Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Mecca / Tolstoi Champion Athletes and Prizefighters (T220)
Year	1910
Size	2 1/2″ x 3 1/4″
Images	Color
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	50

1910 Mecca / Tolstoi Champion Athletes and Prizefighters Set Overview

The T220 Champion Athletes and Prizefighters set is one of the more popular 20th century boxing tobacco card issues. The cards were distributed inside packages of Mecca and Tolstoi Cigarettes. Unlike most of the other tobacco cards of that same time period, these are larger and shaped more like a square. Among pre-war boxing tobacco sets, this is one of the more heavily collected ones.

The set appears to have been destined to be larger at some point and we know that from its name. While it is called the Champion Athletes and Prizefighters set, only boxers are known to be in it.

The T223 Dixie Queen set used the same images from the T220 set but the two sets have a few differences. First, they were printed on different paper. The T220 cards are also slightly larger than the T223 cards and, instead of Dixie Queen ads, these have Mecca and Tolstoi ads.

The styles for the cards varies as some feature individual boxers while others feature fights between a pair of boxers. Additionally, while some of the cards featuring two boxers include their full names, others only have their last names.

The set includes both active and retired boxers. John L. Sullivan, for example, is one of the key cards in the set, even though his career had ended many years before these cards were issued. Because it includes fighters of different eras, it is a star-filled set with plenty of big names.

The cards have color pictures with mostly thick white borders on the front and a description of the subject(s) on the back as well as a tobacco advertisement for either Mecca or Tolstoi. Some of the cards have a short biography of the fighter on the back while others simply provide his record.

Additionally, some cards in the set were also printed with silver borders. Those are much rarer than the white ones and also sell for a bit more.

Mike Donovan – Then and Now

Another intriguing subject in the set is Mike Donovan and he appears on two cards.

Donovan is pictured on one card in the set as an old man at the age of 62 but is still in the ring as if he were preparing to fight. At the time, he was the boxing instructor for the New York Athletic Club and his card states that he remained just as active as he was in his youth. That card is titled, ‘Mike Donovan of Today.’

Donovan also has a different card picturing him as a younger fighter in the 1860s when he was the world champion. That card is titled, ‘World’s Champion in the Sixties.’

Here’s a closer look at Donovan’s cards.

1910 Mecca / Tolstoi Champion Athletes and Prizefighters Set Checklist

1. James Barry
2. Willie Beecher
3. Jack Burke
4. Tommy Burns
5. Jem Carney
6. Joe Choynski
7. Joe Coburn
8. James Corbett
9. Young Corbett
10. Leach Cross
11. Jack Dempsey
12. George Dixon
13. Mike Donovan – In the 60s
14. Mike Donovan – Today
15. Patsey Driscoll and Glover
16. Billy Edwards
17. Young Erne
18. Bob Fitzsimmons
19. Johnny Frayne
20. Joe Gans
21. Charlie Goldman
22. Jack Goodman
23. Young Griffo
24. Marvin Hart
25. John Heenan
26. John Heenan and Tom Sayers
27. Peter Jackson
28. James Jeffries and Tom Sharkey
29. Ben Jordan
30. Frank Klaus
31. Kid Lavigne
32. Jem Mace and Tom King
33. Jem Mace
34. Frankie Madden
35. Peter Maher
36. Jack McAuliffe
37. Kid McCoy
38. Terry McGovern
39. Charlie Mitchell
40. Jack O’Brien
41. Pal Moore
42. Randall and Belasco
43. Randall and Turner
44. Tommy Ryan
45. Tom Sharkey
46. John Sullivan
47. John Sullivan and Jake Kilrain
48. Joe Wagner
49. Freddie Welsh
50. Tug Wilson

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