2. Set Profile: 1911 T4 Obak Premiums

T212 Obak Premium (1911)

1911 T212 Obak Regular Issue (1910)

Obak cabinet cards profiled here were offered beginning in 1911 as premiums in exchange for coupons found in packs of Obak cigarettes.

Like the smaller and more colorful T212 Obak cards that were distributed as inserts in the cigarette packs, the monochrome cabinet premiums feature players from both the Pacific Coast League and the Northwest League. The premiums (see example at far right) are among the most difficult to find of all 20th century baseball issues.

The player on each premium is enclosed within a 3-1/2 x 5 inch oval frame printed on a 5 x 7 inch card of thin stock using a photographic process.

With a few exceptions, the player images used are the same as those used in the regular issue (both are compared here using an example of Oakland infielder George Cutshaw; curiously, Cutshaw's T212 card can also be found with a flag waving on the flagpole in the background).

The cards are marked with a cross-bat and baseball emblem. In most cases, these are located in the lower left corner although they are sometimes found in the lower right. There is no labeling printed on the cards, making it sometimes hard to identify the player. The card backs are blank.

At least two different Obak coupons (plus variations) are known that relate to the Obak cabinet premiums. Each coupon measures just under three inches square (see examples below, shown reduced about 15-20 percent smaller than actual size). The earlier (green) coupon states that the offer expires December 31, 1911. The offer was clearly extended, as the second coupon (yellow) states that it expires June 1, 1913.

(click on images to enlarge)

The back of the green coupons list the 175 player photos that could be ordered through the premium promotion. The player list could also be obtained on request from the company. The list groups the cards by team and assigns a number to each player.

The cards themselves were not similarly numbered, however, no doubt making it difficult for the company to properly process the cards and for collectors today to identify the names of players they may not recognize.

Because no player identification is printed on the T4 cards, a player number based on the coupon list is often found written in pencil on the T4 backs. To simplify card identification, this pencil labeling may well have been done even before the cards left the producer. Although very much the exception, cards have been reported with numbers printed on the front or with ink pen numbers on the backs. It is these numbers that are now used by collectors to help identify players and develop checklists of known cards.

According to the coupons, premium cards were offered for any of 175 players. To date, however, only about 82 players (less than half the number named in the checklist) have been verified for the T4 series.

Coupons have been found with varying dates, beginning in 1911 (green), indicating that the premiums were distributed over a span of several years. Known variations in cards for some of the players further indicate a multi-year distribution.

When initailly offered in 1911, fifty coupons were required to obtain the card for one player. However, the number of coupons required was reduced in subsequent years.

The "Base Ball Player Photograph" offered on the 1913 coupon was only one of about three dozen items offered. At that time, the baseball photos required 25 coupons.

Compared with other premiums offered on the 1913 coupon, the baseball player cards were among the premiums that required the fewest number of coupons for redemption. Other items ranged from an "Automatic Reel Tape Measure" (20 coupons) to a "Safety Razor Complete Set" (1200 coupons; equivalent to 48 cabinet cards offered in the same promotion!). A "Major League Base Ball" (300 coupons) and a "Fielder's Glove, Full Leather Lined" (400 coupons) were also offered in the 1913 promotion.