The Dearth of American Negro League Cards
Like many vintage collectors of a certain age, the Jackie Robinson story was one of the first I encountered when I started to learn more about baseball history (around age 10). I had the relative privilege of being mostly shielded from racism, and admittedly there was very little racial diversity in my rural small-town upbringing. So I remember not understanding at all why players would be discriminated against merely because of the color of their skin. I was a “cardhound” even at that age, and having heard of separate Negro Leagues, I bothered dealers at the local monthly show, asking whether there were any true Negro Leaguer cards. I remember seeing some Laughlin “Old Time Black Stars” and being unimpressed–and the old dealers reported, pretty accurately for the time, that there were really no true playing days Negro Leaguer cards. Winter league cards had not been widely cataloged yet, and White-owned American companies certainly were not going to make Negro League cards. Surprisingly, the local Black economies–which often thrived around their teams–did not follow their MLB counterparts by manufacturing cards.
Cuban Winter League Cards
It was not until I was well into adulthood that I stumbled upon Cuban and other Caribbean winter league cards. Cuban professional baseball was established not long after early American pro leagues, and the Cuban fans were no less passionate about the game, or collecting. American players of all races often flocked to leagues south of the border (as they still do), either to hone their skills for hopeful MLB careers, if white or light skinned enough to pass as such, or, for Black American players, as a way to supplement low Negro League wages. (Similarly, Afro-Cuban stars like Dihigo and Miñoso played American Negro Leagues during their “off season.”) By many accounts, Black American players loved playing outside of the United States. In addition to the world-class competition, players were free to eat, lodge, and socialize anywhere they chose, without forced segregation or fear of racial violence or hatred. Fortunately for history and for collectors, all kinds of cards were issued with candy and cigars, just like in the U.S.
I was working on a Miñoso Topps / Bowman run when I happened to stumble upon his 1946-47 Deportivo card. It had been folded in half and the text on the back was barely visible, but suddenly my Brooks Robinson rookie budget was shot–and I was hooked on Cuban cards (though I did find a nice Brooks rc a couple of years later).
The 1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo Album
The hunt for the 45-46 Miñoso was on, and I managed to locate not just an Orestes, but an entire album of cards. Well, 99 out of 100 anyway, the missing card being a rather famous and rare redemption card of Napoleon Reyes. I’m still hunting for a deal on this one! The cards were pasted into their original album as intended, and after lots of study, hand-wringing, and consulting with experts in both Cuban cards and paper preservation, I made the decision to try careful removal. This process, both risky and rewarding, is a topic for another day. While I have upgraded the set in small pieces since then, most of that original set is still intact. Until I see a nicer one I will proclaim it “one of the nicest sets in existence,” with many cards as highest graded with SGC, or very close to it. It is the centerpiece of my modest collection for sure.
Here’s a video I made detailing some how-to methods for removing the cards from the album, if desired:
The Hall of Famers
There are many Cuban Hall of Famers in the set, but most of the value other than the redemption card lies in the cards of the Hall of Famers who are enshrined in Cooperstown, all of whom starred in American Negro Leagues. In order of appearance in the set, they are Ray Dandridge, Orestes (later “Minnie”) Miñoso, Raymond Brown, and one of the GOAT candidates, Martín Dihigo. These cards are somewhat affordable in low grades, but are rare and valuable as they approach even VG condition. Since the cards that survived were mostly pasted into albums, back damage is the norm, and the stock is paper thin, so creases are common.
Dandridge
Minoso
Brown
Dihigo
The 1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo Checklist
The complete checklist features 100 cards including the Reyes redemption card. Collectors received the card by taking their otherwise-complete album back to the store. It is a great entry point into Negro League collecting because you can get cards of truly great players (Ramon Bragaña, Lazaro Salazar) for under $100, and the cards of many other solid Negro League vets (names like (ex. Lloyd Davenport, Terris McDuffie) can be found for $50 or less in lower grade. There are Cuban stars who also played MLB (ex. Dolph Luque), Black players with brief MLB stints (ex. Hector Rodriguez), and white American players (ex. Sal Maglie). In short, there’s something for any collector to enjoy at any price point. If you are considering expanding your collection in the the Negro Leagues, the 1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo is a great place to start your hunt. You can often find singles on eBay, but for a good lot or the elusive album, you’ll need to follow the big auction houses, Cuban-specific auctions, or join specialty groups like the one I run on Facebook (shameless plug!).
- Introduction Card
- Action Scene
- Maestri
- Rodriguez
- Magrinat
- Conde
- Marianao Banner
- Marsans
- Fernandez
- J. Colas
- Orta
- Serrel
- Duany
- Castanos
- Arteaga
- Valdivia
- Cabrera
- Salazar
- Moreno
- Ortiz
- Knerr
- Campos
- Adams
- Consuegra
- Ray Dandridge
- McDaniels
- OrestesMiñoso
- Parra
- Estalella
- Raymond Brown
- Havana Banner
- Gonzalez
- Rojo
- H. Blanco
- Formental
- Monteagudo
- C. Blanco
- Hernandez
- Linares
- Ordenana
- Jiminez
- Kaiser
- Garcia
- Hernandez
- Klein
- Hidalgo
- Sisler
- Rebel
- Navarro
- Medina
- McDuffie
- Martin
- Acosta
- Cienfuegos Banner
- Luque
- Ramos
- Perez
- Rodriguez
- Crespo
- Gladu
- Pages
- Garcia
- C. Colas
- Maglie
- Martín Dihigo
- Tiant Sr.
- Roy
- Roger
- Zabala
- Gallart
- Zardon
- Berres
- Reyes
- Gomez
- Xiques
- Almendares Banner
- Coreiro
- Portuondo
- Roque
- Arago
- Torres
- Ortiz
- Rodriguez
- Clark
- Guerra
- Comellas
- Otero
- de la Cruz
- Diaz
- Aloma
- Davenport
- Mayor
- Bragaña
- Canizares
- Ulrich
- Avila
- Amaro
- Fleitas
- Martinez
- Montero
