The card issues of the 1920s were primarily crude black and white cards
issued by candy manufacturers. Unlike the tobacco and caramel issues
of the early 1900s, the cards were rudimentary - even the colorful strip
cards of the era featured poor production values. Cartoon images of
players were often printed out of register, and errors were frequent.
The E120 and W573 sets stand out above many of their contemporaries due
to an exceptional design. Despite being black and white, the cards
feature ornate borders and attractive photos. They were issued in strips of
ten, with the obvious intent of cutting them down into individual cards. While the cards themselves
are not plentiful by any means, uncut strips of any length are far less so, appearing
only occasionally at auction.
This is a strip of three Chicago White Sox players, featuring Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk, outfielder Johnny Mostil, and Bib Falk, who replaced Shoeless Joe Jackson in left field after the great hitter was banned from baseball for his alleged role in the Black Sox Scandal.
The strip displays as Fair/Good but does exhibit wear consistent with a collectible of this nature, including some mild creasing and folding, and a miscut edge common to
strip cards. Still an outstanding
example of one of the most attractive card issues of the 1920s, an
exceptional collectible, and an excellent display piece.