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Little was known of these small (1-1/2" X
2-1/4") black-and-white cards until an original store display
was discovered in the late 1980s. Carrying a copyright date of
Nov., 1926 from Sports Co. of America, a San Francisco publishing
firm, these cards were produced for A.G. Spalding & Bros.,
the sporting goods firm. Each card was issued in a wax paper baggie
with a small like-sized red, white, and blue "Sports-Scrip"
which was serial numbered for use in a candy prize drawing at
the store or could be redeemed for 10 cents on Spalding equipment.
The cards themselves feature ornately framed photos at center,
with "CHAMPIONS" in a cartouche at top and the player's
name and sport in a second ornate frame at bottom. Most backs
have biographical data and career notes, but some are seen with
advertising offering an album for the pieces. Nearly 50 baseball
players are known from a list of 175 male and female athletes
from sports as diverse as fishing, chess and balloon racing. This
example of HOFer Dave Bancroft has been graded MINT by PSA and
it includes the original Scrip.
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