1908-10 E91-A, E91-B, E91-C American Caramel Sets

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	E91-A, E91-B, and E91-C American Caramel
Year	1908-10
Size	1 1/2″ x 2 3/4″
Images	Color
Type	Candy/Caramel
Number in Set	99

E91 American Caramel Overview

Similar to the E90-designated sets, Jefferson Burdick identified three separate E91 American Caramel issues. They are known to collectors as E91A, E91B, and E91C.

The sets spanned a total of three years. E91A was printed first in 1908. E91B followed in 1909. Finally, E91C was released in 1910. Many collectors thing American Caramel’s more popular E90-1 release was the company’s first baseball card set but that is not true. American Caramel’s first baseball cards came in 1908 with the E91A set.

Each set includes a total of 33 cards and contains only players from certain teams. Unlike the E90 American Caramel sets, there aren’t any heavy hitters here on the price scale of the Joe Jackson card. And unlike other candy and tobacco cards, there aren’t any horizontal cards here, either. That doesn’t mean the cards are cheap. Even in low-grade shape, cards of Honus Wagner, for example, can sell for $1,000 or more.

The three sets are tied to specific teams. Both the E91A and E91B sets feature players from Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. The E91C release focused on players from Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington.

All three sets have stars and Hall of Famers. Both the E91A and E91B sets are anchored by Christy Mathewson and Eddie Plank. The E91C set is arguably the most star-studded with Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Smoky Joe Wood, and Tris Speaker, along with some other Hall of Famers as well.

The set includes several spelling errors on names. The most famous/egregious was Mathewson’s, spelled “Christy Matthewson” on his cards (although, that spelling error was made on many of his cards in other sets).

Generic Images or Pictures of Real Players?

This is really the focal point of the set for many.

The poses repeat across the three sets (E91A, E91B, and E91C) so they are often called generic cards because different players appear with the same pictures. In all, there are 33 different pictures in the set (and here are images of all of them). For example, here are the E91A (Shay), E91B (Doyle), and E91C (McConnell) cards for a particular pose. Same image across all three, but with a different player name (and team name on the jersey).

However, the earliest ones from 1908, the E91A set, seem to have been modeled after real pictures of those players. Because of that, some consider the E91A cards to picture real players as well as part of the E91B set (since some players from E91A were repeated in E91B and used the same images) while considering the rest of E91B and all of E91C to feature generic players.

Still, there’s no true consensus. Here’s a closer look at this subject.

Rarity

The cards are somewhat rare compared to other issues. American Caramel’s popular E90-1 set, for example, has more than three times as many cards graded by PSA than all three of the E91 sets put together.

Typically, you won’t see more than a few dozen on places such as eBay – many of which often have inflated Buy it Now prices. As a result, that has made it a challenging set to put together.

In addition, the thin paper stock of the cards (as mentioned below) has probably contributed to its rarity.

In terms of comparing them against each other, the E91A cards are easily the rarest. E91C is the most plentiful. Here’s a closer look at the rarity of the three series’.

Condition Issues

One unique aspect of the cards compared to most other caramel issues is the thin card stock on which they were printed.

Other caramel issues, such as the company’s E90 sets, are sturdier and printed on thicker card stock. The E91 issues were printed on a thin stock with a light gloss.

That, as you can imagine, has led to them not being too durable. They are often found with rips/tears and generally in weaker condition. High-grade E91 cards are very rare. Only a handful of the 1,500 or so graded by PSA to date have been graded a 7 or above.

The thin stock is also probably a reason they aren’t all that plentiful today. They were more susceptible to damage and that, along with the generic images, probably didn’t make them as desirable as other issues that have lasted through the years.