1921/1922 W575 Strip Card Set and Checklist
‘It’s In The Details’
Title | W575 Strip |
Year | 1921 or 1922 |
Size | 2″ x 3 1/4″ |
Images | Black and White |
Type | Strip |
Number in Set |
263 (?) |
1921/1922 W575 Strip Overview

W575-2

W575-1
The W575 strip card set is comprised of two separate issues known as W575-1 and W575-2. Both issues are black and white but look distinctly different.
These cards are mostly recognized as a 1922 issue but it is believed that printing could have started as early as 1921.
W575-1 is a much larger and more complicated issue. It is also much more popular than its smaller counterpart.
The W575-1 set includes the player’s name, position, and team printed at the bottom. These are a mirror image of the E121 American Caramel cards in terms of design. The checklist also is nearly identical to the one from that set. The big difference is that, instead of an American Caramel advertisement, the backs of the standard W575-1s are blank.
The W575-2 set isn’t nearly as complicated as its W575-1 counterpart. These cards include a replica signature over the player’s black and white image, but nothing printed at the bottom.
W575-1 Back Variations
W575-1 strip cards were also used by a number of companies and advertisers. Instead of having blank backs, these companies had their names printed or stamped onto the backs of these cards and distributed them as sort of an advertisement.
Numerous advertisers used these same cards as indicated by their backs. Known companies producing cards with back advertising include:
- Clark’s Bread
- Gassler’s American-Maid Bread
- Haffner’s Big-Tayto-Loaf Bread
- Henry A. Johnson
- Herpolsheimer’s
- Holsum Bread
- Keating Candy
- Leader Theater
- Lou Gertenrich Candy
- Queen City Cigar Store
- Shotwell Manufacturing Company
- Standard Biscuit (three types)
- Witmor Candy (both horizontal and vertical ads)
These backs utilize either the E121 Set of 80 checklist, the E121 Set of 120 checklist, or the W575-1 blank-backed checklist (which includes cards from both of those sets).
Here are pictures of all of the various backs mentioned above.
Koester’s Bread Cards
As if all of that wasn’t confusing enough, the W575-1 set has another wrinkle to it as the Koester’s Bread cards (categorized as D383) used the same design and many of the same players. However, the Koester’s Bread cards are a completely different set.
The most unique aspect of the card, perhaps, is that it is entirely a New York issue. The cards were printed for New York-based Koester Bread and players in the set are either members of the Yankees or Giants. The set was possibly created as part of a promotion surrounding the World Series, which included both of those teams.
A big problem regarding this set is that it can be very difficult to tell them from the regular, blank-backed W575-1 cards. Many of the Koester cards were not printed in the W575-1 set, so any of those would definitely be Koester cards. However, a good chunk were printed in both sets and can be harder to tell.
One distinguishing feature is that many of these cards are on thicker stock and have been cut out from a poster/display. The thicker ones are generally believed to be Koester’s cards and not E121s. However, others were not quite as thick and are believed to have been distributed in the company’s bread products.
This thread has a lot of detailed information on how to tell which cards from which.
These cards are extremely rare. To date, SGC and PSA have graded only a little more than 125 of them.
W501 Parallel and Poster Cuts
Finally, the cards found in the W501 set feature the same pictures/players found in E121 and W575-1 sets.
These cards are generally distinguishable by their presence of a small “G–4-22” that is often printed in the top border. There are other W501 cards found without that printing, though they are not recognized by most as W501 cards and instead are usually just classified as W575-1 cards.
Additionally, collectors should be aware that poster cuts of some sort exist for this set as well. Similar to the 19th Century album and poster cards for tobacco cards that exist, at some point, an advertising poster featuring these card is also known. Some of these cards are identifiable today by traces of black ink on them from letters, similar to the poster cuts for the N284 Buchner Gold Coin cards.
Collectors should note that not every poster cut card has black lettering such as this. A find of poster cut cards was made in 2017 and many in the group did not have the lettering as overprint ink had not appeared on them. Thus, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a hand cut E121 card and a card that was truly cut from the poster if it does not have the black overprint ink on it.
Here’s a bit more detail on the poster-cut cards.
