title | R343 Mayfair Candies Touchdown 100 Yards |
Year | 1937 |
Size | 1 3/4″ x 2 3/4″ |
Images | Color |
Type | Candy/Gum |
Number in Set |
24 |
1937 R343 Mayfair Candies Touchdown 100 Yards Overview
These unique cards featured color scenes of football games and players. Produced in 1937, it was catalogued as R343 Mayfair Candies by Jefferson Burdick in his American Card Catalog. Burdick’s description also calls it the ‘Touchdown 100 Yards’ set.
The cards are the work of Mayfair Candies, a company based in New York City. While most of the players in the set are not identified, Hall of Famer Red Grange is depicted on one.
All of the cards have a horizontal layout except for two which are printed vertically. The cards have a perforated edge to them on two sides (the long edge).
The cards are rare and to date, PSA has graded only a few of these cards.
Redemption Offer
Backs of the cards described a particular football scene. The set gets its ‘Touchdown 100 Yards’ name from a special promotion run by Mayfair Candies.
Each card had a particular yardage value on it as well as a description of a play. Collectors of the set had to gather cards that had descriptions adding up to 100 yards to redeem them for a football. In addition to the cards, the collector was also required to send ten cents to help with the postage for the cost of receiving the football.
Collectors were to send their cards and money to Mayfair Candies at 609 West 51st Street in New York City. Those offices were located just off the Hudson River and in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Constructed in 1924, the building itself would have been fairly new at the time it was occupied by Mayfair. The redemption offer expired on February 15 of 1938.
The redemption offer, if the cards were not returned, could help explain the rarity for this set.
Red Grange
As mentioned earlier, Football Hall of Famer Red Grange is found in this set. It is clearly the most desirable card in the issue not only because other players are not identified on other cards, but because Grange is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Like others, he is not named on the back of the card. But the picture features Grange and it is considered a Grange card.
His card is titled ‘Line Holds Beautifully’ as Grange is running with the ball in open space with defenders in pursuit.
Two Different Backs
Most collectors do not know there are actually two slightly different variations of the backs.
On some cards, the portion describing the offer has the line spacing farther apart. On others, the lines are significantly closer together.
1937 R343 Mayfair Candies Touchdown 100 Yards Checklist
To date, the only two cards I have seen from this set are listed below. It is not known if others exist.
- Again the Off Tackle Play
- Being in Perfect Position
- Changing Quickly
- Charging Hard
- Coming from in Front
- Coming out of a Huddle
- Digging in Their Heels
- Early in the Third
- Fullback
- Giving Every Ounce
- In a Play that Fizzled
- Indecision
- Late in the Same Period
- Left Tackle
- Line Holds (Red Grange)
- Only Intense Rivalry
- Outmaneuvered
- Quarterback Runs
- Revealing for the First Time
- Same Old Story
- Snapping out of Their Huddle
- Three Yards to Go
- Trying the Old Statue of Liberty
- What have we Done
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