1920 W519 Strip Card Set

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Keys For Collectors

• Another anonymous strip card issue, with color drawings on the front and blank backs. Cards created by the Decalco Litho Company. (source)
• The set has three distinct issues; which are noted as W519-1-1, W519-1-2, and W519-2
• Two of the issues (W519-1 and W519-1-2) have numbers on the front, while the W519-2 issue is unnumbered.
• The Type 1 set (W519-1) consists of twenty numbered cards, while the Type 2 set (W519-1-2) consists of ten cards all in a different number sequence from the Type 1 set. The third, unnumbered (W519-2) set consists of ten cards.
• The backgrounds of the cards vary across all three sets; W519-1 has red/maroon-like backgrounds, W519-1-2 has blue backgrounds, and W519-2 has a variety of colors, mostly blue. Hues can range across sets, so colors are not uncommon to vary, as strip card printing at the time was very inconsistent.
• The cards are not all that plentiful, however the W519-1-2 cards are significantly more challenging to find of all the issues.
• A Babe Ruth card is featured in all three sets

A Closer Look At The Three W519 Set Variations

The W519 set is confusing, with three different sets, making it challenging for collectors to tell what is what.

Here’s a closer look at the Babe Ruth card, one of only eight players with a card across all three sets.

Here’s a W519-2 card, which is easily identified for the fact that it has no number:

W519-2 Ruth

And then there is a W519-1-1 Ruth card with the number 5. Note the red background; while there is typically a lack of consistency, the majority of Ruth #5s I’ve seen have a maroon background, while the W515-2 card has a blue background, although with wide variations of tint.

W519-1-1 Ruth

Lastly, we have the W519-1-2 Ruth, which is by far the hardest to find among the three, a theme consistent across all cards from the sets.  The background on this card isn’t some fluke; all of the type two issues of the Ruth I’ve seen have the same Art Deco background, which I love. The only problem is nearly impossible to find; PSA has graded only 4 copies.  Note that card numbers on the front of the card are blue versus black on the W519-1-1 card.

W519-1-2  Ruth, The Rarest of The Three

W519 Cards for Sale on eBay