Baby Talk Trade Cards Set (H804-1)

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	H804-1 Baby Talk Trade Cards
Year	Unknown (Late 1800s)
Size	3″ x 4 1/2″
Images	Color
Type	Trade Cards
Number in Set	Various

H804-1 Baby Talk Trade Card Set Overview

The H804-1 Baby Talk series includes four distinct subsets as identified in Frank Keetz’ excellent Baseball Advertising Trade Cards book. The sets in general have up to ten different cards but each subset has varying captions and features that make them slightly different from the others. Each subset has either eight, nine, or ten known cards. Cards were created by M.F. Tobin in New York.

The Baby Talk cards from the late 1800s vary in size between the subsets but in general, are some around 3″ wide x 4 1/2″ tall. Like other trade issues, the cards are printed on thinner paper stock.

The captions printed on the fronts are not in actual English. Instead they are ‘baby-like’ sayings – hence the name of the set, Baby Talk. One card (pictured), for example, depicts a baby meaning to say “Come on, let’s play ball!” is printed as “Tum on, ets pay ball!”

As mentioned, there are types of these cards available:

H804-1A – Cards with black border
H804-1B – Cards with red border and names of players
H804-1C – Cards with no border
H804-1D – Same as H804-1B but with no player names

Cards in H804-1B are generally more collectible than the others because they include names of players on them, including Cap Anson and King Kelly – two of the game’s biggest stars in the 1800s. The pictures still depict babies, however, so these cards are worth only a fraction of what most Anson and Kelly cards from the same time period will bring.

All of the cards feature full-color images and have various captions on the fronts. Advertiser names were printed on the fronts or backs. Some cards have only the captions on the front, while others have the names of advertisers on them.

The cards feature various babies playing the game of baseball. They are part of the H804 series (Baseball Comics) as categorized in the American Card Catalog.

Overall, the cards have a limited appeal. They are desired and sought after because they are baseball-themed. But they also not only don’t feature actual players, they don’t even depict adults. And with oversized heads and cartoon images, the cards have a comedic effect.

Still, as such an early baseball issue, there will always be some level of demand for these.