W575 Strip Checklist
While the W575-2 set can easily be checklisted, trying to determine a completely accurate W575-1 checklist is a shot in the dark. The checklist almost lines up entirely with the E121 sets (Set of 80 and Set of 120) but every single card has not yet been found with a blank back to make it a W575-1.
Even attempts to accurately checklist the W575-1 set have been somewhat hollow. Some cards listed as W575-1 cards can actually be from other issues. For example, some cards classified as W575-1 can actually be Koester’s Bread cards – another blank-backed issue using the same design.
Because of the widespread confusion on pinpointing an exact W575-1 checklist, using the E121 Set of 80 and Set of 120 checklists for the W575-1 checklist (even if certain cards have not been yet found with the W575-1 blank backs) is what I have done below. Therefore, the checklist is a theoretical checklist.
W575-1 Part One (E121 Set of 80 cards)
- Grover Alexander (arms up)
- Grover Alexander (arm forward)
- Jim Bagby
- Home Run Baker (Frank)
- Home Run Baker (Franklin)
- Dave Bancroft (batting)
- Dave Bancroft (jumping)
- Ping Bodie
- George Burns
- George Burns
- Owen Bush
- Max Carey (batting)
- Max Carey (hands on hips)
- Cecil Causey
- Ty Cobb (manager)
- Ty Cobb (mgr.)
- Ty Cobb (no manager)
- Eddie Collins
- Rip Collins
- Jake Daubert
- George Dauss
- Charles Deal (dark)
- Charles Deal (light)
- William Doak
- Bill Donovan
- Phil Douglas
- Johnny Evers (manager)
- Johnny Evers (mgr.)
- Red Faber (dark)
- Red Faber (light)
- William Fewster
- Eddie Foster
- Frankie Frisch
- Bill Gardner
- Alexander Gaston (no position)
- Alexander Gaston (position)
- Kid Gleason
- Mike Gonzalez
- Hank Gowdy
- John Graney
- Tom Griffith
- Heinie Groh
- Harry Harper
- Harry Heilmann
- Walter Holke (portrait)
- Walter Holke (throwing)
- Charles Hollarcher
- Harry Hooper
- Rogers Hornsby
- Waite Hoyt
- Miller Huggins
- William Jacobson
- Hughie Jennings
- Walter Johnson (hands up)
- Walter Johnson (throwing)
- James Johnston
- Joe Judge
- George Kelly
- Dickie Kerr
- P.J. Kilduff
- Bill Killefer
- John Lavan
- Nemo Leibold
- Duffy Lewis
- Al Mamaux
- Rabbit Maranville
- Carl May
- Carl Mays
- John McGraw
- Jack McInnis
- M.J. McNall
- Bob Meusel
- Emil Meusel
- Clyde Milan
- Elmer Miller
- Otto Miller
- Guy Morton
- Eddie Murphy
- Hy Myers
- Art Nehf
- Charles O’Leary
- Steve O’Neill
- Roger Peckinpaugh
- Jeff Pfeffer (Brooklyn)
- Jeff Pfeffer (St. Louis)
- Wally Pipp
- Jack Quinn
- John Rawlings
- E.C. Rice
- Eppa Rixey
- Tom Rogers
- Bob Roth
- Edd Roush
- “Babe” Ruth
- Babe Ruth
- Babe Ruth (George)
- Bill Ryan
- Slim Sallee
- Ray Schalk
- Wally Schang
- Ferd Schupp
- Fred Schupp
- Everett Scott
- Hank Severeid
- Bob Shawkey
- Pat Shea
- George Sisler (batting)
- George Sisler (throwing)
- Earl Smith
- Frank Snyder
- Tris Speaker (Manager)
- Tris Speaker (Manager – Large)
- Tris Speaker (Mgr.)
