Pre-War Cards

How do the Cracker Jack sets compare against each other in terms of rarity?

Cracker Jack cards are just one of the many types of pre-war issues that have surged in value in recent years. These days, finding even decent low-grade commons for much under $75 is getting tougher to do.

The first set of Cracker Jack cards was in 1914. The company followed that set up with a second one in 1915. The 1915 set is similar with many of the same players but just a slightly larger checklist.

But while the two sets are similar, one of the most notable differences in the rarity. And a quick look at the population reports show us that the 1914 cards are significantly rare than the 1915 cards.

Among the three major grading companies, PSA, SGC, and Beckett, those groups have graded just under 8,000 total 1914 cards. But those three have collectively graded a little more than 20,000 1915 cards in all.

Obviously, that shows quite a bit of disparity between the cards that are only one year apart. But there’s an even larger gap if you consider the overall checklist size of the two sets.

While there are 144 cards in Cracker Jack’s 1914 set, there are 176 in the 1915 issue. The 1914 set is about 20% smaller, yet still has far fewer overall cards graded. That emphasizes the rarity of the first 1914 set even greater.

As we’ve been over before, pop reports can’t tell us the entire story. And most of the time, cards of star players are the ones that will be graded over commons. So if one set has a disproportionate number of stars, that could throw us off a bit. But because these checklists are so similar, that is not much of a factor here.

Recent eBay listings also prove the rarity point. While nearly 400 cards from the 1915 set were recently sold there, only about 100 cards from the 1914 release were sold. Similarly large variances are seen in the current listings there at any given time, too.

All Cracker Jack cards are somewhat rare. However, the 1914 cards are a significantly tougher find than those from the 1915 set.

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