Your Information Resource for Vintage Baseball Cards
  eNews Issue #120 (April 2014)       www.oldcardboard.com


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Welcome to Old Cardboard, the most complete reference resource for information about collecting vintage baseball cards and related memorabilia.  More information about this eNewsletter and its companion website and magazine are found at the bottom of this page.

Contents:
1. Updated Auction and Show Calendar
2. Set Profile: 1961 Wrigley Field Exhibits
3. Latest Additions to the OldCardboard.com Website
4. Preview of Old Cardboard Issue #31 (Spring 2014)


1. Updated Auction and Show Calendar

The following is a summary of vintage card events coming up in the next 30-45 days. For the most current listings on additional vintage card shows and auctions, see the  Key Events Calendar on the Old Cardboard website.

Have an event that needs to be on the OC Calendar?
Email editor@oldcardboard.com.


OC eNewsletter Sponsor

April 2014

17Internet Bagger's Auctions (see website for details).
17Phone/Internet Sterling Sports Auctions (see website for details).
17Internet Sirius Sportscards (see website for details).
23Phone/Internet Mile High Auction (see website for details).
25Phone/Internet Goldin Auctions (see website for details).
25-27San Francisco Tristar San Francisco Show (see website for details).
26Phone/Internet Robert Edward Auctions (see website for details).
27Phone/Internet Steiner Sports Memorabilia (see website for details).

May 2014

1Austin, TX Mail Spring Issue (#31) of Old Cardboard Mag. (renew now).
3Phone/Internet Small Traditions Auctions (see website for details).
3Phone/Internet Wheatland Auction Services (see website for details).
15-17Dallas, TX Heritage Sports Collectibles Auction (see website for details).
17Phone/Internet SCP Auctions (see website for details).
21Phone/Internet Mile High Auction (see website for details).
22Phone/Internet Sterling Sports Auctions (see website for details).
28-29Phone/Internet Legendary Auctions (see website for details).


2. Set Profile: 1961 Wrigley Field Exhibits

This relatively obscure post-WWII series showcases many of baseball's all-time greats. The cards are the same size and similar in design as the long series of sets distributed in arcade machines by the Exhibit Company that began in the early 1920s.

However, this set gets its name from the fact that the cards were sold only at Wrigley Field during the 1961 season. Such limited distribution makes the set among the more difficult "Exhibit" cards to obtain.

The black and white "Wrigley" cards measure 3-3/8 by 5-3/8 inches and are printed on a light gray stock. The player's full names are printed in a white panel at the bottom of the vertically oriented card. With some exceptions, the cards display "headshot" portraits although several show full-body action poses. The cards are borderless and unnumbered.

The twenty four players in the Wrigley set extend back to the nineteenth century. All of them are now in the baseball Hall of Fame.

The backs of the Wrigley Exhibits are found in two variations (see examples at right). The postcard back seems to be a little more common, printed with a simple postcard template. Cards with blank backs were also produced.

The printing of the Wrigley set is of marginal quality. That, and because the player's careers ended before the set was produced, has kept the values of cards to affordable levels. Still, cards typically sell in the $15 to $20 range with graded cards for some of the more prominent players somewhat higher.

A Set Profile for the 1961 Wrigley Exhibits along with a Checklist and Gallery of all 24 cards has been added to the Old Cardboard website.






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3. Latest Additions to the OldCardboard.com Website

We are continually expanding the Old Cardboard website with more set profiles, checklists and card galleries. Recent (past 30-40 days) additions include:

Set Profiles have been added for:
1961   Wrigley Field Exhibits

Set Checklists have been added for:
1887   N284   Buchner Gold Coin
1923   W515   Strip Card Sets (includes W515-1 and W515-2)
1961   Wrigley Field Exhibits

Set Galleries have been added for:
1887   N284   Buchner Gold Coin
1923   W515-1   Strip Card Set
1961   Wrigley Field Exhibits

Updating the website with checklists and full set galleries for additional vintage sets is an ongoing project, so check back often to check out the latest additions. There are now many thousands of card images on the website and the list continues to grow every month. We welcome and encourage feedback with checklist additions, card images, error corrections and suggestions. Please send all input to editor@oldcardboard.com.

