1923-24 Matanza Billiken Among the group of Billiken cards, purchased in Cuba, were seven cards, which were unknown to collectors until now. The cards include Pablo "Champion" Mesa and Negro league pitcher Dave Brown. Even more astonishing the other five cards picture players from the Matanzas championship. To this date I have not been able to confirm the existence of other cards in this set.
1927-28 Unknown A group of 8 blank backed cards appeared in Auction in 2003. They included Esteban Montalvo, Jose Maria Fernandez, Armando Marsans, Dick Lundy, Pop Lloyd, Isidro Fabre and two images of Almendares Park. To this date I have not been able to confirm the existence of other cards in this set. Nor do we know the manufacturer or how they were distributed.
1920s Uncatalogued This Babe Ruth card appeared in a 2005 auction. The card was listed as found inside the pages of an old Spalding guide that was part of Cuban baseball historian Severo Nieto's book collection. No other examples have been found. It measures 2 7/16" by 3 3/4" and is on thick cardboard. It appears to be hand-cut and has a blank reverse.
Counterfeit Sets:
1923-24 Fosforos Las Estrella A pair of these small cards appeared in Auction advertised as Fosforos (Matches) Las Estrella. They pictured Jose Mendez and Pop Lloyd. The images are taken from the Tomas Gutierrez 1923-24 album. They are believed to be fakes.
1923-24 Billiken (Counterfeit Set) A large group of these cards were offered in private sale. The cards picture the same players and photos from the 1923-24 Billiken set. The major difference is that the back feature the Billiken advertising stamped in black ink insted of printed as in the real cards. They are believed to be fakes.
1923-24 Nacionales (Counterfeit Set) A pair of these cards appeared in Auction advertised as 1921 Nacionales. The cards picture Jose Mendez and Cristobal Torriente from the 1923-24 Nacionales set. The major difference is that the border around the photo in the front is a greenish gray color instead of the vivid black. The picture quality is also fuzzy. They are believed to be fakes.
Vino Peptona Postcard Listed in a 2001 Auction as a 1924 Oscar Charleston real photo postcard. It pictures Oscar Charleston in his team Cuba uniform (1927-28). To this date I have not been able to confirm the existence of other cards in this set. It is possible that this is a fake.
1950s Polar Beer A group of these cards appeared in a 2005 auction. The cards are listed as a Polar Beer set from the 1950s. No other examples have been seen before. The authenticity of the set are called into question by the photo selection, discrepancy in the Polar Beer logo, and style. The majority of the photos are from the US and one is taken from another Cuban card set. It is highly unlikely that a 1950s Cuban company would go to the US to buy photos when there would have been thousands available at home. It is highly probable that these cards were made recently in the US and then taken to Cuba to resell back to US collectors.
1950s Trinidad y Hno A group of these cards appeared in a 2005 auction. The cards are listed as a Trinidad y Hno set from the 1950s. No other examples have been seen before. The authenticity of the set are called into question by the photo selection and style. The photos are directly from the Cuban league programs of the 1950s. I have been able to identify the photo and font used in the name directly from either the 1950-51, 1951-52 or 1952-53 programs. It is highly probable that these cards were made recently then worked so that they look old. Similarities in style with the Polar Beer set above point to possibly the same makers.
1950s Aguilitas (1) A few of these cards have appeared. The cards have an advertisement for Aguilitas on the back that is an exact copy of the Aguilitas Segundas set from 1924-25. No other examples have been seen before. The authenticity of the set are called into question by the photo selection and style. The photos are directly from the Cuban league programs of the 1950s. It is highly probable that these cards were made recently then worked so that they look old. Similarities in style with the Trinidad y Hno set above point to possibly the same makers.
1950s Alerta Photos (1) A few of these cards have appeared. The cards use the same photos from the 1949-50 Alerta set with the top cropped off. The cards are about the same size as the 1946-47 Reyes de Deporte set. A number has been added in the front and the backs are blank. No other examples have been seen before. The authenticity of the set are called into question by the photo selection and style. It is highly probable that these cards were made recently then worked so that they look old.
1950-51 Managers A few of these cards first appeared in 2000. The cards picture the four managers from the 1950-51 season: Fermin Guerra, Mike Gonzalez, Adolfo Luque, and Billy Herman. On the back is a stamped add for the Cuban League with address and the 1950-51 date. No other examples have been seen before. It is highly probable that these cards were made recently then worked so that they look old.
Images courtesy of (1) Rolando Sánchez.
Reprint Sets:
1923-24 Billiken (Reprint Set) A reprint set picturing the 60 cards from the 1923-24 Billiken set was produced in 2000. It has appeared for sale on eBay a few times.