Q&A

Keith wondered:

Q:  "I see a lot of old cards referred to as "strip" cards.  Can you tell me exactly what that means?"


A:  Strip cards are crudely-done cards (that actually look a lot like "funny page" cartoons and are printed on similar-type paper).  The reason for for the name is that when they were first distributed, they often came as strips of 10 or 12 and were cut apart by their owners.

There are still full strips available in the hobby, but strip cards are usually found as single cards.  Due to their poor pictures and the fact that they are easily damaged, many collectors ignore them.  It's unfortunate, but thanks to that attitude, I picked up the W512 Babe Ruth card shown to the right for about $10 back in '92.



For more info on specific sets of strip cards, check out this page from the Old Cardboard website (just scroll down to the Strip Cards section):