1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinets Baseball Cards

Product Details

Featuring a large design and a thicker card stock, 1911 T3 Turkey Red Baseball cards are more a work of art than just some simple baseball card.

The detailed T3 cabinet cards are viewed by many collectors as the most visually pleasing release of all-time and include a checklist filled with Hall of Fame names.

1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinets Baseball Set Details

While 1911 T3 Turkey Red Baseball does not meet the technical definition of cabinet cards because they are not photos mounted to cardboard, the 5-3/4" by 8" cards resemble the turn-of-the-century photograph style. Given the sizing, the cards were not issued in cigarette packages and could instead be redeemed as a premium with coupons.

Although mostly associated with Turkey Red Cigarettes, the T3 cards were also available through Old Mill or Fez Cigarettes. The main difference between the three brands is that one T3 card could be redeemed for ten coupons from Turkey Red, but the other two brands required 25 coupons for one card. Collectors could specify the card they wanted from the checklist.

T3 Turkey Red Baseball cards are easily identified due to their large, colorful image and grayish frame. A small text box at the bottom identifies the last name and team for the player pictured and is highlighted in yellow. All T3 cards are numbered on the back, except for the blank backs. Issued in two series releases, the full T3 checklist includes 126 cards.

However, 26 boxing cards are featured in the middle of the checklist (#51-76) and are considered to be a separate set known as T9 Turkey Red Boxers. While visually similar, the boxing cards have a more detailed frame design with a wood-like appearance.

Removing the boxers, the full T3 baseball checklist comes in at an even 100 cards.

The first series of T3 Turkey Red Baseball features 50 cards (#1-50) and some of the biggest Hall of Fame names in the entire set, including Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker and Cy Young. Similar to the center image in T202 Hassan Triple Folders, there are also several action shots that document specific plays involving multiple players.

Although not as loaded with star power as the first series, the second release of T3 Turkey Red Baseball is nothing to look down on, boasting cards for Eddie Collins, Walter Johnson, Chief Bender and Wee Willie Keeler. Series 2 adds 50 more cards that follow the same design as the first group. Other than the actual checklist, the main difference between Series 1 and Series 2 is the card backs.

T3 Turkey Red Baseball Series 1 backs are available in three different options. In the earliest version, the checklist shows a checklist for cards #1-75, while another features cards with an updated #1-76 checklist. Both of these versions showcase a cigarette coupon add at the bottom. The final back variation for the first series includes a checklist for cards #1-76, but omits the ad.

The second series of T3 Turkey Red Baseball also has different card backs, but there are only two and they are quite different. The main version is similar to the Series 1 backs, except it features a checklist for cards #51-126 and specific league affiliation is noted for each player. The other version is more rare and removes the checklist entirely, replacing it with an artistic ad for Turkey Red Cigarettes.

Lastly, proofs have surfaced for many of the cards. These blank-back cards do not include any text on the card fronts either. In addition to the back variations, a handful of front variations exist for T3 Turkey Red Baseball. Mostly dealing with misspelled names and team updates for four players, they don't yield much of a premium.