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Decade Spotlight: Most Popular 1920’s Baseball Cards

As tobacco companies started moving away from using baseball cards as inserts, certain candy, confectionery and even supply companies began utilizing them to promote sales, representing the most iconic cards of the era.

In the 1920s, the American Caramel Company (ACC), the Oxford Confectionary Company and the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago all produced baseball cards that are difficult to find in good condition these days. We’ll highlight some of the noteworthy releases along with compelling statistics to illustrate their popularity in today’s hobby.

1921 Oxford Confectionery (E253) Babe Ruth

In 1921, the Oxford Confectionery Company of Oxford, PA, produced the 20-card E253 set featuring some of the biggest A.L. and N.L. stars of the day. Each of the unnumbered black-and-white, portrait-type lithographed cards (1⅝” by 2¾”) were packaged alongside a piece of caramel. The most sought-after card belongs to Babe Ruth, closely followed by Ty Cobb. Fourteen of the players in the checklist now reside in Cooperstown including Grover Cleveland Alexander, Eddie Collins, Rogers Hornsby, Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker. The PSA Population Report shows just 433 graded cards with Cobb (35), Ruth (32) and Speaker (28) leading the way. Ruth, shown holding a bat over his left shoulder, remains the most valuable with a pair of PSA Excellent-Mint 6 auction prices realized (APRs) providing the proof: $34,800 in December 2019 and $61,868 in June 2022.

1921-23 National Caramel (E220) Babe Ruth

Also in 1921, the ACC started releasing its National Caramel E220 set, which featured 121 players. The unnumbered cards were packed out in caramel products over three years (1921 to ‘23) and like the ACC’s earlier E121 set, the cards measured 2” wide by 3¼” tall and featured a black-and-white photo outlined by a thick white border. The best players in MLB were featured and, once again, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb paved the way in popularity and eventual secondary-market value.

The PSA pop report shows 668 of the cards have been graded and 121 examples have sold at auction for a total of $173,385. A full-bodied pic of Ruth — shown in Yankee pinstripes watching the flight of his batted ball — leads the pack with 15 APRs. Two different PSA Good 2’s sold in 2021 for $26,968 and $23,400, respectively.

 

 

 

1922 Neilson’s Chocolate Type II (V61) Babe Ruth

Neilson’s Chocolate Type II (V61) baseball set was released in 1922 and showcased 120 player cards that each measure 2” wide by 3½” tall. The cards closely resemble the ACC’s 1922 Caramel (E120) effort, though these unnumbered cards were issued in Canada’s Neilson’s “Big League” Chocolate Bars and the paper stock was much thinner. The card fronts displayed very distinct motifs with player images centered inside ovals surrounded by decorative borders. The set is highlighted by Cobb and Ruth as well as other Hall of Fame talent including Joe Sewell, Walter Johnson, Grover C. Alexander, Rogers Hornsby and Waite Hoyt. Considered one of the decade’s most popular sets, the thin paper used translated to very few examples surviving in high-grade condition. In fact, the highest-graded example for Ruth remains a PSA 4.5 that sold in May 2022 for $91,295. In total, 977 of the Neilson Chocolate Type II cards have been graded by PSA with 109 examples selling at auction for a collective $145,000.

 

 

1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig

Though technically the second baseball set released by the Exhibit Supply Company in the 1920s, the 1925 effort scores high marks based largely on some of the incredible APRs for one player: Henry L. Gehrig. Not only does the Iron Horse’s card, which has been deemed his true rookie, have the most graded examples (44) in PSA’s pop report, but 17 different APRs since 2017 total just south of $3 million. Within those sales, two separate APRs stand out for obvious reasons: $1,032,000 for a PSA Excellent 5 in June 2021 and $801,960 for a PSA 6 (MK) in January 2021. The black-and-white, full-bleed card is as simple as it is elegant. The postcard-sized issue (3⅜” wide by 5⅜” tall) shows a full-bodied Gehrig in Yankee pinstripes swinging through on a pitch in front of an empty grandstand.

 

 

1927 American Caramel (E126) Babe Ruth

This marked the swan song effort from the American Caramel Company. After a five-year break from producing baseball cards, ACC returned in 1927 with the 60-card E126 series. Unlike many sets released that decade, these 2” wide by 3¼” tall cards are numbered and 397 of them are currently found in PSA’s pop report. To no one’s surprise, Ruth’s nicely designed montage card (#38) has the most entries (23) with a lone PSA Near Mint-Mint 8 ranking the highest. To date, only 11 examples have sold at public auction with the top sale occurring in September 2022 when a PSA VG-EX 4 went for $75,252.

 

 

 

 

 

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