Extremely Rare 1939 American Card Catalog by Jefferson Burdick

Sold For:

$5,160

Year:

1939

Auction:

2024 Summer

Lot #:

1127

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1930s and 1940s Cards

Robert Edward Auctions has always had a great reverence for hobby history, so it is a special honor for us to present this fascinating relic of card-collecting history in this auction. Offered is an extraordinarily rare 1939 first edition of the American Card Catalog by legendary card-collecting pioneer Jefferson R. Burdick. As noted on the title page of the American Card Catalog, it was published precisely on June 1, 1939. While we have had other early editions (from the 1940s and 1950s), this is only the eighth time REA has ever had the privilege of offering the historic 1939 first edition of the American Card Catalog, which differs substantially in design and format from later editions (the first example we handled was offered in REA's Spring 2013 auction as Lot 485 and realized $4,740). In many ways this volume represents the birth of organized card collecting in America. Burdick is universally recognized as the "Father of Card Collecting." His American Card Catalog was the first serious attempt to document and categorize cards for collectors. It was the American Card Catalog that assigned to such sets as T206 and R319 the catalog reference numbers still in use today. Burdick spent the last twenty years of his life organizing and mounting his vast collection in albums for permanent display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He died in 1963, just months after completing this lifelong project, and his collection is among the most famous ones at the Met. In addition to the primary catalog section, it is fascinating to see the advertising section in the back of the 1939 ACC, with ads from legendary collecting pioneers such as Charles Bray, Lionel Carter, and even Jefferson Burdick himself. The catalog (6 x 9 inches) is missing the back cover and presents in Fair condition with technical faults visible on the front cover and along the spine as well as natural wear to the fragile corners and edges. Despite the flaws, this is an outstanding piece of hobby history with tremendous information and fascinating reading. Opening Bid $200.