1909-1911 E90-1 American Caramel Set Overview

Card Specs: 1.5" x 2.75”  |  122 cards  |  Color  |  Classification: Candy/Caramel  |  E90-1

The E90-1 American Caramel set, produced between 1909 and 1911, is a cornerstone of the candy card era. The checklist features 122 known cards despite the “100 subjects” notation on the reverse, driven by an evolving print run that produced more cards than originally advertised.

The E90-1 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson is widely considered his rookie, and is the set's definitive key card.  Other top players include Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Nap Lajoie, “Home Run” Baker, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker, Cy Young, and Eddie Plank.

E90-1 Caramel Cards - Mathewson, Baker, Lajoie

Beyond Hall of Famers, many lower-profile players are believed to be short-printed, adding to collectors’ challenge of assembling a complete set.

E90-1 American Caramel Card Design

E90-1 American Caramel Cards measure approximately 1-1/2" by 2-3/4" and feature beautifully colored artwork of players in various poses with their names, teams, and positions printed in a white border area along the bottom. The set is celebrated for strong color palettes and distinctive backgrounds, including several cards featuring vivid sunsets. While most subjects appear in a single pose, a handful of players have variations, the most notable being Honus Wagner’s batting and throwing versions and Cy Young’s portrait and action designs.

E90-1 Caramel variations for Honus Wagner and Cy Young

Unlike tobacco cards of the era that featured an array of advertisements from different tobacco manufacturers, all E90-1 American Caramel cards’ reverse side are identical, with a simplistic baseball illustration alongside company branding. 

E90-1 American Caramel Cards Value

Like most cards of the era, few well-preserved E90-1 Caramel Cards remain due to inconsistent print alignment, poor centering, and distribution in boxes or bags of treats from the American Caramel Company. As a result, only around 1% of PSA submissions have exceeded a grade of 6, with none reaching 9.

E90-1 American Caramel Ty Cobb

The most coveted card in the set, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, can fetch six figures at auction even at a low grade, and similarly conditioned noteworthy and short-printed players can reach five figures at auction, even in low grade. In contrast, E90-1 cards that appear more often can be acquired in poor condition for under $100.

Recent E90-1 American Caramel Auction Sales

E90-1 American Caramel "Shoeless" Joe Jackson SGC 3 - $108,000 - 2023 Fall Auction

E90-1 American Caramel Joe Tinker PSA 7 - $19,200 - 2025 Summer Auction

E90-1 American Caramel Tris Speaker SGC 2 - $9,300 - 2025 Summer Auction

E90-1 American Caramel Raw Collection - $246 - 2025 January Auction

FOR MORE AUCTION RESULTS, SEARCH "E90-1" IN OUR AUCTION ARCHIVE.

How to Sell E90-1 American Caramel Cards

E90-1 American Caramel cards are highly coveted by our bidding audience. We have unmatched experience selling single graded cards, near complete sets, and can help with grading and authentication of raw examples. If you'd like to maximize the return on your cards, reach out today to connect with a specialist for a free consultation.