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T201

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T201
Mecca Cigarettes logo and slogan
displayed on cards back
TypeIllustratedbaseball card
Inventor(s)American Tobacco Company
CompanyAmerican Tobacco Company
CountryUnited States
Availability1911–1911

T201s, also known asMecca Double Folders,were a type ofcigarette cardissued in 1911 by the Mecca Cigarette Company, then part of theAmerican Tobacco Company.The collection featured color drawings of professional baseball players. TheT201designation comes from theAmerican Card Catalogue,an authoritative guide to trading cards issued prior to 1951. (In other words, before theToppscompany began to dominate the industry).[citation needed]

The set consisted of a total of 50 cards measuring2+3⁄16by4+3⁄4inches (5.6 cm × 12.1 cm). The 100 players pictured include a number of Hall of Famers, such asTy Cobb,Christy Mathewson,andTris Speaker.[1]

Overview

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Example of front and back T201 card, featuring players Hartzell and Blair of the NY Yankees

T201s were calledDouble Foldersbecause of their innovative design. Each card featured two players, one in a full picture on the front and one on half of the back. The other half of the back featured player statistics (one of the first baseball trading cards to do so) and an ad for Mecca.[2]The cards were designed so that, when they were folded appropriately, the player on the back would appear on the legs of the picture on the front. Topps borrowed this idea in designing its 1955 Doubleheaders set.[1]

The nameMeccachosen for the cigarette brand was related to an increasing demand forTurkishtobacco at the beginning of the 20th century, so Arabic names helped increase sales (HassanorFatimawere other brands used by the company by then).[1]

Like other tobacco sets, such as the famousT205andT206issues, T201s were not numbered. Checklists generally list the cards Alpha betically by the last name of the player pictured on the front of the card. Card pairs generally combined teammates, most of them Hall of Famers.[3]

See also

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Cigarette cards

References

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  1. ^abcT201 #1–50 checklist
  2. ^1911 T201 Baseball Cardson CardBoardConnection
  3. ^T201 Mecca Double Folders Set is a Pre-War Bargainby Anson Whaley on Sports Collectors Daily, 30 Nov 2016
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