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Dear Babe: I found two Red Man Chewing Tobacco cards while remodeling my house. I found them in the baseboards (heater ducts). Al Schoendienst, second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals is on one and Bobby Shantz, a pitcher for the Philadelphia A's is on the other. Schoendienst's card is from 1954 and is in great shape. I am not sure about the year of Shantz's card, which is in good shape. It has no number on the front.
Mark Miller, Kent, Ohio

You'd be surprised how many folks find cards when remodeling, especially those related to tobacco products. Apparently workers, who were either smokers or chewers, would often discard the cards and then build over their trash. Red Man produced cards from 1952 through 1955. The 1951 set marked the first tobacco card since the early part of the 20th century. The fact that Shantz has no number tells me your Red Man cards don't have the one-half inch tabs on them anymore. The tabs offered chewers a chance to get a free hat. Cards without tabs are worth much less than those with them. Beckett's Almanac of Baseball Cards says cards with tabs are worth two and one half to three times cards without tabs, while the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest says cards without tabs are worth 25 to 35 percent less than those with them. Numbers were only on the tabs in 1952. The 1952-1954 sets had 52 cards. There were 25 players from each league plus two managers. In 1955, there were no manager cards. The other way to date a Red Man card is by the free hat offer expiration date on the back. The offers expired the year after cards were issued. Schoendienst lists for $15-$20 with Shantz booking at $10-$13.50.

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Feedback and discussion are welcome. Anyone ever find cards somewhere in a house you rented or purchased?

-Bob