1934 Carreras Believe it or Not Set and Checklist

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It’s in the Details

Title Carreras Believe it or Not
Year 1934
Size 1 5/8″ x 2 3/4″
Images Color
Type Tobacco
Number in Set
 50

1934 Carreras Believe it or Not Overview

In 1934, UK cigarette manufacturer Carreras created a 50-card set of unbelievable facts. Most cards in the release were non-sports cards. However, of interest to American collectors is a card of football kicker, Sam York. The only other sports-related card is that of a jockey (Card No. 24).

The cards are a little bigger than your traditional earlier tobacco cards and have a white border along with the title of a particular interesting fact at the bottom.

Sam York Card

sam-york-carreras

York was a kicker for Centenary college and in 1925, he kicked 172 field goals in a row. York’s card features a color image of him on the front with the inscription “172 goals by Sam York” at the bottom. Without reading the back that describes him as kicking field goals, the average collector might only glance at the front and mistake him for a soccer player.

The back of the card states that he kicked 172 field goals in succession with the date November 1925. The card was printed approximately a full decade after his feat. And as York confirmed later in a newspaper interview, those field goals were an informal record of sorts as they happened while practicing one day. Here’s more on the interesting York backstory and this card.

Not much information is out there on York. He is believed to have earned a B.S. degree from the school, but other than that, information is scarce.

1934 Carreras Believe it or Not Checklist

Below is a complete checklist of the set:

  1. The Mysterious Growing Grave
  2. Countless Stones
  3. 2,500 Miles in a Paper Boat
  4. S.S. Conti Di Savoia
  5. The Rock Church
  6. The Death Sign
  7. The Memorial at Thiepval
  8. The Manbuti Pygmies
  9. The Australian Bottle Tree
  10. The Chair that Grew
  11. Weight of Coat of Paint
  12. Hens Never Lay Eggs
  13. The Prairie Schooner
  14. The Talking Turkey
  15. A Champion Egg Layer
  16. Mrs. Frank Scott’s Children
  17. Thomas Parr, Ye Olde, Olde, Olde, Man
  18. Origin of the Word ‘Tip’
  19. Pete Markovich’s Strong Drink
  20. Built Without a Smokestack
  21. 16 Children
  22. Gave Away His Birthday
  23. The Millionaire Gladiator
  24. Jockey’s Day of Destiny
  25. The World’s Greatest Kisser
  26. Newsboys Profit
  27. Black Hole of Calcutta
  28. The Straight and Narrow
  29. A Grenade Exploded
  30. Lord Paulston
  31. Sam York (Football)
  32. Tsar’s Lantern Guard
  33. A Unique Marriage
  34. A Family of Admirals
  35. Ice Sitting Contest
  36. Russia’s Labour Leader
  37. Tom Morgan’s War Helmet
  38. The Living Statue
  39. A Sacred Chapter
  40. A.J. Officer’s Cycle Ride
  41. Father and Son
  42. Wedding Anniversary
  43. Pine Grows out of Willow Tree
  44. Queen Victoria Rock
  45. Endurance of Jekisiel Laib
  46. Never Slept in 71 Years
  47. What Happened to Wiley Post
  48. Moore’s Punishment
  49. You Can’t Take it with You
  50. King of Four Kingdoms at Once

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