1911 T3 American Tobacco Company Turkey Red Cabinets
T3 Turkey Red Baseball Cards
Cabinet cards are large-sized cards that are a glimpse into the early days of photography as well as baseball cards. Many houses have an old photograph that has an old photo affixed to a thick, sturdy piece of cardboard. That's essentially what cabinet cards are, and many showing baseball players - especially those from the 19th century - are very valuable today. T3 Turkey Reds aren't truly cabinet cards because the photos themselves aren't mounted to the cardboard; rather, they are classified that way due to their large size. However, they are one of the few cabinet sets a collector might hope to complete. Measuring 8 inches by 5 ¾ inches, the cards were too large to fit inside cigarette packages. Instead, they were available as redemptions for coupons that came with Turkey Red, Fez and Old Mill cigarettes.
Surviving coupons have expiration dates of 1910 and 1911, which gives us the idea of the general timeframe of the T3 issue. Card fronts feature a picture of a player in vivid color, sometimes featuring elaborately-designed stadium background shots. A nameplate with the last name and team city appears below the picture, which gives it the look of a matte photo. A thick gray border surrounds the card. Card backs feature one of two things: an advertisement for Turkey Red or a checklist. They also feature card numbers, making them one of very few tobacco sets to have them. The checklists show a total of 126 cards in all, with 100 baseball players and 26 boxers. The boxers (cards #51-76) were actually classified into a separate set now known as T9. Among the baseball players, cards 77-126 are slightly scarcer than 1-50. The set is loaded with stars and Hall of Fame players. Four cards feature variations, three due to team changes and one (Mickey Doolan) whose name was spelled incorrectly the first time.
The card below was downloaded from the Library of Congress.
Cabinet cards are large-sized cards that are a glimpse into the early days of photography as well as baseball cards. Many houses have an old photograph that has an old photo affixed to a thick, sturdy piece of cardboard. That's essentially what cabinet cards are, and many showing baseball players - especially those from the 19th century - are very valuable today. T3 Turkey Reds aren't truly cabinet cards because the photos themselves aren't mounted to the cardboard; rather, they are classified that way due to their large size. However, they are one of the few cabinet sets a collector might hope to complete. Measuring 8 inches by 5 ¾ inches, the cards were too large to fit inside cigarette packages. Instead, they were available as redemptions for coupons that came with Turkey Red, Fez and Old Mill cigarettes.
Surviving coupons have expiration dates of 1910 and 1911, which gives us the idea of the general timeframe of the T3 issue. Card fronts feature a picture of a player in vivid color, sometimes featuring elaborately-designed stadium background shots. A nameplate with the last name and team city appears below the picture, which gives it the look of a matte photo. A thick gray border surrounds the card. Card backs feature one of two things: an advertisement for Turkey Red or a checklist. They also feature card numbers, making them one of very few tobacco sets to have them. The checklists show a total of 126 cards in all, with 100 baseball players and 26 boxers. The boxers (cards #51-76) were actually classified into a separate set now known as T9. Among the baseball players, cards 77-126 are slightly scarcer than 1-50. The set is loaded with stars and Hall of Fame players. Four cards feature variations, three due to team changes and one (Mickey Doolan) whose name was spelled incorrectly the first time.
The card below was downloaded from the Library of Congress.
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The above card is from the PSA grading site.
Title: Kid Elberfeld, Washington Nationals, baseball card portrait
Card set: Turkey Red Cabinets (T3)
Description: 1 print : chromolithograph with hand-color.
Contributor Names: American Tobacco Company, sponsor
Created / Published: 1911.
Subject Headings: Elberfeld, Kid (Team member)<br> - Washington Nationals - Washington - American League- third baseman
Medium:1 print : chromolithograph with hand-color.
Call Number: LOT 13163-29, no. 86 [P&P]
Source Collection: Baseball cards from the Benjamin K. Edwards Collection
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
The Turkey Red image is used illustrate other cards and items.
1910 T3 American Tobacco Co. Turkey Red PremiumsCabinets (T3) Original Medium: 95 prints : chromolithograph with hand-color Dimensions: ca. 8 x 5.75 inches The American Tobacco Company offered these large format lithographic cards printed in color as premiums in exchange for coupons distributed in cigarette packages.
In my opinion Turkey Reds are some of the most desirable Tobacco cards to collect. They are a beautiful set of cards. T3's were issued as a premium to collectors who were invited to send in 10 coupons from Turkey Red Cigarettes or 25 coupons for either Old Mill or Fez Cigarettes in exchange for one Turkey Red Cabinet Card. On the reverse of each card is a checklist for the set. Some cards featured advertising on the back.
Profile of Elberfeld (15)
Player: Kid Elberfeld
Name on Card: ELBERFELD, Washington
Variation:
Card Number: 15
Category: Baseball
Year: 1910
ACC #: T3
Set Name: 1910 Turkey Reds
Card Size: 5-3/4 x 8
Number of cards in set: 131
Set Description: Distributed by mail for coupons found in Old Mill, Fez and Turkey Red cigarettes. The front has a color lithograph with a wide gray border. There are 3 different backs, Checklist, Checklist with ordering information and an advertisement for Turkey Red.
http://www.pixelparadox.com/galleries/more-baseball-legends/index.html
Source: http://www.vintagecardprices.com/card-profile/index.php?card_id=54944
In my opinion Turkey Reds are some of the most desirable Tobacco cards to collect. They are a beautiful set of cards. T3's were issued as a premium to collectors who were invited to send in 10 coupons from Turkey Red Cigarettes or 25 coupons for either Old Mill or Fez Cigarettes in exchange for one Turkey Red Cabinet Card. On the reverse of each card is a checklist for the set. Some cards featured advertising on the back.
Profile of Elberfeld (15)
Player: Kid Elberfeld
Name on Card: ELBERFELD, Washington
Variation:
Card Number: 15
Category: Baseball
Year: 1910
ACC #: T3
Set Name: 1910 Turkey Reds
Card Size: 5-3/4 x 8
Number of cards in set: 131
Set Description: Distributed by mail for coupons found in Old Mill, Fez and Turkey Red cigarettes. The front has a color lithograph with a wide gray border. There are 3 different backs, Checklist, Checklist with ordering information and an advertisement for Turkey Red.
http://www.pixelparadox.com/galleries/more-baseball-legends/index.html
Source: http://www.vintagecardprices.com/card-profile/index.php?card_id=54944
The card above is owned by John Elberfeld.
A video by a card collector who describes Kid Elberfeld's baseball career and then focuses on his Turkey Red card/
1911 Norman Elberfeld Washington Turkey Red Baseball Card
https://www.ebth.com/items/9014410-1911-norman-elberfeld-washington-turkey-red-baseball-card
https://www.ebth.com/items/9014410-1911-norman-elberfeld-washington-turkey-red-baseball-card
