While the T206 series, released between 1909 and 1911, is considered the Cadillac of baseball card sets, the E107 baseball card set is certainly for collectors of the upper crust.
A complete run of the cards recently sold through Goldin for $1.159 million. The set includes 150 cards and is considered complete at the advertised 150 pieces, as noted on the backs of the cards. Still, with variations including blank and advertisement-laden backs, there are 175 unique cards available.
The set, loaded with Hall of Fame rookie cards and, as documented by PSA, is a landmark product in timing. “Considered the first major set of the 20th century, E107’s feature a unique mix of veteran late 19th century players and those athletes who were just starting out at the turn of the 20th century,” the company stated in its Set Profile.
Further giving providence to this set is that it’s considered the first standard-size product of the 1900s, as net54baseball board member Rhotchkiss explained. The collector, who in 2016 owned a full copy of the set, detailed how vintage collectors give it preference over larger-size products of the era. “True, the Sporting Life Company began distributing oversized W600 cabinet premiums in 1902, but many elite, vintage card purists forgo the angle of collecting cabinet and/or postcard-sized cardboard artifacts, preferring instead to focus their want lists and associated budgets on pieces of more standard, card-like dimensions,” Rhotchkiss explains. “With that in mind, the 1903 distribution of E107’s ended an 8-year drought, with the popular 1895 Mayo’s Cut Plug, 40-subject set (N300s) serving as the last previous baseball card issue fitting the desired parameters.”
Anatomy of a Card Set
Two aspects of E107 make the set unique for its era.
First, unlike most products of the day, cards feature photography. The product was released during the black-and-white photography and filmography period, long before color was possible. As such, most sets during the era were artistic renderings, as seen in the T206 set. As identified by prewarcards.com, some of the E107 photos served as models for the renders used in T206.
Second, unlike the T206 series and other well-known products of the era, the E107 series came in confectionary products instead of tobacco. The practice, of course, became commonplace in the 1940s through the 1980s when sticks of gum were as crucial as baseball cards, but back in the pre-WWII era, especially before the Great War, most trading cards came in tobacco products.
These facts, however, would be meaningless were it not for the incredible content of the E107s. Naturally, several names were also-rans and mid-level players, but the bevy of Hall of Fame names that are part of this release are nothing short of incredible. They include:
Chief Bender—Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953, Chief Bender was one of the first indigenous superstars in his sport. His career began in 1903, timing the E107 release with modern rookie card standards. Bender spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics and put together a 212-127 record along with a 2.46 ERA. After retiring as a player, Bender took on a variety of other roles in baseball, including coach and scout.
Frank Chance—Best known as part of the “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon” tribute to the Chicago Cubs, Chance was the final stop on the immortal double-play combination. Chance served as the team’s first baseman and manager. He became the first manager in MLB history to record four 100-win seasons and guided the Cubs to consecutive World Series titles (1907, 1908). Chance also played and managed the New York Yankees and floated around baseball for several years.
Nap Lajoie—There may be no better way to illustrate Lajoie’s greatness than to show that his team in Cleveland had the nickname “Naps” in his honor. Lajoie was a 1937 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, recognizing his nearly 20-year career as a player that included five American League batting championships, three RBI leads, and, most impressively, a Triple Crown achievement in 1901. Lajoie was also the third member of baseball’s fabled 3,000-hit club.
Christy Mathewson—Mathewson may have been the greatest pitcher of his generation. A “first-five” inductee into baseball’s Hall of Fame, Mathewson’s most significant career accomplishment came in 1905, when he pitched three shutout games en route to the New York Giants’ first World Series title. Mathewson still ranks third in all-time MLB wins (tie with Grover Cleveland) and third in shutouts. Mathewson died tragically young thanks to chemical exposure during World War I, but his legacy lives on proudly today.
John McGraw—Though better known in baseball lore as a 30-year manager of the New York Giants, McGraw was a tremendous player for 11 years of his active playing days. In 1899, McGraw finished with a .391 batting average, the peak of nine consecutive seasons of .300-plus hitting. McGraw’s on-field career was shortened by a baserunner connecting with his leg with sharpened cleat spikes. When E107 was released, McGraw was in transition to a player-manager. He was inducted into Baseball’s hallowed hall in 1937.
Eddie Plank—A 1946 inductee, Plank masterminded three World Series championships. He was the first left-handed hurler to reach MLB’s 200 and 300-win plateaus. His career 2.36 ERA is still unfathomable, while he was more than competent as a hitter with a .206 batting average. Plank wasn’t without controversy in his playing days, refusing to suit up for the New York Yankees, which may have added to his fan appeal.
Honus Wagner—Best known in many circles for his famed T206 card, Wagner was more than just a name on a rare piece of sports history; he was also an elite-level player. Wagner captured eight batting titles in his career, including four straight between 1906 and 1909. He guided the Pirates to the World Series in that final year and entered Cooperstown in 1936.
Cy Young—The namesake for baseball’s pitcher of the year award, Young won the hurler version of baseball’s Triple Crown in 1901. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg for the player who captured five wins titles, led the majors in ERA and strikeouts twice, pitched three no-hitters and a perfect game. Young also won a World Series championship in 1903 and, in 1937, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
These are just a few of the names that make the E107 series a must-have for serious collectors. With prices highly unlikely to decline, getting in on this historic baseball card set now is strongly advised.
Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer. He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets over his two decades in the hobby. His experience also includes two books on sports cards and memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at @jonwaldman.
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