Beyond the above pages recently added to the Old Cardboard website, we continue to expand and refine our eBay Custom Search Links to make finding vintage baseball cards on eBay easier than ever. The results of these searches are continuously changing, so check back often to find the most recent eBay listings. Samples of a few of these custom searches are provided below. Hundreds more are provided on the Set Profile pages throughout the Old Cardboard website.

Pinbacks
P2 Sweet Caporal Pins
Mrs. Sherlock's Bread
PM8 Our National Game
PR3-3 Orbit Gum
PR4 "Cracker Jack"
PX3 Double Headers

Game Cards
1888 WG1 Game Cards
WG2/WG3 Fan Craze
WG4 Polo Grounds
WG5 "National Game"
WG6 "Tom Barker"
WG8 S&S Game Cards

(more custom searches
by major card groups)



4. Preview of Old Cardboard Issue #31 (Spring 2014)

Issue #31 (
Spring 2014) of Old Cardboard magazine is now at our printer and set to be distributed around May 1 as scheduled. The issue contains a balance of articles about card sets from the nineteenth century through the early part of the twentieth.

The cover of this issue celebrates the completion of the first decade of publication of Old Cardboard and the steadfast support that we have received from our sponsors, authors and readers. Thank you!

Articles begin with a brief look at what little is known about a set of transfer stamps produced in Germany in 1923. Included is a checklist of all 13 baseball players in the set along with an image of a full unused sheet. A sheet attached to packaging for use in retail sales is also shown.

Next is a well researched article by collector Steven Greenes about a postcard set of prominent Negro League players from the early 1930s. The set was produced by Harrison Studios and includes a card of superstar Josh Gibson--believed by many to be the "Holy Grail" of Negro League cards.

Second-time Old Cardboard authors Jim and Chris Sexton provide an informative (and colorful) overview of an obscure set of felt pennants produced around 1913. A major recent discovery of pennants for Joe Jackson, Nap Lajoie and Eddie Plank allow us to present an updated Checklist and a Gallery that includes images of 23 of the 25 currently known players.

Next is an overview of the nineteenth century N135 "Talk of the Diamond" set that combines humor with the national pastime. The 25-card set was issued by W. Duke Sons & Co. and uses baseball artwork that is shared with the 1893 N284 Buchner Gold Coin series. An N135/N284 Cross-Checklist is provided along with a full gallery of the "Talk of the Diamond" cards.

Rounding out Issue #31 is a comprehensive article by collector Michael Wheat that digs deep into the popular T201 Double Folder set, uncovering facts and nuances not previously highlighted. The article includes a table of teams represented, discussion of miscut cards to suggest sheet layout, errors in player statistics and a sidebar with anecdotes about several lesser-known players.

The above feature articles are in addition to the magazine's regular "Editor's Notebook" and "Collector's Dugout" sections and as well as informative messages from our sponsors. Subscriptions to the magazine can be ordered (or renewed) on the Old Cardboard website at www.oldcardboard.com.


Lyman and Brett Hardeman
Old Cardboard, LLC.

Old Cardboard, LLC. was established in December 2003, to help bring information on vintage baseball card collecting to the hobbyist.  Produced by collectors for collectors, this comprehensive resource consists of three components: (1) Old Cardboard Magazine, (2) a companion website at www.oldcardboard.com and (3) this eNewsletter. The Old Cardboard website contains more than 500 pages of descriptive reference information for baseball card sets produced fifty years ago or longer.  Each of these set summaries has a direct set-specific link to auctions and a similar link to 's powerful search engine for further research.  The website also includes a Show and Auction Calendar, an eBay Top 50 Vintage Sellers List, and much more.  As a result, the Old Cardboard website makes a great "Alt-tab" companion for vintage card shoppers and researchers.  Old Cardboard eNews provides current hobby news, upcoming shows and auctions, and updates to the website and the magazine.  It is published around the middle of each month.  For a FREE subscription to the eNewsletter, or for subscription information on Old Cardboard Magazine, please visit the website at www.oldcardboard.com.  If you find this information resource helpful, please tell your friends.  We need your support and your feedback. Thank you.