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Caption: Cracker Jack Baseball Cards 1914 was a historic year; in many ways 1914 was also a year of firsts. New technology brought about the introduction of commercial air flight and the first human blood transfusions. Advancements in weaponry, and new tactics in warfare soon saw death and destruction in an unprecedented scale as the First World War began that summer. 1914 also saw the Cracker Jack brand use America's pastime, baseball to introduce their newest promotion: baseball cards.
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Caption: Baseball's New Federal League America couldn't get enough of baseball in 1914. In addition to the sixteen Major League teams, a new, competing "Federal League" began. The eight-team Federal League had their own set of stars and stadiums and competed against the Major Leagues. The most noteworthy Federal League ballpark was Weegham Park (above photo). Today this ballpark is known as Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The 1914 Crack Jack baseball card promotion included thirty-nine ballplayers from the Federal League.
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Caption: Appealing to the youngest consumers, Cracker Jack promoted their brand in various confectionery periodicals with this promise: "In each package will be found a novelty or toy to delight and amuse the little folks."
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Caption: Take Me Out to the Ballgame The biggest form of exposure Cracker Jack received however, was from Jack Norworth's 1908 rhyme "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Included in this song is the line "...buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack." As this song's popularity increased, this tasty snack was given even more public exposure...
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Caption: The Prize But the biggest reason the Cracker Jack snack was so fun and popular in 1914 was the prize in each box...
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Caption: ...the stars of the diamond.
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Caption: Ty "The Georgia Peach" Cobb Perhaps the greatest player during baseball's "Deadball Era," Ty Cobb was always a fierce competitor on the field. He hit .368 in 1914 and was one of the most desirable cards one could retrieve in a box of Cracker Jack.
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Caption: This Cracker Jack set features both Napoleon Lajoie & Honus Wagner, each collecting their 3,000th career hits during the 1914 baseball season.
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Caption: Tris "The Grey Eagle" Speaker Considered by many historians to be one of the best offensive and defensive players in the history of baseball, Tris Speaker of the Boston Red Sox led baseball in 1914 with 158 games played, 193 hits, 46 doubles and hit .338. His 1914 Cracker Jack card is one of thirty Hall of Fame players featured in this set.
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Caption: Walter "The Big Train" Johnson Pitching great Walter Johnson was a staple in the 1914 Cracker Jack set. Following the 1914 baseball season Johnson signed a contract to play for the Chicago Whales of the Federal League. Johnson eventually voided his contract and continued to pitch for the Washington Senators.
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Caption: One rookie who debuted in 1914 was Red Sox pitcher, Babe Ruth. No Cracker Jack card of Ruth was ever issued, but this is what a Babe Ruth rookie card may have looked like.
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Caption: 100 Years and counting... 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of this classic baseball card set. Over the past 100 years kids and adults of all ages have enjoyed collecting these timeless treasures. To assist original collectors back in 1914, Cracker Jack also made available an album to fit all 144 cards (see photo above). The album and all 144 cards are now highly desirable amongst modern vintage baseball card collectors. Today, in order to complete this set a number of challenges must be met. First, many star cards normally fetch thousands of dollars each. In addition, the following common cards are considered very scarce...
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Caption: Rarities The 1914 Cracker Jack baseball series contains a handful of scare cards. It is unknown if these cards were intentionally short-printed, or if these common players' cards were simply disposed of in 1914 as having no value. The fact that one hundred years have passed has also added an element of rarity to them.
Caption: Credits
Many of the photos used in this book were located on the Internet. I have made every effort to give proper credit to those persons and establishments whose photos these belong to. For allowing me to share my Cracker Jack card collecting passion while using your images, many thanks to the following:
Archive.org
BelltownVintageCards.com
Boston Public Library
Brigandicoin.com
"GhostsofDC"
Goodwinandco.com
ILuveSports.com
International Confectioner
LegendaryAuctions.com
NationalPastimeMuseum.com
NyTimes.com
Old Cardboard Magazine
Pat Nester
Profession Sports Authenticator
PWCCAuctions
"RRaquello"
SenseShaper.com
VintageCardPrices.com
Chris Whitehouse
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Caption: ABOUT ME
I have been an avid baseball fan and card collector for forty years. I began collecting 1914 Cracker Jack cards in 2014. Currently I have about half of this set completed. If you've enjoyed this e-book, or have any questions or comments, I can be reached at: star6240@att.net.
Or, follow me on Twitter: @star6240