Tag Archives: Sam Crawford

The FCB Vintage Files

Posted on by

Welcome to the new weekly The FCB Vintage Files

With a re-vamped hotlist and JP’s new weekly column centering on prospects only; a new column will be published every Wednesday.

This weekly article will highlight a pre-war card from various sets.  The first few weeks we will delve into a different facet of the T-206 set.  The back variations, the current market for that week’s card.  Population reports and various other facts.

But most importantly, each week will contain a biography of the player.  The T-206 set contains an endless supply of amazing people and ball players.  This era of baseball is important to remember and it is my hope that each week all members of FCB will read and engage in discussion…not only for the card; but for the player that did his part to move this grand game to it’s present form.

Card #1 Mr. Sam “Wahoo” Crawford

crawford front

The Sam Crawford Throwing T-206.  Mr. Crawford has two cards in the set; one in the throwing pose and one in the batting pose. A member of the Detroit Tigers for the majority of his career, Crawford is known for his early mentoring of the great Ty Cobb; and later the long held feud with the same man.

crawford back

This card is from Factory 25 of the Piedmont Cigarette set.  A future article will deal in great detail of the various back variations.  This Piedmont back is the most common of T-206′s and the throwing Crawford card is only found in the common variations…Sweet Caporal, Piedmont and Old Mill.

Samuel Crawford was born in Wahoo, Nebraska in 1880.  The town of his birth would later give him his nickname.  Sam grew to be 6 feet tall and a 190 pounds, enough to be regarded as one of the biggest hitters of his day.

After his schooling was done, Sam trained as a barber; a trade he would soon abandon.  Skilled as a hitter, Sam bounced around several local and regional ball clubs until he found his way to Grand Rapids in the Western League.  Grand Rapids sold the young Crawford to Cincinnati and Sam found himself a 19 year ballplayer in the major leagues.

His first day was a double header; 2 for 4 in the first game and a triple and two singles in the second.  He got 495 hits in the next 403 games for the Reds before jumping his contract and signing with the American League Tigers.

With Detroit, Sam enjoyed a Hall Of Fame career.  A leader on the team and in the league, Sam welcomed a young Ty Cobb to the club.  Famously bitter throughout his career for his “rookie hazing”, Cobb later turned on Crawford and the two played side by side barely speaking to each other.

A fearsome duo on the bases, Cobb and Crawford had a detailed and sophisticated system of hand motions and cap tips to signal a double steal.  Both gifted in the art of base running, Crawford would end his career with 366 stolen bags, to go with his 97 home runs.

Crawford would eventually play in the Pacific Coast League, then later umpire the same.  Coaching and various farming would be his vocation till his death.  Cobb would charge Crawford, through the media in retirement, with being jealous of his fame and salary.  Cobb also accused Crawford of intentionally fouling pitches off when Cobb was stealing.  Despite this, and Crawford’s accusal of Cobb being a “tightwad” with his eventual Coca-Cola fortune, Cobb himself helped get Sam Crawford elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.

Coming Out Party for T5 Pinkertons

Posted on by

Recently, a remarkable discovery has generated considerable amount of buzz in the vintage community. For nearly a century, forty-nine examples from one of the rarest and most desirable tobacco sets in the hobby have remained unknown in an East Coast private collection. Now, for the first time, these amazing cards have been graded by a third party and are poised to steal the show at this month’s offering from Hunt Auctions.

The cards in question are from a set issued in 1911 and were designated as ‘T5’ in the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards. However, they are more commonly known as Pinkerton Cabinets. Produced by the company that would ultimately become Red Man tobacco, consumers would send in ten coupons (essentially the equivalent of today’s UPC) and receive their choice of one of 376 available cards.

Measuring 4-¾” by 7-¾” the cards are similar in size and shape to the more well known ‘T3’ (or Turkey Red) cabinet cards that were recently the model for many Topps modern era sets. However, the Pinkertons feature black and white photos as opposed to full color artwork.

Due to the fact that the cards had to be requested via mail they were the 1911 equivalent of a redemption. This, coupled with the fact that it required ten purchased for one card, have created the scarcity we see in today’s secondary market. Moreover, since the large cabinet cards were mailed three quarters of a century before the introduction of card protectors, they were shipped in the equivalent of a ‘PWE’ without so much of a penny sleeve condition causing serious condition issues. Cards were often glued to mounts or pinned up like posters, causing further condition issues.

These factors combine to make the selection in the upcoming Hunt auction incredible. The cards were recently graded by Sportscard Guaranty (SGC) in Parsippany, New Jersey. When I spoke with Brian Dwyer, Business Development for SGC, about the find, he commented “This find is definitely one of the more amazing ones that I can recall. Working at SGC, I am lucky enough to see some of the most amazing cards come in each and every week. It’s rare anymore that something makes you stop and say ‘Wow’. This batch did just that.” Hunt Auctions simply used the word ‘unprecedented’ and I have to agree.
Joe Jackson T5 Pinkerton SGC

Some of the highlights include Hughie Jennings SGC 84, Addie Joss SGC 84, Bobby Byrne SGC 80, Art Devlin SGC 80), Napoleon Lajoie SGC 80, Eddie Collins SGC 70, Sam Crawford SGC 70, Christy Mathewson SGC 50, Cy Young SGC 40, Eddie Plank SGC 30, and Chief Bender SGC 20. Standing out from the pack is Honus Wagner SGC 50, with a conservative estimate in the neighborhood of $15,000.
Honus Wagner T5 Pinkerton SGC

However, they, and every other card in the catalog, must step aside and bow in reverence to Joe Jackson SGC 40. Only a handful exist in the world, and none grade near this example. They conservatively estimate it will fetch $40,000. ‘Command’ is a more appropriate term.

I, and the majority of vintage collectors, will watch the results of this listing carefully. It is expected to be an early gauge of the 2010 vintage market. Happy bidding!