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1935 National Chicle Football Cards ...
by Brian Wentz (BMW Sportscards)
The Art Deco phenomenon, first developed from a characteristically French image of luxury and refinement in the 1920's, came to symbolize a type of simplified modernism by the 1930's. From Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural heritage to George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", the cultural influences from this time period would leave an identifiable "signature" on many parts of society. Still popular today, the Art Deco style, with its geometric formality and simplicity, has elevated what were formerly "cult" collectibles and nostalgia into highly prized and ferociously devoured memorabilia.
Among
its various forays into the burgeoning bubble gum business in the 1930's, the
National Chicle Gum Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts, attempted to capture
the icons of sports and culture in its baseball card series (1934-1936 Diamond
Stars), aviator series (1934 Skybirds) and most importantly, its Football
Stars set of 1935.
With
characteristic geometric design and refined simplicity, the National Chicle
football series combined vibrant colors and simple shapes in a culturally influenced
movement away from the ordinary and unremarkable designs of their chief competitors.
Each card was prepared from a striking, 4.25" by 5.5" original oil painting,
consistent with the works that reflected the landscape imagery and nouveau "refinements"
of the Art Deco galleries of the time. There were 108 each of the Diamond Stars
and Skybirds, but only 36 Football Stars -- even though the back of each card
clearly indicated that 240 were planned.
Each card throughout the series is printed on an approximately 2 3/8" by 2 7/8" piece of relatively thick cardboard stock. The majority of the cards each contain an action picture on front accompanied with surrounding football scenery, as well as the player's name near the corner. The cards are unmistakably similar and there are no distinguishable variations on the front.
The reverse of each card can be divided into six parts or sections. The first includes a line of text with the name of the series (Football Stars) and a number (1-36). The second part includes a short biographical illustration of the player by legendary college and NFL football coach, Eddie Casey. Players were often used to provide an instructional example on proper football technique or execution. Underneath the write-up is Eddie Casey's name and qualifications, followed by statistical information about the athlete. Below this, appears the statement that this was "One of 240 football players with playing tips". At the very bottom is the copyright information.
With
regard to the text on the first 24 cards, there are variations in the location
of Eddie Casey's facsimile signature. His name is either centered, with his
qualifications to the right (Type I), or his name is slightly smaller and positioned
to the right, above the qualifications (Type II). In addition, I have seen #21
Cliff Montgomery with the latter variation (Type II), only with the qualifications
(Coach Boston Redskins, Former Coach Harvard) missing. Since the second series
(#'s 25-36) is of only Type I variety (name centered), there are between 60
and 84 different possible front/back combinations in the set.
The set itself contains 35 NFL players and one college member -- Legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne (#9). The teams represented in the set are the Boston Redskins, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. It is likely, based upon available evidence, that the comparative scarcity of the second series is reflected by is sale in only the cities where the featured teams played. By comparison, the first series received considerable national distribution, including much in the western part of the United States.
Of the three-dozen gridiron pioneers pictured in the set, six would later be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. They are #1 Dutch Clark (pictured above right), #7 Ken Strong, #10 Cliff Battles, #11 Turk Edwards, #24 Clark Hinkle and #34 Bronko Nagurski (pictured above left). By virtue of its inclusion in the high number series and the player's elevated status in the game, card #34 Nagurski has become the most valuable football card in existence. In mint condition, the October 1998 Sportscard Market Report suggested a value of $20,000 for this card. Now, a mint condition copy is listed for $66,500 (Feb. 2000, SMR). Among the other noted scarcities, particularly in high-grade are #4 Ed Matesic, #27 Bull Tosi, #29 Jim MacMurdo.
Other
noteworthy players include #22 Shipwreck Kelly (pictured at right), #23
Beattie Feathers and #36 Bernie Masterson. Kelly, a Brooklyn Dodger, was a spectacular
open field runner and the last to perform without a helmet. Beattie Feathers,
a former Tennessee Volunteer, was not only one of the first Native Americans
in the NFL, but also was the first back to rush for 1,000 yards. Finally, Bernie
Masterson was a pretty fair quarterback for the World Champion Chicago Bears;
however, the high value of his card is based primarily upon its inclusion as
the last card in the 1935 set, and its related scarcity.
Over time, a variety of factors have contributed to the scarcity of the 1935 National Chicle football series: staining, toning, poor printing, erratic cutting and mishandling. In fact one long-time collector recalls that the cards were once used as admission tickets to local cinemas and movie theatres in the 1930's. In reality, though, these cards represent more than just cardboard-based pictures of forgotten football icons -- they represent the genre of the 1930s and embody the popular and classic Art Deco style.
