Collectors may be familiar with the American Caramel series of cards issued in the first part of the last century, but not everyone knows about the National Caramel set. The cards are very similar to the American Caramel series and in fact, many of the photos are identical. However, the National Caramel set from 1921-23 is much, much tougher to locate in any quantity. They’re also virtually impossible to find in anything resembling high grade. This week, we’re offering a Hall of Famer from this series: an Eddie Collins graded SGC 40, the highest known example of this particular card that SGC has ever graded. It’s off-center but overall, it’s still a very solid card void of heavy creases, fading or other maladies common to the set. There are 115 different players featured in the National Caramel set and 120 cards in all because of five photo variations. Featuring black and white photographs, these caramel cards were printed on thin stock and measure about 2? by 3 1/4.” The player’s name, position and team is at the bottom. There’s a Babe Ruth in this series as well as cards of Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby and even Casey Stengel. The backs of the cards are where you can differentiate between the American Caramel issue of the same time frame and the Lancaster, PA-issued National set. We always find there’s a captive audience for scarce pre-War cards. If you have rare vintage cards that you’ve been thinking of liquidating, we’d love to make a deal with you and find them new homes! Drop us a note or give us a call and we’ll be sure to make a fair offer. We will also auction them for you if you like.
