Friday, January 29, 2010

1921 W9316 Baseball #5, Jimmie Johnston

I'm a fan of strip card issues from the 1920s and 30s. They're relatively plentiful in low grades, often feature interesting designs, and prove affordable for collectors looking for pre-WWII cards. Win, win, win.

Card front (blank back)

Did I say enough good things already? OK, then, let's be honest. W9316 cards leave me "lukewarm" and Old Cardboard's set profile jumps right to "ugly." The set's extremely basic artwork and 10-player checklist seem like a cheap attempt to cash-in on the strip card concept, an already popular promotional vending machine item.

I couldn't find a good checklist and gallery online, so compiled this from several sources.

  1. #1 Bob Veach (scan)
  2. #2 Frank "Home Run" Baker (scan)
  3. #3 Wilbert Robinson (aka Wilbur, scan)
  4. #4 Johnny Griffith
  5. #5 Jimmie Johnston (scan above)
  6. #6 Wallie Schange (aka Wally Schang, scan)
  7. #7 Leon Cadore (scan)
  8. #8 George Sisler (scan)
  9. #9 Ray Schalk (scan)
  10. #10 Jesse Barnes (scan)

Value: Cards trimmed poorly, like my Jimmie Johnston, cost around $10. Prices go up from there and sellers often ask more than $100 for HOFers in good condition. (Sisler is the best-known player.)

Fake / Reprints: Gah, who would want to? Haven't seen any reprints and there's probably not enough demand to try it.

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