
Front





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Fast Facts
Year(s) Issued: 1920-21
Set Designation: W516
Number Cards: 30 (with 5 variations)
Card Size: 1-1/2" x 2-3/8"
Common Card Value (Good Condition): $25
Scarcity Rating: (1 to 10, 10 scarcest): 5
W516 Strip Card Set
Keys For Collectors
W516 Summary
I must admit, even though I'm a huge fan of strip cards, this is the one set that still confuses the heck out of me. Here's a breakdown of the five variations using the Ty Cobb card from the set. The key things to look for are the card number, the image position (normal or reversed) and the font (handwritten or typed). That should help you identify the card.
W516-1-1 | W516-1-2 | W516-2-1 | W516-2-2 | W516-2-3 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
Type One Numbering | Type One Numbering | Type Two Numbering | Type Two Numbering | Type Two Numbering | ||||
Image - Normal | Image - Reversed | Image - Reversed | Image - Reversed | Image - Normal | ||||
Handwritten Font | Handwritten Font |
| Handwritten Font |
|
Some of the variations in the W516 set are scarcer than others, notably the W516-1-2 and W516-2-3 sets and can command a slight premium
W516 - Beware The Counterfeit Cobb's and Ruth's
The W516 Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth cards have mysteriously been popular for counterfeiters of late. Here I'll post a few recent copies I've come across to help you distinguish a real W516 from a fake.
Here's a recent W516 Ruth that was posted on eBay. This one was thankfully labeled as a 'reprint' however many of them are not. (Note the screw-down holder is often a good sign of a fake).
You can almost tell how new this card is by looking at the edges. Just tell-tale signs of artificial cutting and rounded edges. Also that white on the bottom left corner is a sign that the newer paper is showing through. Could get a much better idea with a black-light and microscope. (See our article on counterfeit cards for more tips on spotting a fake).





Here's a shot of a real W516 Ruth:
Hard to sort of see from this picture, but there are a lot of print dots and irregular splotches of ink which is quite common on early strip cards. A newer fake has more uniformity and consistency in printing which is a key to idenitifying under magnification.





You can see more in our video below on examining W516 Strip Cards
W516 Cards for Sale on eBay
1921 W516-2-1 #21 George Bancroft Giants PSA 4 New Label HOF Vintage Strip Card
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1920 1921 Babe Ruth W516-1 W516-2 War Strip #10 PSA RARE Reverse Print Yankees
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1920 W516-1-2 Hand Cut Strip Card #6 Tris Speaker HOF Cleveland SGC A Rare
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1920 W516-1-2 Strip Card #5 Tris Speaker G X2849684
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1921 W516-2-2 Christy Mathewson Strip #27 SGC 4
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1921 W516-2-1 EDDIE COLLINS #28 Hand Cut Strip Card SGC AUTHENTIC
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1920 W516-1 #5 Tris Speaker Hand Cut Cleveland Strip Card PSA Graded Authentic
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V-48 1921 W516-2-1 Hand-Cut baseball strip card #4 ROGER HORNSBY Cardinals
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Ty Cobb 1921 W516 Hand Cut Strip Card #5 SGC Grade Authentic. Price is firm.
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Grover Alexander W516 Hand Cut Strip Card Chicago #2 SGC Graded A Extremely Rare
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CHRISTY MATHEWSON 1921 W516 -2-1 Baseball Strip Card-New York Giants- PSA A
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1921 Strip Card W516-2-1 George Kelly Hall of Fame Rookie - SGC 5 EX (Hand Cut)
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1920 W516-1 Baseball Strip Card #24 Christy Mathewson Hand Cut Graded SGC A AUTH
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Grover Cleveland Alexander 1920 W516-1 Hand Cut Card #9 SGC GD+ 2.5 HOF Pete
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1921 W516-2-1 #26 Clyde Milan Washington Senators Hand Cut Strip Card PSA 6 EX/M
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1920 W516-1 #7 ROGERS HORNSBY Strip Card — SGC Authentic — HOF Cardinals
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1920/21 W516-2-1 Walter Johnson HAND CUT STRIP CARD #8 SGC AUTHENTIC RARE
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1921 W516-2-2 Strip Card Rogers Hornsby #4 SGC 3.
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V-49 1921 W516-2-1 Hand-Cut baseball strip card #6 Tris Speaker outfield
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George Burns 1920 W516-1-2 #10 Strip Card HandCut SGC 1.5 Fair New York Giants
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