55 or 56 cards to blue and red 1923-24 Walter Mails Game?

Can anyone answer this?

I have an oddball question for you. I recently came across an original
boxed set of the 1923-24 Walter Mails Game with instructions, rules card and
player cards. What I am wondering is that the package (and the contents as
pictured) lists 55 players compared the 56 in the SCD catalog. Can you give
me a little info in whether the red backs might have been the initial set
produced since there are less players than the Blue backs that I have seen
on-line. You do mention that the player info differs from red to blue, but
I want to make sure before I grade these and have someone state that the set
is missing one. Take a look at the scans and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks.

As far as we can tell, both have 56. Justin Moen, my partner in crime back in Iola, says:

From what I’ve seen, there are indeed 56 players in this set and, unless new
evidence suggests otherwise, the blue backs were issued first and in less
quantities as opposed to the red backs. And many variations of player
personal data between red and blue backs have been reported.

But of course we would like confirmation (or rebuttal) from the people who collect these cards or have knowledge dealing with them. Thanks!

Wheaties Jackie Robinson

We get email. Anyone else have one of these and how much did you pay?

this is a 24 millimeter aluminum coin that was given to me by the man who
put them in wheaties boxes back in 1950. this one has a blank back and the
larger one has a script name of the player on the back. i also had both
sizes of musial, kiner, and feller. only the small robinson.

Overland Candy additions

REA’s Rob Lifson sent in three more R301 Overland Candy wrapper additions (thanks!):

• Dolph Camillli
• William (Bill) Nicholson
• Terry Moore

Sanella Ruths

A reader advocates deleting Type 4 1932 Sanella Babe Ruths. Here is his argument:

In 1932 (according to PSA) or 1933 (according to SGC) a German margarine company called Sanella issued various sports cards and an album into which 112 cards could be glued. The only cards about baseball had pictures on the front of either Babe Ruth or a Japanese catcher. In the album, there was only 1 place to put a Babe Ruth card — even though on the back of the Ruth Sanella cards there are variations of the printed material.

SGC and PSA collectively have graded well over 90% of the roughly 800 Babe Ruth Sanella cards graded.

Both SGC and PSA initially listed the following 2 types of Babe Ruth Sanella cards:

Type 1 – Sanella centered
Type 2—Sanella near the bottom

Eventually it was determined that of the Ruth cards with Sanella near the bottom, a few had near the top the phrase “Seite 83” (qhich means page 83– where a Ruth card fits in the album), but most did not. So both SGC and PSA listed a new type:

Type 3 — Sanella near the bottom with 83

From 2004 through the present, I have reviewed almost every listing on Ebay of graded and ungraded Babe Ruth Sanella cards.

In 2004 I saw and purchased a Ruth Sanella card graded by PSA as type “4” (PSA serial number 11697136). To the best of my recollection, at the time I bought that type “4” card, PSA had graded only 4 type “4”, 26 type 1, about 23 type 3 and over 200 type 2 Babe Ruth Sanella cards. As I reviewed the PSA population report from time to time, the numbers of graded Ruth Sanella cards increased for types 2, 3 and 4, but not for type 1. At first, that seemed odd. Later, it seemed very coincidental. After a couple of years, it seemed virtually impossible that there would be more and more types 2, 3 and 4, but no more type 1.

I have never seen a Ruth Sanella card with the Sanella centered that did not have Seite 83 near the top. This includes ungraded cards which the sellers called type 1 as well as cards graded by PSA and SGC as type 1.

On several occasions I listed for sale on Ebay Ruth Sanella cards graded as type 1 or 4 by PSA or SGC, noted that I believe type 1 and 4 were the same, and asked anyone to contact me if they had seen a Ruth Sanella with the Sanella centered and no Seite 83 near the top. No one ever has ever responded.

Hans, who is copied on this email, has sold literally hundreds of Babe Ruth Sanella cards, after buying them ungraded in Germany (usually pasted in albums and then removing them) and then having them graded by PSA or SGC. Hans has told me that he has never seen even 1 Babe Ruth Sanella card with Sanella centered and no Seite 83 near the top. He is convinced type 1 and 4 are the same.

I have contacted PSA and SGC about type 1 and 4 being the same, but they both said they will not change the way they are calling the Sanella types unless the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards changes first.

Interestingly, after I communicated with PSA several times last week about the belief that Hans and I have that type 1 and 4 are the same, Hans received grades for Ruth Sanella cards he submitted recently – and one of them was graded as a type 1! Here is what Hans found when he checked his order online:

4
1
14912692
EXCELLENT-MINT 6
1932 SANELLA MARGERINE BABE RUTH TYPE 1-SANELLA CENTERED

The 4 means item 4 in his order; the 1 means there was 1 card; the 14912692 is the PSA serial/certificate number and the rest is self-explanatory. Hans has not received this card back from PSA yet, but he knows the Sanella is centered and the phrase Seite 83 does indeed appear near the top.

