BACK IN LATE 2014, we received a consignment of several die-cut cards that were known at the time as “Scrapps Tobacco.” Printed on a tab connecting some of the cards in red ink was “H.D.S. & Co.,” a clue which sent us on a lengthy mission. We knew the story of how “Scrapps Tobacco” got their name, as it was a result of a misunderstanding between hobby pioneer Lawrence Kurzok and a young Robert Lifson, who was working on the 1974 edition of the Sports Collectors Bible . After some lengthy research, we discovered that the cards were actually produced by a gum company called H.D. Smith & Co, of Cincinnati. Upon making the discovery, we did what all collectors did when they made a hobby discovery that needed to become a matter of record: We presented our findings to the Standard Catalog , so the next issue could be updated to reflect the new discovery. It wasn’t the first time we reported a discovery to the Standard Catalog , nor was it the last. Though it contained pricing information, the Catalog was, first and foremost, a scholarly publication, perhaps the last of its kind in the hobby. Looking through the “Acknolwedgements” section of the 2014 edition reveals dozens of names of the hobby’s great collectors and researchers, names we still know today: John Brigandi, Scott Brockelman, Ryan Christoff, Jeff Emerson, Bob Fisk, Larry Fritsch, David Hall, Terry Knouse, David Levin, Rob Lifson, Lew Lipset, Marc Macrae, Bob Marquette, Richard Masson, Dan McKee, Frank Nagy, Keith Olbermann, Al Richter, John Rumierz, Kevin Savage, Corey Shanus, Barry Sloate, Frank Ward – the list goes on and on. Knowledgeable collectors, sharing their research and their discoveries to create a single document that was the bible for the hobby. A way for collectors to learn and discover, and a central point to report new findings, errors, variations, and more. The last printed Standard Catalog was published in 2016. It is nearly 2024.
produces such publications and websites as Woodshop News , CabinLive.com , Old House Journal and Log & Timber Home Living . To my knowledge, nobody is producing a Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards . In these pages you will find a new discovery of 39 cards from the 1921 Herpolsheimer’s set. Previously thought to be just 69 or 70 known examples, with just one of each player known, this find includes nine new additions to the checklist, plus 30 cards which are now 1 of 2 known. This is a major hobby discovery that changes everything we know about these cards. And everything in the last edition of the Standard Catalog about this set is now wrong. Where do we report it? This is not the first time we’ve asked this question, not even this year. We specialize in difficult to find vintage cards, and that means we sometimes encounter things nobody has ever seen before. We try and spread the knowledge far and wide, but without a single, widely-accepted resource for this information, we still read major auction house descriptions of “Scrapps Tobacco” cards and see grading companies continue to mislabel them. We see grading companies rejecting uncatalogued variations because there’s no place to catalog them, and we see a steady stream of misinformation about cards being disseminated on social media. As the hobby boom of the 2020s creates unprecedented income for businesses and collectors alike, I fear we are losing sight of the fact that this hobby is, at its core, built on the scholarship and research of its pioneers, and continued on by groups of passionate collectors, working together to learn and share knowledge in one place. We’re building vaults, and not building knowledge. The hobby needs a Standard Catalog .
Krause Publications was a division of F&W Media in 2017, when Bob Lemke passed away. F&W filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2019, and in June, the book publishing assets of the company were purchased by Penguin Random House with some individual properties sold off individually. The Krause imprint, under Penguin Random House, continues to publish such titles as US Coin Digest ; Collecting Rocks, Gems and Minerals ; Pokemon Cards: The Unofficial Ultimate Collector’s Guide ; Warman’s Depression Glass Handbook ; and The Spells Bible: The Definitive Guide to Charms and Enchantments . In 2019, Active Interest Media acquired the “collectibles” magazines from F&W, including Sports Collector’s Digest , whose logo appeared prominently on the cover of the Standard Catalog each year. Sports Collectors Digest still does a wonderful job presenting hobby news in its magazine and website format. In addition to SCD, Active Interest Media
Al Crisafulli Auction Director
FALL 2023 PREMIER AUCTION − CLOSES NOVEMBER 25, 2023 1
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