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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.
The images of the Scrip can be found below:
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