Monday, June 01, 2009

Collection: 1922 W504 Universal Toy & Novelty

It's been awhile since I've highlighted something from my collection so I thought I would start with a scarce strip card set put out in 1922 that features the Brooklyn Dodgers. The set was made by Universal Toy & Novelty Manufacturing Co. and sold as an uncut sheet of 16 cards and one large size team portrait. Unfortunately, I have never been able to track down the team card, but I have completed the individual players cards from the Brooklyn set. Universal Toy made these sheet for 4 different teams. They measure approximately 1 3/8" X 2 3/8".

Strip cards are very different from the cards available in packs of cigarettes and modern issues seen today. As the name suggest, strip cards were issued in uncut strips that would be cut up by consumers once purchased. They are small in size, are often printed on poor quality paper or cardboard, and usually have terrible artwork. Still, a vintage card nearly 90 years old is still a wonder to behold- even if they look terrible. Due to the above negatives strip card can often be purchased for very little money relative to cards from the same time period. I think I purchased these cards as a set for a little over $100.00 from an auction house a couple of years ago. Check out all 16 cards here is my photoalbum.

Below is Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes who was the last ballplayer legally allowed to throw the spitball.
Here is Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance. Have you ever heard of the "three men on third" incident.
Vance was also involved in one of the most famous flubs in baseball history, the "three men on third" incident. With Vance on second and Chick Fewster on first, Babe Herman hit a long ball and began racing around the bases. As he rounded second, the third base coach yelled at him to go back, since Fewster had not yet passed third. Vance, having rounded third, misunderstood and reversed course, returning to third. Fewster arrived at third. Herman ignored the instruction and also arrived at third. The third baseman tagged out Vance and Fewster; Herman was declared safe by rule.
Last but not least, here is Dodger Hall of Famer Zach Wheat.

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