(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: The First Ever Fleer Baseball Cards Came Out in 1923

Today's featured piece of cardboard is one of the absolute rarest Zack Wheat items I have ever come across. Prior to purchasing it, I did not even know the set itself existed. A couple of years ago I connected with a guy on Instagram who told me his friend had this card and it was available. After researching it to learn anything and everything I could, I was given a price and happily paid up.

The 1923 Fleer Baseball set is similar to many strip card sets of the time -- an existing set was used to promote a variety of companies. The W515-1 and W515-2 sets morphed into the first ever Fleer baseball cards when the company put its advert on the backs of some of these.

Other than knowing I would likely never see the Wheat again (POP 1) it's also wildly miscut which is extra cool. Add on the player whose elbow and face you can see is fellow Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby....and I had to have this at all costs.

The all-important reverse is above, and they were printed upside down. Fleer included the cards in packages of "Bobs and Fruit Hearts." This bad boy will never leave my collection!

Just Call Him The Confectionary Kid

Today's card is oddball vintage, which always brings a smile to my face. I believe I bought it from an auction house but I could not tell you which one or when I bought it. I simply liked the rarity of the set and the player struck me as one worth owning.

Kid Gleason is the player, and he was a darn good one. He pitched and hit and was the manager of the 1919 Black Sox, so that portion of the equation was easy. The set -- 1922 W575-1 Henry Johnson -- was also easy as it's a very tough offshoot set of the normal W575-1 Strip Cards.

Henry A. Johnson was a Bay Area confectionary wholesaler. They stamped the back to promote their company and finding them now is not always easy or cheap. I may not keep this card as my collecting habits/love of the hobby has changed since acquiring it, but for now, it's a very cool addition to my Vintage PC.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: El Principe De Gales, The Sexiest of T206s Backs!

Today's Zack Wheat pickup was an auction house score a couple of years back. I don't recall which auction house, but I felt the price was fair for a tougher T206 back and one that is easily the most fun to say out loud.

This becomes my 7th different Wheat back and while I would love to have the entire run one day and will likely keep it as a goal I will theoretically pursue, I know it's not the most likely thing to accomplish. Price and availability often make the T206 completion game a difficult task from the jump.

The back being clean is a nice plus! PSA scans usually work well for me, but unfortunately this time they came out a wee bit blurry (at least to my old eyes).

Ohhhhh, We're Halfway There.....

July begins with another addition to my slow and steady set build of the beautiful 1962 Mars Attacks. I am building it in PSA 4 form, with no qualifications to how old or new a label it arrives in. Despite nabbing a couple at local card shows, most have come from eBay and today's entry is no different.

Number 6 in the set, Burning Navy Ships, is the lucky card that becomes number 28 of 55 and officially moves me to over 50% of the project being in-hand.

Here is the back for those who enjoy seeing both sides of a piece of cardboard.

Going Back To The Same Old Well

A quick post on two recent sketch cards I treated myself to. Shockingly, it was only two. Not shockingly, they come from the Cryptozoic Archer set I absolutely adore.

Elvin Hernandez is the artist on this Malory piece and I am nearing a literal handful of his creations. This and its compatriot below were some of the last affordable ones online, and specifically some of the last I like from an artistic standpoint. I buy a lot but there are some I will pass on unless they drop in price by 50% or more.

Joe Rubinstein makes another appearance with this Cheryl/Carol.