For collectors of vintage baseball cards, few sets are as rewarding and challenging as the 1933 George C. Miller issue. A regional issue, distributed only in the Greater Boston area, this Depression era set is strikingly attractive, with portraits created from original artwork. They were designed to be marketed toward children and kids could return a 32-card set for their choice of a baseball, a glove or a ticket to a big league game. Many were sent in and returned but with a hole punch or edge trimming so they couldn’t be redeemed a second time. Considering this and the fact that those that weren’t redeemed were likely carried around by kids, finding them in anything close to respectable condition is tough! This week, we’re offering more than half of this elusive issue in our weekly eBay auctions. Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Bill Dickey, Frankie Frisch and other stars are all up for grabs. Considering how scarce these are, we would not be surprised to see one person buy most or all of these in an effort to complete the set in an efficient fashion. The cards are really little works of art, and have long held the respect of hobbyists. Jefferson Burdick, who created the American Card Catalog designations still in use today, gave it the label “R300”, the even number likely demonstrating the importance he placed upon a set that was already hard to find in the 1950s. There are two players represented for all of the American and National League teams. The best set on PSA’s Set Registry, with a grade of just over 5 (EX), sold for more than $246,000 at auction three years ago. The cards we’re offering this week are strong examples from this amazing set that is far rarer than the popular gum card issues of the era. There are less than 600 cards from the George C. Miller set in PSA’s Population Report and many are lesser grade. We’ve always been intrigued by this set and it’s exciting to be able to offer so many examples at one time.
