780. 1917 E135 Collins- McCarthy #197 Earl Yingling – PSA VG 3 MINIMUM BID: $75
781. 1917 E135 Collins- McCarthy #199 Rollie Zeider – SGC GOOD 2 MINIMUM BID: $50
782. 1917 Collins-McCarthy SGC AUTHENTIC Collection (4) MINIMUM BID: $50
1917 BOSTON STORE T hough Boston Store was one of several different regional advertisers to distribute this set of 200 cards, up until now little has been known or published about the cards and their method of distribution. Some have speculated that the cards were distributed in the Midwest because there were multiple retailers that used the name “Boston Store,” but from all our research we do not believe that these cards were distributed anywhere other than the Chicago store on the corner of Madison and Dearborn Streets. That was a standalone store, originally owned by Charles Netcher and passed to his wife Mollie Netcher Newbury when he died in 1904. Newberry ran the store until she sold it in 1946 for $14 million.
series was available for just 2 cents, meaning a complete set could be purchased for just $0.16, clearly a loss leader designed to get customers into the store week after week. Advertisements claimed that just 5,000 sets were made, and each week’s advertising introduced that week’s subjects and reinforced that past series were still available – so we have no indication that any of the cards were ever sold out. Advertising for the cards ended with the eighth series on June 1, an indication that perhaps the promotion was not a popular one. It is reasonable to assume that the later series cards are likely less plentiful, since they were sold for less time: Series 1 cards were available for the entire eight weeks of the promotion, but Series 8 cards were only available for one. We are fortunate to feature a large grouping of Boston Store cards in this auction; along with a grouping of E135 Collins-McCarthy cards, we have nearly a complete set (a few stragglers did not come back from grading in time to make the catalog). An outstanding group of extremely scarce cards, with new information on their origin.
The cards have always been scarce. Catalogued as H801-8, they are among the most difficult to find of the era, but little has been known about how the cards were distributed. As part of our research, we can now say that the cards were offered in eight series of 25 cards, a new series issued each week between April 13 and June 1 of 1917. Each
783. 1917 H801-8 Boston Store #1 Sam Agnew - SGC PR 1 MINIMUM BID: $50
784. 1917 H801-8 Boston Store #3 Walt Alexander - SGC GOOD 2 MINIMUM BID: $50
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