- Tris Speaker (Mgr. – Large)
- Milton Stock
- Amos Strunk
- Zeb Terry
- Chester Thomas
- Fred Toney (trees)
- Fred Toney (no trees)
- George Tyler
- Jim Vaughn (dark cap)
- Jim Vaughn (white cap)
- Bob Veach (arm in air)
- Bob Veach (arms crossed)
- Oscar Vitt
- W. Wambsganss
- Aaron Ward
- Zack Wheat
- George Whitted
- Fred Williams
- Ivy Wingo
- Joe Wood
- Pep Young
W575-1 Part Two (E121 Set of 120 cards)
- Babe Adams
- Grover Alexander
- Jim Bagby
- Dave Bancroft
- Turner Barber
- Bibb Falk
- Carlson Bigbee
- L. Bigbee
- Joe Bush
- Max Carey
- Cecil Causey
- Ty Cobb (batting)
- Ty Cobb (throwing)
- Eddie Collins
- Wilbur Cooper
- Stan Coveleski
- Dave Danforth
- Jake Daubert
- George Dauss
- Dixie Davis
- Lou de Vormer
- William Doak
- Phil Douglas
- Red Faber
- Ira Flagstead
- William Fewster
- Max Flack
- Frankie Frisch
- Bill Gardner
- Alexander Gaston
- E.P. Gharrity
- George Gibson
- Charles Glazner
- Kid Gleason
- Hank Gowdy
- John Graney
- Tom Griffith
- Charlie Grimm
- Heinie Groh
- Jesse Haines
- Harry Harper
- Harry Heilman
- Harry Heilmann
- Clarence Hodge
- Water Holke
- Charles Hollocher
- Harry Hooper
- Rogers Hornsby (2B)
- Rogers Hornsby (OF)
- Waite Hoyt
- Miller Huggins
- Walter Johnson
- Joe Judge
- George Kelly
- Dickie Kerr
- P.J. Kilduff
- Bill Killefer (batting)
- Bill Killefer (throwing)
- John Lavan
- Walter Mails
- Rabbit Maranville
- Elwood Martin
- Carl Mays
- John McGraw
- Jack McInnis
- M.J. McNally
- Bob Meusel
- Emil Meusel
- Clyde Milan
- Elmer Miller
- Otto Miller
- Johnny Mostil
- Eddie Mulligan
- Hy Myers
- Earl Neale
- Art Nehf
- Les Nunamaker
- Joe Oeschger
- Steve O’Neill
- Del Pratt
- John Rawlings (2B)
- John Rawlings (Utl.)
- E.C. Rice
- Eppa Rixey
- Wilbert Robinson
- Tom Rogers
- Ed Rommel
- Ed Rounnel
- Edd Roush
- Muddy Ruel
- Walter Reuthel
- “Babe” Ruth (holding ball)
- “Babe” Ruth (holding bird)
- “Babe” Ruth (montage)
- Babe Ruth (holding bird)
- Babe Ruth (montage)
- Bill Ryan
- Ray Schalk (batting)
- Ray Schalk (catching)
- Wally Schang
- Everett Scott
- Joe Sewell
- Bob Shawkey
- Pat Shea
- Earl Sheely
- Urban Shocker
- George Sisler
- Earl Smith
- Elmer Smith
- Frank Snyder
- Billy Southworth
- Tris Speaker (large)
- Tris Speaker (small)
- Milton Stock
- Amos Strunk
- Zeb Terry
- Fred Toney
- George Topocer
- Bob Veach
- Oscar Vitt
- Curtis Walker
- W. Wambsganss
- Aaron Ward
- Zack Wheat
- George Whitted (Brooklyn)
- George Whitted (Pittsburgh)
- Fred Williams
- Ivy WIngo
- Ross Youngs
W575-2 Checklist
- Dave Bancroft
- Johnnie Bassler
- Joe Bush
- Ty Cobb
- Eddie Collins
- Stan Coveleski
- Jake Daubert
- Joe Dugan
- Red Faber
- Frankie Frisch
- Walter Gerber
- Harry Heilmann
- Harry Hooper
- Rogers Hornsby
- Waite Hoyt
- Joe Judge
- George Kelly
- Rabbit Maranville
- Rube Marquard
- Guy Morton
- Art Nehf
- Del Pratt
- Jimmy Ring
- Eppa Rixey
- Gene Robertson
- Ed Rommel
- Babe Ruth
- Wally Schang
- Everett Scott
- Henry Severeid
- Joe Sewell
- George Sisler
- Tris Speaker
- Riggs Stephenson
- Zeb Terry
- Bobby Veach
- Clarence Walker
- Johnnie Walker
- Zack Wheat
- Ken Williams
Follow Pre-War Cards on Twitter and also be sure to like our page on Facebook.