JULY 19TH AUCTION
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2013
Presented is a masterful collection of these scarce B18 Blankets, missing only the Joe Jackson/Purple bases variation for completion. This near set grades 50% EX or better (many NM), 40% VG to VG/EX, 10% lesser with the usual blanket issue such as fraying, light trimming and tobacco stains. These 5.25 square inch blankets were issued in 1914 in packs of Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes, an extremely scarce brand. There are 90 different players represented, each with two different color schemes regarding base paths, bases or infields. There are extremely rare red infield variations for all Detroit and Boston players, but these items are so rare, they are not included in the complete totals. Two other scarce color combinations are the Cleveland (yellow bases) and St. Louis Cardinals (yellow paths). Many of these rarities are listed separately below. Inexplicably, this set does not include all teams which were in major league baseball back then, or even all the major stars for each team, omitting such stalwarts as both Chicago squads, the Boston Red Sox and the reigning Champion Philadelphia A’s. The set is also missing Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants, although many lesser teammates are included. Despite these omissions, there are still plenty of Hall of Famers including Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Frank Chance, Miller Huggins, Rabbit Maranville, Casey Stengel, Bobby Wallace and Zach Wheat plus other luminaries Joe Jackson, Chick Gandil, Fred Snodgrass and Ray Chapman. These items are not seen very often in near set or even large accumulations. It is not often a collector has the ability to accumulate a large amount of these fragile pieces. Usually, the collector who wishes to put this set together piece meals this one by one or maybe picks up a couple here and there. This is a great opportunity to acquire a near set of these gems, one of the truly overlooked tobacco issues of the early 20th Century. Includes: Bassler/yellow (NM), Burns/brown (NM), Carey/purple (EX, one trimmed border), Carey/red (VG/EX), Cavanaugh/brown (FR, small hole), Chance/green (VG), Chance/brown (EX, one side short border), Chapman/purple (EX/MT), Chapman/yellow (GD), Cobb/white (EX, wide borders/light staining), Cobb/brown (GD/VG), Gandil/green (FR), Gandil/brown (EX), Huggins/yellow (NM, light reverse staining), Huggins/purple (EX), Jackson/yellow (GD, appears nicer first glance – couple tiny holes, NICE BORDERS), W. Johnson/brown (GD/VG), W. Johnson/green (EX, wide borders & light staining), Leibold/yellow (GD), Maranville/white (GD), Maranville/brown (EX, light fold), Miller/yellow (NM), Mitchell/yellow (EX, no border one side), Olsen/yellow (EX/MT), O’Neill/yellow (GD), Robinson/yellow (GD), Salee/yellow (FR), Snodgrass (EX), Steele/yellow (EX), Stengel/blue (NM, one slightly short border), Stengel/green (FR), Wallace/purple (GD/VG), Wallace/red (GDG), Wheat/blue (VG/EX), Wheat/green (VG), Whitted/yellow (EX/MT), Wilson/yellow (EX/MT). Total 180 blankets, grading 50% EX or better (many NM), 40% VG to VG/EX, 10% lesser.