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What's This?

Are these blankets? Are these blankets? There's no blankets. There's no blankets in baseball. Oh, wait, that was , "There's no crying in baseball..." Sorry Jimmy Dugan.

Well, these are blankets and we recently acquired a group of more than 100 of them as part of a much larger collection -- a collection from the family of a NJ lawyer that included T206 tobacco cards, programs and yearbooks, autographs, and Topps cards from the 1950s through the 1990s. The blankets, not really common place in the collecting world, are known as B18 Blankets and this collection featured mostly the common variations. However, there were a few stars and Hall of Famers, including Walter Johnson, Casey Stengel (2 variations), Frank Chance (2 variations), Rabbit Marranville, and a few others.

We'll review some of the other portions of this collection in future blogs, but one of the more interesting aspects of this collection was the amount of material that it included.  Contained in more than 6 large totes, the family was comfortable to entrust Just Collect with the collection to review at the Somerset, NJ office and prepare a detailed analysis.  

Are They Really Collectible?

Now, when most people hear blankets, they think of bed coverings. Well, these are not your grandmother's quilts or some tattered rag you toss on the sofa for Fido to nap on. These are premiums that were issued with Egyptienne Cigarettes products and have been designated as B18 Blankets in the American Card Catalog (ACC) and are noted to have been issued in 1914. Measuring 5 ¼"" x 5 ¼", these flannel cloth inserts featured 90 different players from the era, including Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Joe Jackson, Casey Stengel, Bobby Wallace, Miller Huggins, Rabbit Marranville and several other Hall of Famers. Conspicuous in their absence is Christy Mathewson who was in the midst of his last 20 win season and Honus Wagner who was in the waning years of his magnificent career.

   

Can You Make Real Blankets From These?

It was not uncommon for these blankets to end up being sewn together to create throw covers, pillow shams and even a real blanket in some cases. The B18 Blankets hold a unique place in the hobby and are part of the interesting world of premiums outside of the standard baseball cards that most people have come to know. Along with blankets, tobacco companies issued silks and pins as other formats as well as larger cabinet style cards as other advertising premiums.  Last Fall, Robert Edward Auctions closed a sewn blanket consisting of a composite of of more than 75 of the B18 blankets and other quilting material that measured out at more 5 feet square.  The entire blanket sold for more than $1000.

Read more about the 1914 B18 Blankets from our friends at Sports Collector's Daily.

Our Buying Philosophy

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the past decade. Although we are known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage basketball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, also!

Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and soul into building their collection. So when you're ready to sell, Just Collect understands the feelings that you're going through and we will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.

We Are Always Buying

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 1979 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss your collection and get our industry leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace.

Don't hesitate to check out our Google Reviews left by many of the great people that have considered selling collections to Just Collect.

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