Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte
Year	1946-47
Size2	″2 1/8 x 3 1/8″
Images	Black and White
Type	Gum/Candy
Number in Set	180

1946-47 Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte Set Overview

This massive Cuban set featured athletes from baseball, boxing, wrestling, and tennis. These caramel cards from Montiel are popular and this was one of the first major card sets issued after World War II. The Los Reyes del Deporte name roughly translates to Sporting Kings or Kings of Sports. The set is sometimes classified as a 1946 issue while classified as a 1946-47 set at other times.

These popular cards have black and white images of subjects inside of a yellow or orange border. Back include the name of the set as well as the player’s name and biography. Exact measurements on the cards vary greatly. They are fragile and printed on thin stock, usually resulting in damage.

The set included both current and former athletes. Some former stars were Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, and Lou Gehrig — all of their cards are quite desirable, obviously. Current players included the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Stan Musial, and many more. Musial’s card is especially important as it is often considered to be his rookie by collectors. His card tops those of even those retired greats.

While their cards are all expensive, the most valuable card in the set usually belongs to Martin Dihigo. The card of the Cuban-born Baseball Hall of Famer sells for more than $500, even in very low-grade condition.

The majority of the set is comprised of baseball players but key boxing figures, including John Sullivan, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, and others, are included. Four wrestlers are also featured as well as a single tennis player — Hall of Famer Helen Wills Moody.

Two Styles

There are two general designs/styles for the set.

Cards numbered 1-100 utilize one style as shown here on the left in this card for boxing legend Jack Dempsey. These cards have the basic yellow or orange colored border with the black and white image in the middle.

Most of the cards numbered after that (101-180 — all minor league baseball players) have a slightly different look. These cards have the same border but then also have the player’s picture against a plaque or semi-circle style background. This second style is demonstrated on the card of Rafael Rivas shown here. They also include the player’s name and position on the front along with the card number — all of those were missing on the earlier cards in the set.

1946-47 Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte Set Checklist

A checklist for this set has not yet been developed.

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