Presented is "the" most astounding complete set of 1914 Cracker Jacks to have ever been assessed by PSA, and therefore distinguished as the #1 All Time Finest PSA Set Registry offering. Each and every card has been graded by PSA save for the Honus Wagner, which has been graded and authenticated by GAI as a NM 7. The offered "complete" set has won the finest 1914 Cracker Jack set for an unprecedented nine consecutive years, in fact it is the only collection that has ever been awarded the set of the year for the featured series! The presented offering is complete although the PSA Set Registry will show the number as being 97.22% complete with an astounding 6.59 GPA, please do keep in mind these numbers do not account for the aforementioned Wagner card that has been assessed at the NM 7 by a competing grading service. There is universal agreement within the organized hobby that the 1914 Cracker Jack release is one of the hobby's hallmark series and quite possibly the most difficult issue of cards to procure in high grade. A German immigrant named Frederick William Rueckheim invented Cracker Jack. Rueckheim came to Chicago in 1872 to help clean up after the famous Chicago fire. He also worked selling popcorn from a cart. Together with brother Louis, Rueckheim experimented and came up with a delightful popcorn candy, which the brothers decided to mass market. Cracker Jack was first mass-produced and sold at the first Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Immortalized in 1908 in the lyrics of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," Cracker Jack added surprises in each package in 1912. In 1914 Cracker Jack went beyond their normal issuance of mere trinkets and inserted bright red colored cards featuring the stars of the diamond into every box of Cracker Jacks. Issued in both 1914 as well as the following year 1915, the 144 subject effort of 1914 is widely considered to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing series of all time. The cards were printed on an exceptionally thin stock that had much more in common with construction paper than it did with cardboard, as well the cards were inserted directly into the gooey caramel confection with no protection at all, resulting in stained cards from day one. The 1914 release -unlike the following year- allowed for children to retrieve the cards only from the box with no redemption offers available. Based on these facts as well as the nearly 100 years since the cards' issuance, it becomes abundantly clear why the cards are so revered in top condition. Everything about this set -the colors, the definition of the vintage images, the subjects featured- taps into the mere innocence and idyllic wonderment which in turn spurs on all collectors. The featured set presents as a virtual dream to advanced collectors, with the inclusion of the only 2 subjects that have been graded PSA 9 MINT (Oaks, Perdue) from the entirety of the submission pool as well as an amazing 45 of the 79 unqualified PSA NM/MT 8 cards that have ever been graded. Included amongst the PSA NM/MT 8 examples are the likes of the number one card Otto Knabe as well as pasteboards of Hall Of Famers such as Baker, Tinker, Plank, Mack, Crawford, Evers, M. Brown, G.C. Alexander and Ray Schalk. Every knowledgeable hobbyist will immediately be fascinated by the higher profile cards within the offering: the collectibles featuring the likenesses of Shoeless Joe Jackson as well as the iconic and exceptionally scarce card of Christy Mathewson. The offered card of legendary baseball repugnant Joe Jackson is offered within the context of the set in a PSA NM 7 holder, while the exceedingly scarce horizontally issued 1914 pasteboard of the “Christian Gentleman” Christy Mathewson is represented by a princely example that has been awarded an EX 5 grade by PSA. A collection that Mile High Card Company is proud to be able to offer and one that will almost assuredly never be reconstructed in its PSA assessment. A splendid opportunity to acquire true hobby opulence! Bid on the complete 1914, 144 card set or bid on the individual lots.
Break up the set, or keep it together; it’s really your choice! At the end of the auction , the set will be sold to the highest aggregate bidding, whether that is the sum of the individual lots or the highest bid for the complete set. Our website will automatically reflect whichever portion has received the highest bidding total. Placing a bid on this lot constitutes bidding on the complete 144 card set.
Please follow the provided link below to view a complete breakdown of the set.
ADDENDUM: Please note that although the auction description reflects the offered 1914 Cracker Jack set as being complete it is actually missing two cards (#23 Comiskey and #133 Rickey. Please note that placing a bid on the lot constitutes acceptance of the missing cards)
1914 Cracker Jack Current and All-Time Finest Set