1922 W501 Strip Card Set

All Vintage Cards content is free. When you purchase through referral links on our site, we earn a commission. Learn more

Front

Back

Fast Facts

Year(s) Issued: 1922
Set Designation: W501
Number Cards: 120
Card Size: 1-7/8" x 3-3/8"
Common Card Value (Good Condition): $40
Scarcity Rating: (1 to 10, 10 scarcest): 9

Full W501 Checklist

W501 Cards on eBay

W501 Strip Card Set

Keys For Collectors

Each card has a 'G-4-22' notation in the top left corner, along with the card number on the top right
Speculated that the 'G-4-22' was used to represent the print date - April 22nd.
Fronts of the cards feature player photos, with white border and blank backs
Set is anchored by the cards of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker among others
Card fronts are identical to the E121 Caramel set - biggest difference being that the E121 set doesn't have 'G-4-22' in the corner and E121's have text on the back.
Note that Rhett Yeakley has also identified two variations in the set, which he refers to as W501-1 and W501-2.
W501-1 has 'G-4-22' in corner and W501-2 does not, while the W501-2 cards don't have a number in top right either.
To make things even more confusing, there is another Strip set (W575-1) which is a direct copy of the W501 set. Graders often confuse the two - the W501-2 cards are on a much thinner stock with a grainier photo than the W575-1 card
Super scarce; PSA has graded a total of only ~150 cards

The Confusion - W501, W575-1 and E121 --Which Is Which?

One thing that was really confusing to me as I was researching this set, is that there are three identical variations, including the W501-2, W501-2, W575-1 Strip Card and E121 American Caramel issues.

How do we tell the difference? (Again, hat tip to Rhett Yeakley for all his hard work on this set).

First, the E121 American Caramel card is an easy tell--it has an advertising back, like this:

Back of an E121 American Caramel Card

In comparing the the other three variations, we also can easily distinguish the W501-1 card, due to the G-4-22 and the card number on the top of the card. Occasionally, you might have a card that is trimmed on the top in which it would be impossible to distinguish.

However in regards to the W501-2 and the W575-1 cards, if you examine closely, the W501-2 card has a much grainier print, and if held in hand, you can observe that the W501-2 has a much thinner stock in comparison to the W575-1 cards.

W501-1 Roush

W501-2-roush

W575-1 Roush

Fast Facts

W501 Strip Card Set

Keys For Collectors

The Confusion - W501, W575-1 and E121 --Which Is Which?

W501 Cards for Sale on eBay

1922 W501 TONY GWYNN CLARK BX2=E137 #87

1922 W501 WHITEY GLAZNER BX2=E136 #87

1922 W501 WHITEY GLAZNER BX2=E136 #87

1922 W501 #59 Grover Cleveland Alexander HOF SGC 2 Good " RARE "

1922 W501 17 Walter Johnson SGC A 659293

1922 W501 21 Stanley Coveleskie (Correct spell Coveleski) SGC 5 659287

1922 W501 54 Eppa J. Rixey SGC 5 659291

1922 W501 14 Sam Rice SGC 4 659286

1922 W501 #82 Charles Grimm SGC 88/8 NM/MT

1922 W501 Type 2 (Like W575-1) Sam Rice (HOF), Washington Senators, Nice Cond.!

1922 W501 #62 Frank Frisch HOF SGC 4 VGEX 76723

1922 W501 #73 John McGraw HOF SGC 4 VGEX 76724

1922 W501 #103 John McGraw HOF SGC 4.5 VGEX+ 76725

1922 W501 #87 Charles "Whitey" Glazer SGC 3 Very Good Nationals

1922 W501 W 501 # 28 TOM ROGERS YANKEES NR-MT 435302 (KYCARDS)

1922 W501 #58 Zeb Terry EX X2436528

1922 W501 #93 P.J. Kilduff VG X2436883

1922 W501 #63 Pat Shea VGEX X2436996

1922 W501 #91 Walter Holke VGEX X2436998

1922 W501 Baseball Cards #85 L. Bigbee (Pittsburgh Nationals) 120E