Let's see some SCRAPPS!

67airborne · #1 08-18-2022, 05:51 PM

I like the fact that they are a gum issue. I think it makes them a little more unique in a time period of mainly tobacco issues. I also like that this company thought so highly of its marketing strategy that they would send away to Germany to get what they thought was a higher standard of printing and must have taken months with shipping and production. They don�t seem readily available and you don�t see them often in pristine condition either. Most of the ones I�ve seen have all been lower grade, but I also haven�t been watching them forever since I only restarted collecting in the last couple years after a 20 year break.
Also, are there any of the known issues that are harder to find over the others that anyone has seen so far?

phlflyer1 · #2 08-18-2022, 06:10 PM

Definitely a beautiful and, IMO, underappreciated issue.

Thanks Al for the research that you did on these way back and for sharing that info with the hobby.

BillyCoxDodgers3B · #3 08-18-2022, 06:50 PM

When I first heard of these in the 1980's, they were referred to in a Krause publication as Scraps (one p) and no mention was made of them being a tobacco issue. If I recall, somebody submitted them to the Q&A column in Baseball Cards magazine. Whoever answered the person's query basically replied that they were a mysterious 19th century baseball issue known as Scraps, for lack of better knowledge, and that they were fairly plentiful.

When was the second "p" added? When was the first mention of them as "Scrapps Tobacco", and do we know who coined this incorrect term?

Casey2296 · #4 08-18-2022, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyCox3

When I first heard of these in the 1980's, they were referred to in a Krause publication as Scraps (one p) and no mention was made of them being a tobacco issue. If I recall, somebody submitted them to the Q&A column in Baseball Cards magazine. Whoever answered the person's query basically replied that they were a mysterious 19th century baseball issue known as Scraps, for lack of better knowledge, and that they were fairly plentiful.

When was the second "p" added? When was the first mention of them as "Scrapps Tobacco", and do we know who coined this incorrect term?

From Al Crisafulli's article;

It is well-known at this point in the hobby that no such brand as �Scrapps Tobacco� ever existed. In fact, none other than Rob Lifson of Robert Edward Auctions, in a 2005 auction description, explained �This seems an appropriate time to clear up a long-standing, obscure hobby mystery relating to the identification of this issue as �Scrapps Tobacco.� This identification first appeared in The Sports Collectors Bible (1975). The fact is, there is no tobacco brand by the name of �Scrapps.� The responsibility for this erroneous attribution, we must admit, falls squarely on the shoulders of Robert Edward Auctions� President Robert Lifson. �Back in 1974, when I was working on The Sports Collectors Bible, editor Bert Sugar called me up and wanted me to clarify the name of this issue. I wasn�t sure what this set should be called, so I called up Dr. Lawrence Kurzok and asked him. Kurzok was one of the great old-time collectors who was a contemporary of Jefferson Burdick. In a very quick fact-checking conversation, he told me they were �Scrapps,� and assuming this was a tobacco issue, I misinterpreted him and thought that he meant �Scrapps Tobacco.� What he really meant was that these cards were a series designed to be glued in scrapbooks�I reported back that this set should officially be catalogued �Scrapps Tobacco� brand��

brianp-beme · #5 08-18-2022, 09:18 PM

Quote from above post (as told by Rob Lifson):

"I wasn’t sure what this set should be called, so I called up Dr. Lawrence Kurzok and asked him. Kurzok was one of the great old-time collectors who was a contemporary of Jefferson Burdick. In a very quick fact-checking conversation, he told me they were ‘Scrapps,’ and assuming this was a tobacco issue, I misinterpreted him and thought that he meant ‘Scrapps Tobacco.’ What he really meant was that these cards were a series designed to be glued in scrapbooks..."

Here is a T206 with a Lawrence Kurzrok stamp.

Brian

ValKehl · #6 08-18-2022, 11:29 PM

Al & Bob, I've long wished there was an online, comprehensive repository for info re vintage (pre-War) baseball cards - an online vintage baseball card Wikipedia, if you will. The Old Cardboard, Pre-War Cards, and probably a few other websites I'm not familiar with have some of this info, but there is so much more to be captured. It would take a considerable effort (i.e., a "labor of love") by many dedicated collectors to achieve what I have in mind, but being an old fart, I don't see this happening in my lifetime.

BobC · #7 08-19-2022, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Al & Bob, I've long wished there was an online, comprehensive repository for info re vintage (pre-War) baseball cards - an online vintage baseball card Wikipedia, if you will. The Old Cardboard, Pre-War Cards, and probably a few other websites I'm not familiar with have some of this info, but there is so much more to be captured. It would take a considerable effort (i.e., a "labor of love") by many dedicated collectors to achieve what I have in mind, but being an old fart, I don't see this happening in my lifetime.

I am with you Val. Would love to see something either online, or in written form at least. As you said, there are various sites out there, like OBC, but they are not as complete as the SCD Catalogs were, and are not kept up to date in all cases. About the closest thing I think you could get to something online would be a copy of the SCD catalog in digital form. I seem to remember that one year they sold a CD version of the catalog in PDF format I believe, along with the printed version. That has to be more than 10 years ago though. It wouldn't have been updated since then, but at least you could maybe have access to the catalog by saving/uploading a copy of the file, and then retrieve it in some fashion on your smart phone or some other piece of equipment.

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