Looking through Twitter a few weeks ago, I saw a tweet that mentioned this book. SInce it was someone that I respect concerning vintage cards, I decided to check eBay and see if there were any copies available. There was one ending the day that I looked and I ended up winning the auction.
I’m working on a vintage “library” of reference materials for vintage football cards. I’m not sure how much football is in the book or how much information. I’ve collected cards for almost 30 years but until recently don’t know that I’d even heard the name Jefferson Burdick. I’m sure that I’m not the only one, but I didn’t even know about the history of a hobby that has been a huge part of my life.
The book is out of print and while you can find copies, they aren’t cheap. Currently there are six used paperback copies on Amazon and five used hardback copies. The cheapest paperback is $34.75 and in hardback, $89.95. My 1960 (I think) copy is a hardback that originally retailed for $4. I didn’t pay $89.95 for mine, but I did pay a lot more than four bucks. This was just delivered yesterday so I haven’t taken more than a quick look. I can’t wait to jump into it and see what I learn.
From Wikipedia: “The American Card Catalog is a reference book for American trade cards produced before 1951, compiled by Jefferson Burdick.
It has become the de facto method in identifying and organizing trade cards produced in the Americas pre-1951. The book catalogues sports and non-sports cards, but is best known for its categorization of baseball cards. Sets like 1909-11 White Borders, 1910 Philadelphia Caramel’s, and 1909 Box Tops are most commonly referred to by their ACC catalogue numbers. They are, respectively, T206, E95, and W555.”
LINK: Celebrating the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection
LINK: The First of Many: Jefferson Burdick Introduced the First Card Catalog in 1939
LINK: A Hobby to Many, Card Collecting Was Life’s Work for One Man
LINK: Digitization Bringing Jefferson Burdick Collection to All
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