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Let’s rewind to 100 years ago, the year: 1910, a time when baseball cards were still used as promotions to entice buyers, in this case, subscribers to a magazine called Sporting Life. We’re talking about 1910-11 Sporting Life M116. If you are at all familiar with these cards, you’ll notice that they are very similar in size to cards from the famous T-206 set. Similar in size but not nearly as consistent. After doing some research I discovered that quality controls for this set were so lenient that production yielded a high percentage of inconsistent card sizing. The popularity of this set sheds some light on some players whose talent was often overshadowed by superstars such as: Collins, Cobb, Wagner, Speaker, Johnson, Lajoie and Mathewson. Further, an obvious observation about baseball cards released during this time: nobody smiled for the photo shoots. I’m so used to seeing straight faces depicted on anything from the turn of the 20th century that if I were to discover a picture depicting smiles, I would find it to be somewhat anomalous. The 1910-11 Sporting Life M116 set is something peculiar in that player portraits are depicted within a range of differing displays. Take this Ed Lennox card for example. Here we have a floating head over what’s basically a drawing of the man’s presumed upper torso. Truthfully, first viewings of this card induced the hint of a chuckle within me. Other cards in this set depict full torso shots, no drawings. Additionally, there are two known background color variations. This card possesses a pastel background but some cards depict a more scarce blue background. Something to note if you happen to chance an example from this set.
Question of the Day:
Does throwing a banana peal out of a car window and into a courtyard qualify as littering?
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1910-11 Sporting Life M116, click here.
Set Information:
1910-11 Sporting Life is a 287-card set (325 with variations) and measures in at 1-1/2″x2-5/8.” This set was offered to subscribers of Sporting Life (a major competitor of The Sporting News) from 1910-1911. The set was released in a 24-series run with each containing 12 cards. Each series cost four cents and came in an envelope with a list of which players were included. Card fronts feature color-tinted black-and-white portrait photos with names and team names printed along the bottoms. Card backs featured various ads for the weekly paper. S1 and S2 contain some cards with either Blue (Rare) or Pastel (Common) backgrounds. The scarcer Blue background variety appears to have been a second printing of cards from S1 and S2, which sold out quickly in their original Pastel versions due to the popularity of the player rosters. S3 contains some cards with either Black Back (initial print) or Blue Backs (later print) and feature subtle differences in size and coloring of player portraits. The last three 24-card series’ are scarcer than those released prior.
Checklist:
| Card # | Player(s) | Card # | Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Abbaticchio | 142B | Nap Lajoie (Pastel) |
| 2A | Babe Adams (Black Back) | 143 | Joe Lake |
| 2B | Babe Adams (Blue Back) | 144 | Fred Lake MG |
| 3 | Red Ames | 145 | Frank LaPorte |
| 4 | Jimmy Archer | 146 | Jack Lapp |
| 5 | Frank Arellanes | 147 | Chick Lathers |
| 6 | Tommy Atkins | 148A | Tommy Leach (Blue) |
| 7 | Jimmy Austin | 148B | Tommy Leach (Pastel) |
| 8 | Les Bachman | 149 | Sam Leever |
| 9 | Bill Bailey | 150 | Lefty Leifield |
| 10A | Frank Baker (Black Back) | 151 | Ed Lennox |
| 10B | Frank Baker (Blue Back) | 152 | Frederick Link |
| 11 | Cy Barger | 153 | Paddy Livingstone |
| 12 | Jack Barry | 154 | Hans Lobert |
| 13A | Johnny Bates (Philadelphia) | 155 | Bris Lord |
| 13B | Johnny Bates (Cincinnati) | 156A | Harry Lord (Blue) |
| 14 | Ginger Beaumont | 156B | Harry Lord (Pastel) |
| 15 | Fred Beck | 157 | Johnny Lush |
| 16 | Heine Beckendorf | 158 | Connie Mack MG |
