Goudeyhunter

   When I bought my first Maple Crispette card close to ten years ago, I don't recall it being an inspiration to pursue the entire set.  The card was of infamous World Series unassisted triple play turner Bill Wambsganss, and the condition of the card was comparable to the floor mats in my '99 Jeep.  That aside, I've always been drawn to Maple's because they feature a unique head shot of the player, have a simplistic & crisp presentation and the cards are rarely offered for sale.  Only 30 cards to the set, this small issue has more allure to it than most experienced collectors might anticipate.  Stacked with 14 Hall of Famers, the MC issue also features three of baseball's best players during the mid 20's: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson.  Adding further interest to the set, only 1 surviving example of card #15 is known to exist, that of Casey Stengel.  Seen below, this card was previously thought to be a non-produced number until it reportedly surfaced in 1992.  So it's easy to understand why the Stengel card isn't around, but why are the other Maple's rarely available?  That's simple...just flip one of the cards over. 

Redemption & Rarity

An offer on the back side of each card announces the choice of a league ball, bat or glove to be given free with the redemption of all 30 cards.  Many kids probably tried to take advantage of this great offer.  On the flip side, the Maple Crispette Company (MCC) obviously produced a limited number of the Stengel card to limit the number of prizes distributed. This can be remotely confirmed by the existence of a single Stengel card known to exist today.  Another thought on the rarity of MC's, I believe the company did not return the cards upon redemption.  If they had, there'd certainly be Maple's floating around today with a redemption hole or noticeable alteration, like George C. Miller's.  Since this isn't the case, I'd say redeemed sets were never returned...and most likely destroyed.  One other related observation about the Stengel card, one blatant printing anomaly appears in the set, that of the card just before it, #14 Ivy Wingo.  Curiously, the card can be found with the name line 'Ivy Wingo' or just plain 'Wingo'.  Conspiracy theories are cheap and founded by the dozen, but I'll jump out on a limb and suggest that MC produced one of these variations as an after though...replacing would be Stengel cards in packaging.  I admit that this is a reach, but certainly not unthinkable! 

Twins

Vintage cards were produced for just about every sport and athletic venue, with many sets featuring a variety of athletes from a combination of sports.  The Maple Crispette Company was no different.  They too produced cards for multiple sports however they did so by producing separate yet mirroring issues, featuring a hockey and baseball set.  Looking again at the back side of an MC card, you'll see that the script references the hockey set.  Maple's redemption offer gave collectors the chance to submit a combination of cards from the two sets, so long as each card 1-30, was represented.  Looking and measuring exactly like the baseball issue, the hockey set also featured 30 cards in all. Not surprisingly, the MC folks must have held production down on the #15 hockey card as well (Sprague Cleghorn) as only a few examples are known to exist.  Tricky buggers!

Schematics

Produced in Montreal, Canada, MC's typically measure at 1 3/8 x 2 1/4.  Many examples range slightly larger in width.  The black and white player images were made with a process known as photoengraving*, also referred to as "halftone relief".  In the early 20^th century, photoengraving was commonly used to produce photographically "realistic" images (not actual photographs).  Other popular vintage issues produced in this manner include the 1903/4 Breisch-Williams issue, as well as many of the early Sporting News sets.  The type of print used to add the text portion of MC's was obviously done with a low quality press.  Although the gaffe's in text printing on the front sides are very limited, anyone who's seen these cards knows that the back side print is very choppy, with portions of many letters and words appearing incomplete.  

Odd Entry

For a small 30 card set, the MC issue has its share of unanswered questions.  A study of the issue has made me question why card #5 Lee Fohl was included in the set. Fohl managed several mediocre teams during the mid 1920's, and was relieved of his management duties in midseason 1923, while with the St. Louis Cardinals.  He also led the 1925 Red Sox squad to a last place finish.  Fohl and Bill McKechnie are the only two managers featured in the Maple set, however Bill's Pirate teams of the mid 20's always finished with strong records, including winning the World Series in 1925. 

Historical Prerogative

About three years ago, the first Maple Crispette article that I authored appeared in a Vintage Beckett (attachment to article below).  Although I was satisfied that the article was factual and insightful, I didn't feel like I touched upon the historical origins of the set.  Since then, I've been digging for more answers.  With the help of a dedicated friend who does unsurpassed research, a great deal of light has recently been shed on the identity of the MC's mid 1920's candy line. 

Not identified or sited in any modern vintage baseball periodical that I'm aware of, the type of candy and packaging that MC cards were most likely distributed with has been rediscovered.  Seen in various issues of the trade magazine "Canadian Grocer" (attachment below), Maple Crispette used full page ad's to announce their various new products & packaging to retailers (these spanning from 1922-1925).  Of these, the one that interests me the most is the one entitled 'A New Maple Crispette Product' (seen just below - dated 1925 on the backside).  Although many of these ads look suitable to be packaging sources, this specific ad lends various points of proof that it was the product that distributed the baseball cards.  The first element is difficult to overlook, the product offers "a prize in every satchel".  Although not specifically pictured, baseball cards seem certain to be one of those prizes.  Stronger proof comes from the type of candy offered for this product, a multi colored popcorn.  This is where a little bit of MC knowledge is extremely helpful.  Anyone who's had a half dozen or more MC cards pass through their hands undoubtedly knows that many examples tend to have a combination of yellow-brownish and/or pinkish staining.  Looking back at the color of the popcorn in this ad, I don't think there's room for much coincidence here. The last point of contention that this product was the packaging behind MC baseball cards is the date of the ad, 1925.  For those in the know, the V117 Maple Crispette set has always been cataloged to 1923, right?  I disagree. I believe the MC set was produced in 1925.

Over the past several years, many vintage baseball card issues have been reexamined by collectors, and found to be incorrectly dated.  I believe the same can be said about the V117 issue.  The discovery of the original packaging convinced me that the 1925 date was almost infallible, but one other key element sincerely made up my mind.  Take a quick look at the back side of the baseball card just one more time.  Ok, now take a look at the backside of the MC hockey card (above).  One impressing fact differentiates the two.  The baseball card mentions the hockey set, whereas the hockey card only references itself.  The hockey set was produced in 1924/25, and surely if the baseball issue had been produced beforehand, the back side information would be reversed.  The only item left was to verify that the hockey issue really dated to 1924/25.  That took one quick email to a leading vintage hockey material researcher an author, and confirmation was made that the set was indeed produced in 1924/25. 

Collecting

Although players like Cobb and Ruth are expensive to obtain, they're two of the more readily available MC cards to find.  It's tracking down some of the lesser known players like George Dauss and Bill Wambsganss that can present a real challenge.  And if you want a Maple Crispette Jim Bottomley, you'd better save your nickels!  Since the cards have a white border and were packaged with candied popcorn, most are found in lower conditions.  I've always felt that this subdued interest in Maple's, but when a high grade example hits the market, they command big dollars.  I've personally worked on this set for about 10 years now, and have always taken a slow approach to finishing it off.  I'm only one card away at the moment.