1924 Walter Mails Game Card (WG7) Set

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Walter Mails Game Cards (WG7)
Year	1924
Size	2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Images	Black and White
Type	Game Cards
Number in Set	57

1924 Walter Mails Game Cards Overview

The WG7 Walter Mails Game card set included a total of 56 cards (57 if you count the instructions card).

The cards were distributed in a small box printed in either blue ink or red ink – more on that in a bit. The box advertised that the game was ‘For Young’ or ‘For Old’, indicating it was for all ages. Further, it stated that the game was ‘realistic.’ Finally, it states that was endorsed by major league players and included autographed pictures, even though the actual autographs were replicas.

The game was sold for $1.00 and was, as advertised on the box, made in the U.S.

The set did include some stars but left a lot to be desired compared to other gaming cards, such as the WG5, WG6, or WG7 sets. Walter Johnson highlights the group and the set also included players such as George Sisler and Rabbit Maranville. One unique aspect of the set is that many of the players had their nicknames listed as well.

Fronts included a black and white picture of the player in question, a specific action for the game, and the player’s name and replica signature.

Most of the set isn’t done too bad. But several of the images are cropped oddly giving some of the cards an overly sloppy look. Also adding to that are the fact that a few different fonts are used for the action words. The set is relatively clean but the aesthetics could certainly be improved.

Finally, another interesting feature of the cards is found in the corners. The cards had rounded corners like other game card issues, but are not quite as rounded as other playing cards.

Groves sold the game mostly via mail order and ultimately sold the remaining 1,000 decks of cards to a recreational league in California. It is believed that approximately 5,000 sets were created.

The Groves family helped provide a lot of information on this set and, after being in touch with them, I pieced together a separate, in-depth article on this release. Much more on the Mails game set and its history can be found here.

Back Variations

The cards’ backs included a typical playing card design and two different types exist.

One was printed in red ink and a second was printed in blue ink. Each back included generic images of baseball players included in small circles.

The blue-backed cards are considered to be rarer and were printed first. Red-backed cards were an update of sorts and were printed later. Blue-backed cards were distributed in the aforementioned blue-ink boxes while red-backed cards were offered in the red-ink boxes.

Creator George Groves and Walter Mails

While Mails’ name was used for the promotion of the set, George N. Groves was actually its creator. That is mentioned on the instructions card, which was included with the game and credits him as the inventor.

Groves himself was also featured in the set. He was not a major league player but was instead, as his card indicates, the manager of six consecutive Junior Base Ball Championship teams in Oakland. The box states that 55 cards of major leaguers were included, which can lead many to believe that only 55 were included. In fact, there are 57 cards including the card of Groves and the instructions.

The set bears the name of Walter Mails, a former player. Mails, who was a pitcher at the time, is also included in the set himself. The game’s box indicates that it was distributed by the Great Mails Base Ball Game Company.

Special Insert

In addition to the cards, an ancillary insert is also known to exist for this set. A two-sided paper flyer was printed that gives even more insight into the set.

One side of the undated flyer contained unmarked sample box scores that could be used to play games. Two sample box scores were printed to allow players to recreate them in that style. Additional box scores were available from the company at the cost of six for ten cents or 20 for ‘two bits’ (a quarter).

The other side of the flyer presented Groves’ special system of scoring. But the more intriguing aspect was that a contest was being run to allow fans to select players that they wanted to see in an update of the set. It is unknown if this update was used for additions to the red-backed set or if it was a planned update for an additional printing that never occurred.

Fans were to mail the bottom portion of the flyer to the game company (based in Santa Monica, California). That area had lines where a player’s name and team was to be entered and it was also to be signed by the submitter.

A Second Game

Groves’ family still has many of the original documents of this game and also has Groves’ plans for a second game. You can read more about this story here.