1910-12 Sporting Life Set (M116)

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	M116 Sporting Life
Year	1910-12
Size	1 1/2″ x 2 3/4″
Images	Color
Type	Publications
Number in Set	287 (400+ in master checklist)

M116 Sporting Life Overview

The 1910-12 M116 Sporting Life set was listed as having 288 cards in the American Card Catalog. Some of the backs of the cards state there are more than 300 subjects. And to date, the number is somewhere around 400. While not a tobacco or candy card set, I believe there is great future potential for these cards.

The set is almost always listed as a 1910-11 issue as grading companies and publications have stated it as such. However, as newspaper advertisements clearly show, cards were still being distributed into 1912.

It’s no surprise that the exact number of cards in the set is a mystery. A discovery in 2013 brought the total count to 400 cards. But if that’s any indication, it’s quite possible we could see more cards continue to surface in future years. This massive issue is one of the largest sets in the pre-war era.

The cards feature color portrait images of baseball players. The simple look has their name and team printed in the bottom white border. Similar to the rare E103 Williams Caramel cards, only portrait shots are included in the set. Because the cards have a series of blue, green, and yellow backgrounds, they are often referred to as featuring ‘pastel’ colors.

A total of 24 series were initially sold with 12 cards in each, which is where the initial 288 number comes from. However, all checklists I have seen reference only 287 cards.

Later cards with updates were then offered after those. The cards are colorful with full color pictures on the front along with a player’s name and team. There were three different backs printed in the series – one of which advertised more than 300 Sporting Life cards. The cards were originally offered in 24 different series with each series consisting of 12 cards. The series’ were available by mail in exchange for a coupon and four cents per series. Collectors could also by them for nine cents without the coupon.

While these cards are relatively known, new surprises are still cropping up in the form of new variations. Big finds are still happening, too. A massive collection of more than 300 of these cards was found in Philadelphia nearly 100 years after their creation. More than 100 high-grade examples were discovered in 2015. Because this series was so large, additional large finds are still likely to occur as the years go by.

These cards are generally somewhat tough to come by. The prices for them do not seem to be based on the rarity at all as collectors have flocked more to tobacco and candy cards instead.

Note that rarity is also largely dependent upon how many of a particular series was even ordered, similar to things such as the Topps Living Set. Some cards will be tougher to find than others if a particular series was not sent away for as much as others.

Varying Ad Backs and Portrait Backgrounds

Different ad backs are known for this set. One ad back has a crossed bats design in the background and can be found with both blue and black ink. A second utilizes diagonal boxes for ‘Baseball News’ and ‘Sporting Life.’ Finally, a third has two vertical baseball bats on the sides. All advertise the publication for only five cents at all ‘newsdealers’ and emphasize the publication’s focus on baseball news.

Numerous variations exist featuring players with different teams and different backs. Some backs are printed in black ink while others are in blue. In addition, the backgrounds on the fronts behind the players can vary, too. Generally, most have blue backgrounds but some have a pastel background.

Below are the various advertising backs.

PSA has graded about 6,000 of these cards to date.

Scraps and Proofs

Like some other pre-war sets, proof or scrap cards are known for these as well. These have the same pictures as the regular cards and generally have the same look.

However, they are blank-backed and do not includes the text on the front, indicating the player’s name or team. In addition, they will often have rough cuts and may also be missing certain ink colors (partially or entirely).

The market for these types of cards is generally strong and they usually command significantly more than the regular cards do.