I want someone to disprove this. Can anyone email me (don at prospecthillpub.com) a pic Type 1 without the “83″ and give us a reason not to change it in the 2009 catalog?

Here’s a pic of front & back of a “mis-slabbed” Type I just for your reference:

1911 Diamond Gum Pins (PE2)

Here’s a new find going into the 2009 book from reader Don “Barefoot” Post: After deliberating with Bob Lemke, we’ve decided to list his “new” pins, a couple of Rochester minor leaguers included in this set, which seems to revolve around the Philadelphia A’s but also features an all-star lineup. The rationale for inclusion is that the precedent’s set with contemporaries such as T205, T206, and Colgan’s.

The pricing for the minor leaguers will be in line with the common major leaguers in the set.

Anyway, the listings will look like:
Ryan (Rochester)
Jimmie Savage (Rochester)

I was able to find Jimmie’s first name, but not Ryan’s. Anyone out there can confirm who this was depicted on the pin? I want to say his first name was Jack but I can’t really verify it so I won’t put it in until I can know for certain. Thanks!

Bonura–what’s this?

Longtime reader and email correspondent Jim Boushley wants a little assistance ID’ing this piece:

I am updating my cards, probably for the last time, using the new 2008 book.
I came across this one I couldn’t place. It is 3 1/4 x 5 1/2. I had it listed as a 36 National Chicle but noted the new book lists him as Zeke Bonura and mine shows him as Henry Bonura. Then I though it was a 36 Goudey “Wide Pen” but I thought the facs auto was too narrow.
What do you think?

If you can help him out, hit the comments space here.

Larry Fritsch

We’re dedicating the 2009 Standard Catalog to Larry Fritsch, and I wanted to make a note of it here.

The hobby lost one of its Mount Rushmore figures last December, a guy who also dropped a lot of knowledge on our book and assisted founding editor Bob Lemke whenever he could. It’s safe to say that Larry Fritsch helped shape our reference into what it is today.

Reading his obituary in the Stevens Point Journal, it’s clear that Fritsch was a lot more than one of the country’s top card dealers and an obsessive collector-cataloguer to boot; he was a contributing member of his community, too.

The hobby marches forward, and a lot of things have changed and promise to continue to evolve as baseball moves through a controversial era loaded with allegations about using and lying about performance-enhancing drugs. That can’t be encouraging a lot of new collectors to the hobby at the moment. A brutal economy (that doesn’t look to be improving) is forcing card companies–and the dealer ecosystem that supports them–to make tough choices. Larry Fritsch claimed to be the first full-time vintage card dealer; the ones who carry on the tradition are struggling.

One thing that will never change, however. We need more guys (and gals) like Larry Fritsch.

Update: Bob has taken it upon himself to write the dedication, which I endorse completely. I did not know how heavily Fritsch was involved in “the making of” our book until I read his dedication. Here’s an excerpt:

…each year as the “big book’s” deadline approached, Larry would make the short drive from his headquarters to ours carrying a much-annotated and dog-eared copy of the Standard Catalog into which he had penciled a year’s worth of checklist additions, corrections, set discoveries and other enhancements that he wanted to share with the hobby through these pages.

Great stuff.

1941 Play Ball wrong backs

Reader Steven Lambert asks if we should include a DiMaggio card with a Cooney back in the listings for 1941 Play Ball. Great question, one I took to Bob Lemke himself.

He writes:

While wrong-backs seem more plentiful among Play Balls than typical for
pre-war sets, I don’t think they merit any special mention in the
description or listings.

So as editor, here’s another case where I defer to Bob. Don’t mess with success, says Don.

Cooney back image from Vintage Card Traders’ online “virtual collection,” an excellent web resource.

More Cameo Pepsins

Robert Edward Auctions, says old friend Al Simeone, has 7 uncatalogued Cameo Pepsins in its upcoming auction:

Hi Don,
Well, hot off the press there will be 7 more to add to the Cameo Pepsin
listings. Brooklyn: Canavan, Grim, Payne; Chicago: Everett, Terry; Cincinnati:
Dwyer; and Indianapolis: Hogreiver.

Here are some pics [featuring some of] of them.

Cubs Photo Pack-esque find

Anyone have a definitive date and title for the following set currently being hashed in this Forum 54 thread? The main thing we want to know is what to call it, what to date it, and what to value it.

Thanks Alan Elefson for the scans and of course the heads up.

It came in this envelope:

Here’s a sample of the 22 pictures.

Interestingly, there’s always a lot of action around Cubs 1930s and 1940s picture pack. I wonder if it’s because Cubs collectors are so intense and passionate (i.e. there’s stuff like this surrounding every MLB team of the era) or if there was more of this because Chicago’s such a big city/market, or a combination of both? Just seems like we are always tracking down some Cubs Picture Pack or competing product at all times during the development of next year’s book. Not like I am biased against them, I am happy when collectors find anything that isn’t catalogued, because a) I really enjoy this hobby and b) my editors wouldn’t justify putting out next year’s edition if there wasn’t anything left to add, right?