Cassius Clay Exnibit Cards

by

Robert Chisholm

Cassius Clay Exhibit cards are known to exist in three colors: green, brown,

and black & white. In all cases Clay is part of a 16 card boxing set.

I own the green color set which was printed on standard thickness card stock

which was used by the Exhibit Supply Co. of Chicago for all its issues from

1921 to about 1966. The backs of these cards appear cream color or oatmeal

color. To the best of my knowledge the green color set was issued first and

is generally be considered the original set. I have looked through your

Exhibit card offering and refer you to the green color card of Flash Elorde

which is part of the 16 card "Clay" set. Please note the thickness and the

color of the card backs.

The general thinking is that the brown and B&W sets represent reissues of the

original green set. These reissues were by the Exhibit Co. as it changed

ownership and generally phased down its issues in the late 1960s and early

1970s.

In sum, the brown and B&W sets and, particularly the Clay card, have been

thought to be worth considerably less than the green card. Although I think

this is a wise approach to bidding and buying the Clay card I do have a note

of caution regarding the brown color set. If the Clay card in brown color has

the standard thickness and a cream color back it may be worthy of a higher

price but not as much as the green color card. For instance, the brown color

Holly Mims card listed on your web site may also be from the "Clay" set. This

pose of Mims appeared in a prior set in green color and the identical card

was included in the Clay set. If it is of standard thickness and has a cream

color back there is probably a Clay card with similar features. My collection

only contains the green color set.

As for the B&W cards I believe these only appear on thinner card stock with

stark white backs -- a definite sign that they are reissues at best.

Now for counterfeits. Although I don't own any, I would caution that if the

front image appears exceptionally "grainy" and/or the card stock looks super

white, or worse, like gray shirt cardboard, they are probably fakes. Also,

another telltale sign of fake Exhibits is incorrect sizes. Most fakes measure

less than the standard 3 3/8" x 5 3/8." Yet another sign of fakes is the

front surface texture. Originals will feel smooth to the touch while some

fakes will feel bumpy or show a ripple effect.

In conclusion, I personally consider the green tint the original Clay Exhibit

card. I may come across a brown color Clay card with standard card stock and

a cream color back which may alter my thinking. For the moment I consider the

brown and B&W cards of Clay as reissues from the late 1960s and early 1970s,

with a special note of caution with respect to the B&W Clay cards, since this

format is the easiest to counterfeit.

Mr. Chisholm is an advanced collector of exhibit cards and one the foremost experts in this field. Many thanks to him for giving so generously of his time and provding this valuable information.