Q&A

Bill writes:

Q:
"I have come across about 20 baseball cards (Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, etc) that have a copyright date of 1950 and B. E. Callahan on the back.  The cards are about 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches tall.  They are black and white.  The pictures are like an ink drawing. The back has a bio of the player.

Can you steer me in the right direction to find out more about these cards?  I can't find anything about these cards anywhere. "

A:

Your cards are from the 1950-56 Callahan set (W573 in the American Card Catalog). They were issued as a boxed set through the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and featured every member then enshrined in the Hall. Each year, the new Hall of Famers would simply be added to the set. In other words, cards of Dizzy Dean (inducted in 1953) are harder to find than those of Babe Ruth, Jimmy Foxx, Cy Young and all other pre-1950 inductees, because his card was added to the set in 1953. Additionally, Hall of Famers who were inducted in 1955 and 1956 -- which includes Joe DiMaggio -- are the hardest players to find. 

There really is little information about this set, probably because many collectors stay away from cards that feature retired players (and in the case of this set, executives and umpires as well). The cards are not really expensive compared to other early-1950s sets, and are worth seeking out if you have an interest.