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But even completed matchbooks can sometimes be found for as little as $10. Stars command more, obviously, and there is a premium for books still complete with the original matches. Matchbook covers in decent shape can be bought for under $10. The biggest hurdle to completing the sets isn’t their price – rather, it’s finding them all. Part of the reason collectors are still drawn to these sets more than 75 years later is their absolute affordability. That makes assembling complete master sets a difficult proposition. Various border combinations also are found for most of the matchbooks in the series. These matchbooks had black borders and are generally the most difficult to find. The rarest one among the five is probably the 1935 U2 set. Like the others, they remain very affordable. The Cubs issues may have been distributed only regionally but unlike other regional issues, there isn’t much of a premium with them. There’s no Lou Gehrig, for example, but there are plenty of Hall of Famers across the five sets. The set is missing several big names, partly due to the time of its production. Some of the biggest names are: Dizzy Dean, Mel Ott, Paul Waner, Casey Stengel, and many other Hall of Famers. There are all sorts of stars that appear throughout the matchbook sets. U4 – Printed in 1936, this was the last set cataloged by Burdick and included only 12 players.U3-2 – This 1937 issue featured only 23 members of the Chicago Cubs.U3-1 – This set was printed in both 19, and has 156 players featured.U2 – Printed in 1935, this set also is a miscellaneous group of 24 players.U1 – Printed in 1934, this set is the largest, containing a total of 200 players.The player’s name and team also appeared on the covers. On one side, a player’s image was shown and on the other, a biography was printed. The exterior covers had various colored borders. Unfolded, each matchbook cover measures approximately 1 1/2″ wide by about 4 1/2″ long.
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For many players in all three sports, their appearance on a matchbook is the only card-related item from their playing days. Football, in particular, was gaining in popularity and those matchbooks are heavily desired. It is worth noting that Diamond also produced sets for football and hockey players.
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Cataloged as U1-U4 in Jefferson Burdick’s American Card Catalog, they help fill a void in what was at the time, a pretty lean era for baseball card-type collectibles. The Diamond Matchbook Company produced four sets of baseball matchbook covers from 1934-1937. Here’s a closer look at the affordable Diamond Matchbooks sets. Featuring baseball players, the popular collectibles are still sought after to this day. In the 1930s, the Diamond Matchbook Company printed several sets of unique collectible matchbook covers.