Pre-War Cards

The 1925 A.C. Stereoview set is one of the most unknown pre-war sets out there. A big reason for that is because it is largely a non-sports issue. But an even larger reason is because these are not traditional trading cards.

These cards measuring approximately 3 1/2″ x 7″ were to be used with a special viewer called a stereoscope. The cards have two images that are very similar but positioned slightly differently. When viewed through a stereoscope, the two images present an image that has a three-dimensional look. Once popular, these sort of faded in popularity as time went on.

Many stereoview cards are very inexpensive and the 1925 A.C. Stereoeview set is no exception. This set is actually one of the more common sets out there, even if there are not a ton of these cards in existence. They were issued in 1925 by the A.C. Company. There is a large set that was created by that venture consisting of at least (and possibly more) 150 cards. There appear to be at least four series in this set. Three of which (a subset of U.S. landscapes/landmarks, a subset of international landscapes/landmarks, and a Biblical subset) are of little interest to sports collectors. But a fourth subset containing mixed subjects is collected a bit.

Baseball

I only recently confirmed the 25-card checklist and that meant I could identify all of the sports card in it.

The most popular sports card in the set is a baseball card featuring a Yale baseball player. The player is not identified, but he is wearing a Yale baseball uniform. Swinging a bat, the card is No. 61 in the set and titled, ‘A Sacrifice Hit.’ It would be great to identify this player but I have never seen any research on the matter. According to Baseball Almanac, no players from that 1925 team reached the major leagues. But that’s about all the information we have. In fact, we can’t even say definitively if this was a real Yale player or merely someone dressed in a Yale uniform.

Either way, this card is undoubtedly the most popular card in the entire set. Because it features a baseball player, it is bought and sold quite commonly. Prices fluctuate a bit but it is usually in the $15-$25 range.

Boxing

But baseball isn’t the only sport featured. It may be the only sports card that collectors are familiar with but there are a handful of others, too.

One of those is a boxing card.

The boxing card is No. 52 in the set and features a close-up of a fighter in blue trunks. It’s a really fantastic image with him throwing a punch and, if you are familiar with stereoviews, it’s clear to see why such a picture was used. In 3D, it would be a really great image with the glove at the front of the card, really making it appear as if he was throwing a punch at you. This one is titled, ‘A Long Reach.’

This card is probably seen a little less than the baseball card but is still quite popular. It’s a very modestly priced card, typically selling for around $10-$15.

Golf

The third major sports card in this set comes to us from the world of golf.

This is the card I have seen the least of the three major sports cards. And frankly, I only learned of its existence only recently before I made an effort to checklist the set.

It is probably the most intriguing card for social reasons. Pictured is a black golfer along with a black caddy and a white woman as a spectator/accompaniment. Now, you don’t need me to point out the racial issues such a scene would have caused in 1925. But it is such an intriguing image and a really nice card given the times.

Titled, ‘An Embryo Golfer,’ it is No. 73 in the set. Prices for this one can vary quite a bit but it is probably valued somewhere in the $10-$20 range.

Swimming/Diving

In addition to those, you’ve got two other sports-related cards for swimming and diving. Both feature females in modest bathing suits and are No. 64 (Ready! One, Two — diving) and No. 66 (A Modern Mermaid — swimming).

Neither carries the kind of value as the others but they are both technically sports cards. These are probably in the $5-$10 range each.

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