Flashback Product of the Week: 1896 H818 Spalding Die-Cut Advertising Stand-Ups

This is one of those very obscure sets that even the most experienced collectors may not have heard about.  Koerner & Hayes out of Buffalo, New York printed these up for Spalding back in 1896.  The official name of the set is 1896 H818 Spalding Die-Cut Advertising Stand-Ups.  It certainly isn’t the largest set in the world.  Only (5) cards make up the complete set.  I find it interesting as the cards aren’t of any specific athletes.  All you’ll find are generic people.  Try doing that in today’s hobby.

Like I said before, there are only (5) cards to the set.  Each one covers a different sport – baseball, football, cycling, golf, and tennis.  Spalding had these made up as a way to help promote their sporting goods.  Depending on the card, you’ll find a brief summary of the sport along with a basic outline of how that specific game is played.  The write-up on the cycling card however is basically just trying to sell you a bicycle.  According to the back of the card, a bike from Spalding would run you about $75.00.  That’s a lot of money in 1896.

Baseball Hall of Famer Henry Chadwick did the write-up on the baseball card.  The “Father of American Football”, Walter Camp, wrote the summary for the football one.  Sets like this really have a niche market.  The fact that there are no specific players is a main reason why it doesn’t appeal to many collectors.  But don’t let that fool you.  This set does have some value.  Complete sets have sold for $500.00.  That’s about $100.00 per card.  You’re obviously going to get more or less based on the condition.

Who wouldn’t want to see today’s football players dress like this?  I better not speak too loudly.  Panini might pull something like that.  We all know how much they like to dress up people for their studio shot photos.

Flashback Product of the Week: 1896 Liebig Christmas Tree Set

Founded in 1856, the Liebig Extract of Meat company produced a meat extract that is popular all over the world.  Not only are they known for their meat extract, but also for their trading card sets.  Starting in 1872, individuals could collect tokens which could then be redeemed for sets.  They did this all the way up to 1974.  They were issued in sets of 6 and 12, and its not uncommon to find complete sets.  Most of the cards are written in French, Flemish, and German.  It’s also possible to find some in Russian and English.  The subject matter of these cards can be a wide range of things.