1914 Cracker Jack Set (E145-1)

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	E145-1 Cracker Jack
Year	1914
Size	2 1/4″ x 3″
Images	Color
Type	Candy/Caramel
Number in Set	144

1914 Cracker Jack Overview

Among the most well-known candy card issues, the 1914 and 1915 E145 Cracker Jack sets are heavily desired by collectors. The cards are among the most well-known pre-war issues.

Known for their red backgrounds, these cards have gained quite a following over the years and are one of the more popular E-card releases. Famous collector Charlie Sheen has a well-documented collection of these cards graded by PSA.

The 1914 set feature a total of 144 total cards. Printed on thinner card stock, these cards are the more sought after of the 1914 and 1915 Cracker Jack cards. Both sets have the same design.

Cards feature a player image against a solid red background. The tops of the cards read “Cracker Jack Ball Players” while the bottoms include the player’s name and team.’ One card was included into each Cracker Jack package.

One anomaly in the set is the card of Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan. Bresnahan has both cards with a card number and without one.

Unlike many other caramel and tobacco cards from the same era, the backs of the cards include a detailed biography of the player in question. Also printed on backs are card numbers to help collectors better assemble a set. Cards are rare and extremely delicate making grading them in any condition a worthwhile pursuit.

1914 Cards vs. 1915 Cards

One confusing thing for collectors not too familiar with these sets is differentiating the 1914 cards from the 1915 cards and that’s because the cards look virtually alike. There are a few ways to tell them apart, however.

Without a doubt, the easiest way to tell them apart is the backs. The backs of the 1915 cards were printed upside down while the 1914 backs are right side up when you turn them over horizontally.

In addition, as stated, the 1914 cards are printed on thinner stock. Finally, the 1915 set was larger and included cards beyond No. 144. Any cards with card numbers after 144 are 1915 cards.

Finally, in terms of rarity, the 1914 cards are much rarer.

Production

While production values of early cards is always difficult to find, Cracker Jack came right out and identified how many cards were printed … or at least how many were to be printed.

While the backs of the 1915 cards don’t make any claims as to how many were produced, the 1914 set does. At the bottom of the first cards in the set, Cracker Jack stated that there were ten million cards produced. That number changed on later cards in the issue, citing 15,000,000.

If true, that provides a really interesting look into history. To date, PSA and SGC have graded a little more than 7,000 cards from this set combined. Even if you double that to account for other graded cards and raw cards, that still gives us less than one-tenth of one percent (.001). It’s a startling look into history and just how few of these cards survived.

Here’s a much deeper look into this topic.

Branch Rickey Rookie Card

The series includes many big names of the era, including the likes of Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and many more. One lesser name is known, even though his card sells for significant money — Branch Rickey.

Rickey, who is famous for signing Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, has his rookie card in the 1914 set. Rickey’s cards do not approach the highest ones in the set but are highly sought after for his role in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier with the signing of Robinson.

Even low-grade cards of the Hall of Famer usually sell for more than $1,000.

Rickey, it should be noted, like most others, is also found in the 1915 Cracker Jack set. Collectors seeking his true rookie card should be careful that the example they are pursuing is the 1914 issue and not the 1915 print. Both are valuable, but only the 1914 card should be considered his first.