1910 Khedivial / Surbrug Prize Fight Series Set and Checklist (T225)

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Khedivial / Surbrug Prize Fight Series (T225)
Year	1910
Size	1 7/8″ x 2 5/8″
Images	Color
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	50

1910 Khedivial / Surbrug Prize Fight Series Overview (T225)

T225 Khedivial Series 102 Boxing T225 James J Jeffries Boxing This 50-card set was issued by Khedivial and Surbrug. While many of the Khedivial cards are misspelled as Khedival, some have the correct name. The company was a predecessor of sorts of the Philip Morris company.

The set is broken into two different series. Overall, the set consists of 50 cards. Series 101 has 25 cards and Series 102 has another 25. Series 102 can practically be considered scarce in comparison to the 101 cards. The two series’ have a similar but slightly different look. Series 101 cards (shown left) have a gray border while the 102 card borders are off-white. Series 102 cards are significantly rarer.

Fronts of the cards had a color picture of a boxer along with a replica signature of his name at the bottom. With a thick border at the bottom, they sort of looked like a Polaroid picture. Backs of the cards served as advertisements for Khedivial and Surbrug brands but there are many variations known, even beyond the Surbrug, Khedivial, and Khedival names. At the time, Khedivial brands advertised, included Duke of Yorks, Oxfords, Turkish Delights, and Turkish Whiffs. Surbrug cards mentioned their Arabs and Intermission products. Some backs also have factory numbers while others do not.

The cards are unnumbered.

Blank-Backed Cards

Of note is that, in addition to the different backs, some cards actually are known with blank backs. But these were cards that almost certainly were not distributed into packs of cigarettes. And while not entirely common, they do come up for sale with some degree of regularity in comparison with the other ‘regular’ T225 cards. There are a few hints to the possible origin of these cards.

First, these are hand cut cards that could have been cut from an advertising poster. Advertising posters were often printed to help promote tobacco cards and at least one type of poster was used in the promotion of these cards — a 15″ x 25″ poster advertising that a framed set of the cards was available for purchase for $1.00. For what it’s worth, the backs of the regular T225 cards also mentions that same offer.

The second possibility, of course, is that these could have been cut from whatever framed offering was mentioned. It is possible, even likely, that the framed set was not an actual framed set of cards — rather, a framed picture of the cards. The cards could have been hand cut from that.

Ty Cobb?

Ty Cobb T225 Boxing A final note is worth mentioning about Series 102. A boxer named Ty Cobb can throw some collectors for a loop. The fighter’s card claims his name is Ty Cobb but this is not the famous baseball Hall of Famer.

Cobb was actually a fictitious name and the fighter’s real name was actually Sammy Kolb. He later faced off against another boxer in another fight named Babe Ruth as the pair were looking to promote the fight.

Kolb obviously used that name on more than one occasion as this set even called him Cobb. Cobb and Ruth were said to be trying to capitalize on the name.

Despite the fact this isn’t the more famous Cobb, his card is one of the most desirable ones in the set. For boxing fans, it is in the tougher Series 102 issue. The card is also pursued by baseball fans because of the backstory and indirect association with Cobb, one of the greatest stars in that sport.

As is the case with all Series 102 cards, it is not easy to find. To date, PSA and SGC have combined to grade fewer than 20.