1922 Lou Gertenrich Chas. "Babe" Adams

Sold For:

$300

Year:

1922

Auction:

2020 Spring

Lot #:

747

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards

Graded VG 3 by SGC (submitted by REA). Outstanding example of Chas. "Babe" Adams (Pittsburgh Pirates) from the rarely-seen 1922 Lou Gertenrich caramel-card set. Featuring images on front identical to those of the E121 American Caramel series, Lou Gertenrich was one of several different advertisers to use these cards to promote its brand during the early 1920s. Easily distinguished by their ornate advertisement on the back, which utilizes the headshot of a ballplayer (Lou Gertenrich himself, who played a few Major League games) alongside the image of a ballpark and the tagline "Lou Gertenrich - The Baseball Player-Candy Manufacturer," these cards are extremely scarce and very desirable. The offered card is one of twenty-one Lou Gertenrich cards recently found among a 1910s and 1920s caramel-card collection, each of which appears individually in this auction. Prior to this discovery, PSA and SGC had combined to grade only thirty-eight examples in total. Interestingly, until this grouping, many of the known Lou Gertenrich cards originate from a few small finds in which the cards had small areas of paper loss on the back, likely from housing in scrapbooks. This makes the offered card and the other twenty in this auction especially desirable as none have been stored in albums and the important backs are intact. Centered to the right with even wear at the corners and crisp printing, both front and back. This is an attractive example of this rare back and one that would be a worthy addition to any E121, Pirates, or type-card collection.

Reserve $100. Estimate (open).