| 17 | Fred Beebe | 159 | Thomas Madden |
| 18 | George Bell | 160 | Nick Maddox |
| 19 | Harry Bemis | 161 | Sherry Magee |
| 20A | Chief Bender (Blue) | 162A | Christy Mathewson (Blue) |
| 20B | Chief Bender (Pastel) | 162B | Christy Mathewson (Pastel) |
| 21 | Bill Bergen | 163 | Al Mattern |
| 22 | Charles Berger | 164 | Jimmy McAleer MG |
| 23 | Bob Bescher | 165 | George McBride |
| 24 | Joseph Birmingham | 166A | Amby McConnell (Boston) |
| 25 | Lena Blackburn | 166B | Amby McConnell (Chicago) |
| 26 | Jack Bliss | 167 | Pryor McElveen |
| 27 | James J. Block | 168 | John McGraw MG |
| 28 | Hugh Bradley | 169 | Deacon McGuire MG |
| 29 | Kitty Bransfield | 170 | Stuffy McInnis |
| 30A | Roger Bresnahan (Blue) | 171 | Harry McIntire |
| 30B | Roger Bresnahan (Pastel) | 172 | Matty McIntyre |
| 31 | Al Bridwell | 173 | Larry McLean |
| 32 | Buster Brown | 174 | Tommy McMillan |
| 33A | Mordecai Brown (Blue) | 175A | George McQuillan (Cincinnati) |
| 33B | Mordecai Brown (Pastel) | 175B | George McQuillan (Blue) |
| 34 | Al Burch | 175C | George McQuillan (Pastel) |
| 35 | Donie Bush | 176 | Paul Meloan |
| 36 | Bobby Byrne | 177 | Fred Merkle |
| 37 | Howie Camnitz | 178 | Chief Meyers |
| 38 | Vin Campbell | 179 | Clyde Milan |
| 39 | Bill Carrigan | 180 | Dots Miller |
| 40A | Frank Chance (Blue) | 181 | Warren Miller |
| 40B | Frank Chance (Pastel) | 182 | Fred Mitchell ML |
| 41 | Chappy Charles | 183 | Mike Mitchell |
| 42a | Hal Chase (Blue) | 184 | Earl Moore |
| 42b | Hal Chase (Pastel) | 185 | Pat Moran |
| 43 | Ed Cicotte | 186A | Lew Moren (Black Back) |
| 44A | Fred Clarke (Black Back) | 186B | Lew Moren (Blue Back) |
| 44B | Fred Clarke (Blue Back) | 187 | Cy Morgan |
| 45 | Nig Clarke | 188 | George Moriarty |
| 46 | Tommy Clarke | 189 | Mike Mowery |
| 47A | Ty Cobb (Blue) | 190A | George Mullin (Black Back) |
| 47B | Ty Cobb (Pastel) | 190B | George Mullin (Blue Back) |
| 48A | Eddie Collins (Blue) | 191 | Danny Murphy |
| 48B | Eddie Collins (Pastel) | 192 | Red Murray |
| 49 | Ray Collins | 193 | Tom Needham |
| 50 | Wid Conroy | 194 | Harry Niles |
| 51 | Jack Coombs | 195 | Rebel Oakes |
| 52 | Frank Corridon | 196 | Jack O’Connor |
| 53 | Harry Coveleski | 197 | Paddy O’Connor |
| 54 | Doc Crandall | 198 | Bill O’Hara ML |
| 55A | Sam Crawford (Blue) | 199 | Rube Oldring |
| 55B | Sam Crawford (Pastel) | 200 | Charley O’Leary |
| 56 | Birdie Cree | 201 | Orval Overall |
| 57 | Lou Criger | 202 | Fred Parent |
| 58 | Dode Criss | 203 | Dode Paskert |
| 59 | Cliff Curtis | 204 | Frederick Payne |
| 60 | Bill Dahlen MG | 205 | Barney Pelty |
| 61 | William Davidson | 206 | Hub Pernoll |
| 62A | Harry Davis (Blue) | 207 | George Perring ML |
| 62B | Harry Davis (Pastel) | 208 | Big Jeff Pfeffer |
| 63 | Jim Delehanty (Delahanty) | 209 | Jack Pfiester |
| 64 | Ray Demmitt | 210 | Art Phelan |
| 65 | Frank Dessau | 211 | Ed Phelps |
| 66A | Art Devlin (Black Back) | 212 | Deacon Phillippe |
| 66B | Art Devlin (Blue Back) | 213 | Eddie Plank |
| 67 | Josh Devore | 214 | Jack Powell |
| 68 | Pat Donahue | 215 | Billy (William) Purtell |
| 69 | Patsy Donovan MG | 216 | Farmer Ray ML |
| 70A | Bill Donovan (Blue) | 217 | Bugs Raymond |
| 70B | Bill Donovan (Pastel) | 218 | Doc Reisling |
| 71A | Red Dooin (Blue) | 219 | Ed Reulbach |
| 71B | Red Dooin (Pastel) | 220 | Lew Richie |
| 72 | Mickey Doolan | 221 | Jack Rowan |
| 73 | Patsy Dougherty | 222A | Nap Rucker (Black Back) |
| 74 | Tom Downey | 222B | Nap Rucker (Blue Back) |
| 75 | Jim Doyle | 223 | Slim Sallee |
| 76A | Larry Doyle (Blue) | 224 | Doc Scanlon |
| 76B | Larry Doyle (Pastel) | 225 | Germany Schaefer |
| 77 | Hugh Duffy MG | 226 | Lou Schettler |
| 78 | Jimmy Dygert | 227 | Admiral Schlei |
| 79 | Dick Eagan | 228 | Boss Schmidt |
| 80 | Kid Elberfeld | 229 | Wildfire Schulte |
| 81 | Rube Ellis | 230 | Al Schweitzer |
| 82 | Clyde Engle | 231 | James Scott |
| 83 | Tex Erwin | 232 | James Seymour |
| 84 | Steve Evans | 233 | Tillie Shafer |
| 85A | Johnny Evers (Black Back) | 234 | David Shean |
