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Abraham Lincoln on US Caramel Baseball Cards

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.

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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."

1932 Caramel Abraham Lincoln blue background

1932 Abraham Lincoln US Caramel baseball card

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."

1932 Caramel baseball card Abraham Lincoln

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?

1932 Caramel US Presidents William McKinley cancelled back

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).

1932 Caramel George Washington

1
George Washington

1932 Caramel John Adams

2
John Adams
 

1932 Caramel Thomas Jefferson

3
Thomas Jefferson

1932 Caramel James Madison

4
James Madison
 

1932 Caramel James Monroe

5
James Monroe
 

1932 Caramel John Quincy Adams

6
John Quincy Adams

1932 Caramel Andrew Jackson

7
Andrew Jackson

1932 Caramel Martin Van Buren

8
Martin Van Buren

1932 Caramel William Henry Harrison

9
William Henry Harrison

1932 Caramel John Tyler

10
John Tyler
 

1932 Caramel James K Polk

11
James Knox Polk

1932 Caramel Zachary Taylor

12
Zachary Taylor
 

1932 Caramel Millard Fillmore

13
Millard Fillmore
 

1932 Caramel Franklin Pierce

14
Franklin Pierce
 

1932 Caramel James Buchanan

15
James Buchanan

1932 Caramel Abraham Lincoln

16
Abraham Lincoln

1932 Caramel Andrew Johnson

17
Andrew Johnson

1932 Caramel Ulysses S. Grant

18
Ulysses S. Grant

1932 Caramel Rutherford B Hayes

19
Rutherford B. Hayes

1932 Caramel James A Garfield

20
James Abram Garfield

1932 Caramel Chester A Arthur

21
Chester A. Arthur

1932 Caramel Grover Cleveland

22/24
Grover Cleveland

1932 Caramel Benjamin Harrison

23
Benjamin Harrison

1932 Caramel William McKinley

25
William McKinley
 

1932 Caramel Theodore Roosevelt

26
Theodore Roosevelt

1932 Caramel William Howard Taft

27
William Howard Taft

1932 Caramel Woodrow Wilson

28
Woodrow Wilson

1932 Caramel Warren G Harding

29
Warren G. Harding

1932 Caramel Calvin Coolidge

30
Calvin Coolidge
 

1932 Caramel Herbert Hoover

31
Herbert Hoover
 

1932 Caramel Franklin D Roosevelt

32
Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

 

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.)

1932 Caramel Lincoln Jefferson Van Buren cards

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.

To learn more, check out these great sources:

Robert Edward Auctions
Vintage Non-Sports Cards (includes color variations & wrapper)

 

 

   

 

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