Pre-War Cards

SGC’s highest-graded 1903 E107 Breisch-Williams Eddie Plank now available in REA September Auction.

The REA September Auction includes many familiar faces, Cobb, Mathewson, Ruth among them, but perhaps the most notable is an extremely scarce Eddie Plank. All E107 cards are extremely rare, but an example of Hall of Famer Eddie Plank is especially desirable to serious collectors, both because this is recognized as one of his earliest cards and because the portrait is the same that appears on his famous T206 card.

Issued in 1903, E107s have long been revered by collectors. This set represents the only major baseball-card set of the era, features many players that appear in no other sets, and includes the first cards ever issued of many important stars and Hall of Famers, including Eddie Plank. This is a stunning example of one of the rarest, most impressive, and most important of all Plank cards. Bright and crisp, with a flawless image, even wear to the corners, and excellent centering. The desirable advertising reverse is boldly printed. This is an exceptional example of one of Eddie Plank’s rarest and most noteworthy cards, and would be a significant addition to any world-class E107, Hall of Fame, or rookie card collection.

Of course the event offers much more to the prewar enthusiast, among them a 1915 Cracker Jack Christy Mathewson in remarkable condition.  Graded NM 7 by PSA, this magnificent high-grade example from the 1915 Cracker Jack series is one of Mathewson’s most striking and popular cards. 1915 Cracker Jacks will always be one of the most highly prized and widely collected of all prewar sets. Mathewson is one of the key cards in the set, along with Cobb, Jackson, Johnson, and Wagner. This example has a bold red background, crisp white borders, excellent centering, and strong corners with light touches of wear at the tips. Clean reverse with bold black text. This is a beautiful example of Christy Mathewson, one of baseball’s legends, in extraordinary high grade from one of collecting’s classic sets.

 

 

Another strong prewar offering is this attractive example of Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Ty Cobb, the key card of this very rare and classic 1910 era candy set. The E103 Williams Caramel set is easily distinguished from other caramel sets of the era by the bright red background highlighting each player’s portrait. As noted on each card along the lower margin, The Williams Caramel Company was in Oxford, Pennsylvania, and this candy was very likely issued on a somewhat regional basis. This fact almost certainly accounts for the cards’ great rarity. When they are found, they usually have serious condition problems, which is not surprising considering that these cards were issued to children one card per package with candy. This well-centered card exhibits a bold red background, moderate corner wear, and a clean reverse.  This is a strong mid-grade example of one of Cobb’s most desirable and rarest cards.

 

Speaking of the Georgia Peach, another extremely rare card – an exceptional example of Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Ty Cobb from the extremely rare 1921 Herpolsheimer’s Clothing set. This offering is one of ten 1921 Herpolsheimer’s Clothing cards that appear in the auction. The Herpolsheimer’s set is very similar in design to E121 American Caramel and related issues. This gorgeous example is bright and clean, both front and back, with strong corners.  Graded PSA 5.5+, this is a world-class sample card of Ty Cobb from this extremely rare series.

 

 

Rounding out our list and completing a Cobb trifecta is a mid-grade example Ty Cobb from the 1912 T227 tobacco series, issued by Honest Long Cut and Miners Extra. The T227 Cobb is literally more than 100 times rarer than the T205 or T206 tobacco cards of Ty Cobb, but its much greater rarity is far from fully reflected in its value. This may, in part, be because T227s so rarely survive in technically high grades that they are not a focus of high-grade collectors. The belief is that these cards are rarely found in high grade because cards from this set were packaged in tobacco pouches without protection from either tobacco or general handling. T227 Series of Champions are unique in design and have the look of “giant T206s.” There are only 25 cards in the set, including four ballplayers. The offered card has vibrant colors, outstanding registration, and honest corner wear. The reverse features a biography of Cobb along with advertising for Miners Extra Smoking Tobacco. A few creases, including one just above Cobb’s cap, contribute to the assigned grade. This is a tremendous example of this rare, uniquely designed, and, in our opinion, extremely overlooked tobacco issue.

Just the tip of the iceberg here, of course.  Browse and bid on hundreds more prewar cards in the September Auction before bidding closes on Sunday.