| 85B | Johnny Evers (Blue Back) | 235 | Bayard Sharpe |
| 86 | Bob Ewing | 236 | Jimmy Sheckard |
| 87 | Cy Falkenberg | 237 | Mike Simon |
| 88 | George Ferguson | 238 | Charlie Smith |
| 89 | Art Fletcher | 239 | Frank Smith |
| 90 | Elmer Flick | 240 | Harry Smith |
| 91 | John Flynn | 241 | Fred Snodgrass |
| 92 | Russ Ford | 242 | Bob Spade UER (Space) |
| 93 | Ed Foster | 243 | Tully Sparks |
| 94 | Bill Foxen | 244 | Tris Speaker |
| 95 | John Frill | 245 | Jake Stahl |
| 96 | Samuel Frock | 246 | George Stallings MG |
| 97 | Art Fromme | 247 | Oscar Stanage |
| 98 | Earle Gardner (New York) | 248 | Harry Steinfeldt |
| 99 | Larry Gardner (Boston) | 249 | Jim Stephens |
| 100 | Harry Gaspar | 250 | George Stone |
| 101 | Doc Gessler | 251 | George Stovall |
| 102A | George Gibson (Blue) | 252 | Gabby Street |
| 102B | George Gibson (Pastel) | 253 | Sailor Stroud |
| 103 | Bert Graham | 254 | Amos Strunk |
| 104 | Peaches Graham | 255 | George Suggs |
| 105 | Eddie Grant | 256 | Billy Sullivan |
| 106 | Clark Griffith MG | 257A | Ed Summers (Black Back) |
| 107 | Ed Hahn | 257B | Ed Summers (Blue Back) |
| 108 | Charles Hall | 258 | Bill Sweeney |
| 109 | Bob Harmon | 259 | Jeff Sweeney |
| 110 | Topsy Hartsel | 260 | Lee Tannehill |
| 111 | Roy Hartzell | 261A | Fred Tenney (Blue) |
| 112 | Heinie Heitmuller | 261B | Fred Tenney (Pastel) |
| 113 | Buck Herzog | 262A | Ira Thomas (Blue) |
| 114 | Doc Hoblitzel | 262B | Ira Thomas (Pastel) |
| 115 | Danny Hoffman | 263 | John Thoney |
| 116 | Solly Hofman | 264A | Joe Tinker (Black) |
| 117 | Harry Hooper | 264B | Joe Tinker (Blue) |
| 118 | Harry Howell | 265 | John Titus |
| 119 | Miller Huggins | 266 | Terry Turner |
| 120 | Tom Hughes ML | 267 | Bob Unglaub |
| 121 | Rudy Hulswitt | 268A | Rube Waddell (Black Back) |
| 122 | John Hummel | 268B | Rube Waddell (Blue Back) |
| 123 | George Hunter | 269A | Hans Wagner (Blue) |
| 124 | Ham Hyatt | 269B | Hans Wagner (Pastel) |
| 125 | Fred Jacklitsch | 270 | Heinie Wagner |
| 126A | Hugh Jennings MG (Blue) | 271 | Bobby Wallace |
| 126B | Hugh Jennings MG (Pastel) | 272 | Ed Walsh |
| 127 | Walter Johnson | 273A | Jimmy Walsh (Gray) |
| 128A | Davy Jones (Blue) | 273B | Jimmy Walsh (White) |
| 128B | Davy Jones (Pastel) | 274 | Doc White |
| 129 | Tom Jones | 275 | Kaiser Wilhelm |
| 130A | Tim Jordan (Blue) | 276 | Ed Willett |
| 130B | Tim Jordan (Pastel) | 277 | Vic Willis |
| 131 | Addie Joss | 278 | Art Wilson |
| 132 | John Kane | 279 | Chief Wilson |
| 133 | Edwin Karge | 280 | Hooks Wiltse |
| 134 | Red Killifer | 281 | Harry Wolter |
| 135 | Johnny Kling | 282 | Smokey Joe Wood |
| 136 | Otto Knabe | 283 | Ralph Works |
| 137 | John Knight | 284A | Cy Young (Black Back) |
| 138 | Ed Konetchy | 284B | Cy Young (Blue Back) |
| 139 | Harry Krause | 285 | Irv Young |
| 140 | Rube Kroh | 286 | Heinie Zimmerman |
| 141 | Otto Krueger ML | 287 | Dutch Zwilling |
| 142A | Nap Lajoie (Blue) |
Technically, yes, considering it’s still just trash. Just ask the cop that pulls you over next time 😉
Haha! Nice one, Tim. I’ll keep that in mind. 🙂
Law would state that YES it is littering. ive actually had this happen to me with an apple core. My argument was that the apple is biodegradable and if anything i was adding fertilizer and compost to my Mama Earth. As i explained my case to the officer he just continually nodded as he handed me a ticket for littering. Thumbs down! i still do it to this day i just check my surroundings before i toss:-0 oh, and btw-its a good rule of thumb that policemen/women are NOT eco friendly and do NOT like tree-huggers;-)
as a side note, if you’re playing mario-kart, then bombs away:-)
Ahhh, Mario-Kart. Brings back some good memories.
It’s just fruit! Does the same cop threaten to arrest the tree that drops ripe fruit onto the ground when nobody’s around to pick it up? Technically, the same logic applies 😛
Just make sure that if you throw it out, somebody slips on it…would make a good video
Ha! Agreed. So campy and slapstick. 🙂