1939 Gridiron Greats Blotters Set

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

It’s in the Details

Title	Gridiron Greats Blotters
Year	1939
Size	3 7/8″ x 9″
Image	Color
Type	Blotter
Number in Set	12

1939 Gridiron Greats 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.

The 1939 Gridiron Greats Blotters set included 12 cards with various advertisements. These cards were issued for numerous vendors for advertisements and other products such as calendars. The set includes a player portrait on top of a football and a yellow background.

Various years have been accredited to this account, such as 1937, 1939, or even one into the 1940s.

These blotters can be found both with or without accompanying advertisements. That is because they were printed without them initially as ‘stock’ copies and individual businesses could print or stamp their own tailored message on them. Some blotters have a horizontal layout while others were printed vertically.

The strange numbering in the lower right hand corner serves as an identification and are the numbers used in the checklist below. All of the cards are heavily desired, but the Jim Thorpe, Sammy Baugh, Red Grange, George Gipp, and Bronko Nagurski in particular are key to the set. They feature pictures of the players with their collegiate teams.

These are some of the few pre-war American football cards available to collectors and this set is generally very difficult to find.

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.

Blotters were generally an advertisement for a specific product, service, or organization. Along with a picture of a sports figure or team, they usually sought to promote some type of product or business.