1922 American Caramel Set (E122)

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	E122 American Caramel
Year	1922
Size	2″ x 3 1/4″
Images	Black and White
Type	Candy/Caramel
Number in Set	79

E122 American Caramel Overview

The E122 American Caramel set is a similar issue in appearance to the E121 release. Fronts include black and white images with the player’s name, position, and team.

The biggest difference in terms of design on the front is that the border around the picture was extended to also include the text at the bottom. The text area is shaded to help it appear as a distinct area apart from the photograph. The backs are similar to the E121 Set of 80 as well, mentioning the cards as part of a set of 80 and distributed by the American Caramel Company.

The checklist is also closely tied to the E121 American Caramel Set of 80. While there are more E121 Set of 80 cards, every confirmed E122 American Caramel card is found in that set.

The cards are also somewhat close in appearance to the E220 National Caramel cards. E220 cards, like these, also have a box at the bottom.

Unlike the E121 cards, though, these aren’t as collector-friendly in part because of their scarcity and subsequently higher prices. To date, fewer than 300 have been graded by PSA and SGC combined. Typically, eBay will have only a few dozen at any given time.

The cards are commonly off center. They are quite often found with large borders of white space on either the side or top/bottom. Well-centered cards from this set can be a challenging find for any collector.

Variation

While the cards in this set have a box at the bottom with the player’s name, position, and team information, there is at least one known variation to this formula.

The card of Ferd Schupp is a little different from the others. As this auction claims, his card is the only one in the set without the box at the bottom. However it is most certainly an E122 card as confirmed by the advertisement on the back as well as the screen/filter picture used.

I am unsure if a Schupp version with the box exists but have not yet seen one. It is possible that all of his cards have this missing box.

Checklisting Issues

Numerous checklists have been developed for this set over the years. But as I outlined here, several cards have almost certainly been added in error. Grading companies have mislabeled some cards, calling them E122s and that has probably contributed to the confusion.

As I outlined here, several cards that are routinely in E122 checklists probably do not belong.

E122 American Caramel Checklist

Several cards are commonly listed as being included in this set but have not been confirmed. That list is presented here first. Adding fuel to the fire, only Harris’ card has been graded by any of the three main grading companies (SGC has graded one) and his is one that is not likely to exist so that could be in error.