1923 W580 Strip Card Set and Checklist

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	W580 Strip
Year	1923
Size	1 1/2″ x 2 5/8″
Images	Black and White
Type	Strip
Number in Set	Unknown

W580 Strip Card Overview

Peter Maher W580 Strip Card Boxing These strip cards featured the biggest names in boxing of the time period. But even many years after their printing, a complete checklist may not be fully confirmed yet.

The cards are black and white using real pictures of boxers. They have semi-thick white borders around the exterior of the card and most have a thin border line around their picture. A few, however, such as Jack Johnson and Adolphus Wolgast, are printed without them and against full blank backgrounds instead, offering a slightly different look from the rest.

In all, this is a basic set with a standard image the the boxer’s name and weight class at the bottom. Like most other strip issues, the backs of these cards are blank. Like other hand cut strip cards, these are often found with uneven, rough (even sometimes torn) edges.

The set contains fighters across all eras up to the time of printing. While current fighters were included, it also included former greats, including Johnson, John Sullivan, and James Jeffries.

Two Types and Checklisting Issues

W580 Jack Dempsey Boxing Within W580, there are two different types or sets available an American set and a set produced out Siam, which is now known as Thailand. The American cards are most common.

The cards are similar but have different characteristics. In particular, the Siam set has a glossier front with a plain white back.

The two types have undoubtedly caused some checklisting confusion as it is not known if the cards in the two sets match up perfectly. As a result, some of the Siam cards have likely been listed as part of the American W580 set. Checklisting efforts, as a result, remain incomplete for both sets.

Shown here is a Dempsey card from the Siam set.

W590 Confusion

These cards are often confused for W590 strip cards by even experienced collectors of pre-war cards. But while the layout is the same, they are actually relatively easy to distinguish from each other based on their font. W590 strip cards have a serif font (i.e. Times New Roman with lines on the tips of the letters) whereas these cards do not.

When in doubt, collectors should assume a card is from the W580 set than the W590 one more often than not. While the W580 strip card set is comprised entirely of boxers and includes at least 60 of them, the W590 strip card set is a multi-sport issue with only about 1/4 or 1/5 of the boxers in this issue. The W590 boxing cards are generally harder to find.

Number Confusion

Jack Johnson W580 Boxing with Number 29 Collectors of these cards will see some with numbers on them from time to time. As I wrote here, that was also something seen in the aforementioned W590 strip cards as well.

Some W580 cards can be seen with these numbers. But unlike most (if not all) W590s, the numbers here were not placed at the very end of a row. Instead, they were between two boxers. Thus, depending on the way they were cut, a boxer may have a number to his right or left, or also have only part of a number showing.

Below is the orientation of the numbers as it relates to which boxers they were in between.

31. Between Klaus and Ketchel
32. Between Cross and McFarland
33. Between Papke and Fitzsimmons
34. Between Wolgast and Johnson
35. Between Lewis and Ritchie

In addition to these numbers, the cards are also sometimes found with other numbers. For example, the Jack Johnson shown here has him with the No. 34 (which is by far and away the most common) but also No. 29. Others of these have been found using the pairings above for the initial set of numbers. But in each instance, the other number they were seen with was five less than the first number.

Thus, the second numbering system these cards can be found with is:

26. Between Klaus and Ketchel
27. Between Cross and McFarland
28. Between Papke and Fitzsimmons (unconfirmed, but based on numbering pattern, likely)
29. Between Wolgast and Johnson
30. Between Lewis and Ritchie (unconfirmed, but based on numbering pattern, likely)

Uncut Strips

Like other strip card issues, uncut strips of these cards are seen from time to time. The same one featuring Jack Johnson as the second card from the left is commonly seen and could have either been printed in large quantities or be a very similar-looking, though entirely different, issue altogether.

W580 Strip Card Checklist

While a checklist may not be yet confirmed, this list put together on the Net54 site is one potential checklist for the American set. However, because of the checklisting issues with the Siam cards, this list is likely not 100% accurate. It is important to note that every card on this list may not have yet been confirmed as being a part of the American W580 set.

Four cards in particular that have been graded as ‘American’ W580 cards all appear to be Siam cards – James Corbett, Dundee, Erne, and Bob Fitzsimmons (not Young Bob). As a result, I have not included them in that list here.

In addition, here is a thread with a list (and pictures for most) of the confirmed W580 Siam cards.

American W580 Checklist (in progress)