1914 Cracker Jack Shoeless Joe Jackson #103 PSA 1.5 FR

The confectionery business boomed in the early 20th century. Outside of bubble gum, no treat attracted more attention than caramel. Few people believed anyone could improve upon the taste of caramel until Cracker Jack covered popcorn with it in 1896. Made famous in the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” written by Jack Norworth and composed by Albert Von Tilzer in 1907, the lyrics “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,” permanently cemented the company’s association with America’s favorite pastime. In 1914, Cracker Jack, which the company manufactured in Brooklyn and Chicago, distributed baseball cards inside their caramel-filled boxes. As a result, many of the cards in this set contain candy stains. As World War I started, baseball’s popularity continued to grow from city to city. Hitters like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and Joe Jackson posted record-setting numbers despite playing in the dead-ball era. The dead-ball era (1900-1920) was marked by low-scoring games, the result of large stadiums and overused baseballs that pitchers scuffed to deceive batters. (The majors allowed scuffing at the time.) Despite these challenges, Jackson led the league in hits and doubles and batted .373 in 1913, the season this card celebrates. Flip sides of cards from this era rarely contain player narratives like the Goudey cards decades later. Cracker Jack had the vision. This card discusses Jackson’s play in South Carolina and mentions his time with Cleveland, New Orleans, and Philadelphia, which adds to its appeal. Jackson’s beautiful swing and color scheme on this stunning issue elicits long collector stares out of the gate. Known to freeze even the most seasoned collectors in their tracks, the Cracker Jack Shoeless Joe card has been the envy of collectors for decades. To the industry and millions of fans who cherish the contributions of vintage cards, its status as an all-time classic remains as strong as ever. The 1914 Cracker Jack Jackson is one of the rarest of the iconic pre-war cards and becomes even more appealing when compared to one of its contemporaries – the T206 Wagner. The latter, often revered for its rarity and considered nearly impossible to obtain, has been graded 36 times by PSA. But the service has only assessed 48 examples of this Jackson, thus making this card similarly as scarce as the famous T206 but a much more feasible option for collectors – especially so given this offering's presence in this month's Premier Auction. Learn more about this icon’s issues in our Guide to Shoeless Joe Jackson Baseball Cards: https://www.fanaticscollect.com/definitive-guides/a-guide-to-shoeless-joe-jacksons-baseball-cards The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 03/03/2025.