Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2021
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2021
A pre-war hockey card issue with an intriguing uniqueness is offered here, with a formidable who's who of prominent hockey personalities from the mid-1930s featured. The outstanding roster boasts close to three dozen famous players, coaches and managers now enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Issued by Montreal’s World Wide Gum Company, the set also features players who skated for “senior” teams, notably the Montreal Royals and Quebec Aces, with the vast majority of those being rookie cards and oftentimes the player’s only cardboard appearance. This ensemble was assembled decades ago and placed in an old photo album, the cards held in place at the corners by classic black "triangles" which, upon the cards' removal, left varying degrees of uneven toning/discoloration on the fronts, along with similar evidence (more subtle) on the back, with mostly the upper corners so affected. Specs of black paper on the backs are noticeable on some of the cards. A positive is that minimal creases are present, with under twenty creased/lesser cards and most in the VG, VG+ and VG-EX realm due to dinged corners or corner wear, with some exhibiting EX characteristics. The set's key card, that of hockey immortal Howie Morenz, shows little evidence of the discolored corner issue and is an attractive VG example, while #1-Charlie Conacher and 5-Eddie Shore are most notable among those with more severe toning. Our photos give you an idea of the other star cards, with legends Clancy, Joliat, Apps, Clapper, Lynn Patrick, Siebert, Lionel Conacher, Worters, Howe (MK), Boucher (RC), Tiny, Ching, Hap, Busher, Ebbie, Sweeney (RC), Bun, Cooney, Hooley - what great nicknames back in the day - highlighting the lineup, bolstered by coaches and/or general managers Smythe (RC), Patrick, Ross, Adams, Dutton, Gorman (RC) and Hart (RC). Notable among creased/lesser cards are 12-Thompson, 94-Lester Patrick and 100-Howie Morenz Jr. An instant important pre-war acquisition the set will be, with interesting break-up value also to consider.
*Challenging to piece together, the big 135-card set, also called “Ice Kings” like World Wide’s initial hockey card effort of 1933-34, was long believed to have been released during the 1936-37 season, but extensive research years ago points to the following campaign. The Howie Morenz card speaks of his tragic death, which occurred in March of 1937, helping to date the thick cardboard treasures.
*The last card, picturing Black Hawks' manager Bill Stewart (RC) in his baseball umpire's outfit, has nickel-size paper loss on the back that is noteworthy.
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