1903 Type 1 (E107)

The 1903 Breisch Williams Type 1 E107 card set consists of 159 cards (including variations), each measuring approximately 1-3/8” by 2-5/8”. Marketed by the Breisch-Williams Company of Oxford, Pennsylvania, between 1903 and 1904 (based on team changes for various players), each piece carries a black-and-white portrait, a plain border, and the ballplayer’s last name, position, and home team at the bottom edge. Some of the cards have player names misspelled. The set features three known backs: blank back, a regular back with “One of one hundred and fifty prominent Baseball players” imprinted, and an exceedingly scarce version with a “Breisch-Williams Company” overprint. Each card is highly sought, with the most desirable examples belonging to Jake Beckley, Chief Bender, Frank Chance, Jack Chesbro, Fred Clarke, Jimmy Collins, Ed Delahanty, Elmer Flick, Kid Gleason (New York), Addie Joss, Willie Keeler, Joe Kelley, Nap Lajoie, Christy Mathewson, Joe McGinnity, John McGraw, Eddie Plank, Rube Waddell, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young. Some of the cards, most notably the Wagner and Young examples, are all but unattainable, making a complete set next to impossible to complete. Considered the first major set of the 20th century, E107’s feature a unique mix of veteran late 19th century players and those athletes who were just starting out at the turn of the 20th century.