Pre-War Cards

Two Extraordinary Pre-War Bakery Discoveries Hit Auction

Pre-war bread cards have always held a special place in the collecting world, merging everyday Americana with the earliest icons of the game. This Thanksgiving, as families break bread nationwide, two remarkable discoveries remind us just how much history can still be hiding in attics, ledgers, and forgotten corners of small-town America.

Both collections – each extraordinary in its own right – are now available at auction at REA and Huggins & Scott respectively, offering collectors a rare chance to bring home pieces once thought lost to time.

The 1921 D383 Koester Bread Album Discovery

Every so often, a discovery emerges that reshapes our understanding of an issue’s true rarity. Such is the case with the newly found 1921 Koester Bread album, uncovered in upstate New York by a longtime antiques picker. What began as a routine stop in a small town led to the opening of a century-old ledger—and the revelation of a complete 52-card Koester Bread set, including the prized Babe Ruth.

The album itself is a marvel: titled “Stars of Baseball/Pennant Winners 1921” and adorned with gilt lettering, it houses cards arranged with meticulous care, likely for a store display or salesman’s sample. While loose Koester Bread cards appear only sparingly, an intact album was previously known in just one other example. Its survival with all 52 cards, including eleven Hall of Famers such as Casey Stengel and John McGraw, elevates this find to museum-worthy status.

Issued during the 1921 Yankees–Giants World Series—the first true New York “subway series”—Koester Bread cards were distributed locally by E. H. Koester Bakery. Produced on thick, high-quality stock similar to the E121 American Caramel designs but blank-backed, they represent a pivotal moment in early baseball marketing. Fresh from the original album pages, these cards present far better than typically encountered, offering collectors a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into one of the hobby’s most elusive bakery sets.

The 1939 D351 Grennan Bakery Cards

Complementing the Koester album is another “break bread” rarity: Huggins & Scott’s Fall Auction features half the known checklist from the mysterious D351 Grennan Bakery “Baseball’s 10 Most Famous Plays” series, including the only known Joe DiMaggio example.

The cards feature a picture of a cartoon diagram of a particular baseball play in the history of the sport until that time. They also have a short description of what happened on that particular play. The cards were printed using only blue ink and are blank on the back. Carl Hubbell and Walter Johnson were also included in the recent discover, but DiMaggio is clearly the prize of the bunch.

Measuring an unusual 5″ x 2½”, the card captures “Magic Joe DiMaggio” scoring on a single in the 1939 World Series—an event that helped the Yankees secure their eighth championship. Prior to 2025 discovery, only a handful of cards from the entire checklist were known to exist, with none professionally evaluated by PSA. Type collectors, Yankees specialists, and pre-war enthusiasts will instantly recognize the significance of an issue that has lived largely in hobby folklore.

Collectors looking to add cornerstone pieces to their pre-war portfolios should not miss the opportunity to pursue these remarkable finds.

To read more about these items visit the REA and Huggins & Scott auction sites before bidding closes next week. Discover history, savor the stories, and maybe even bring one home.