Baseball cards aren't just for kids anymore, nor are the subjects related only to baseball. Topps, Upper Deck, and many other sport card manufacturers have created presidential cards. Here are some cards that honor Abraham Lincoln from the United States Caramel Company.
US Caramel Company: U.S. Presidents (1932)
The United States Caramel Company of East Boston issued a 31-card US Presidents set in 1932: American Heroes (Caramel R114). Color variations for backgrounds include orange, blue, red, and orange-red.
Abraham Lincoln was called out as "the Great Emancipator."
Sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln: "Born Feb. 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. English ancestry, self educated, farmer, ferryman, storekeeper, lawyer. This story is like the fairy story about the poor boy who became a prince, but this is a true story of a poor boy who became President--and that is better than being a prince. His noble Gettysburg address was delivered Nov. 19, 1864. On the night of Friday, April 14, 1865, he was shot down while attending the theatre and died early the next morning."
The back of each card encouraged kids to collect all 31 cards in the set and send them to the United States Caramel Company. In return, the kid would get a one-pound dollar box of assorted chocolates...and his cards back. But did he know that they'd come back stamped with a hole punched in them so they couldn't be redeemed again?
Thirty cards in the set were relatively easy to acquire. But the illusive President William McKinley was deliberately distributed in short supply. Modern marketing? Kids likely bought more in hopes of getting that box of chocolates.
Because of this trick, most collectors consider the set complete at 30 cards. Only five 31-card collections are known to exist. One was sold at auction in 2007, by Robert Edward Auctions for $22,325 (reserve was $2,500).
This set of three rather rough cards, including the Abraham Lincoln card, was sold on eBay on December 31, 2009, for $36.00. (Like the Lincoln card, the Jefferson card is orange. The Van Buren card has the red background.)
An Abraham Lincoln American Heroes Caramel card with a red background sold on January 6, 2010, for $224.72. Concurrently, a Lincoln card that is PSA 5 was available for $450. It remains available as a Buy It Now listing.
