1921 W516-2-2 Jimmy Ring

Jimmy Ring was probably best known as a member of the 1919 World Champion Cincinnati Reds.

You know, the team that beat the heralded Chicago White Sox. The Black Sox. Eight Men Out.

Ring beat Eddie Cicotte in Game 4 of the World Series 2-0. Cicotte was 29-7 with an 1.82 ERA during the regular season.

When I was younger, these old strip cards provided me with a way to get a card of a star player at an affordable price. I remember getting my first strip cards in the late 1980s. I think I got a Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Rogers Hornsby, George Sisler, Wally Pipp and Jess Barnes for about $50.  Good luck getting Wally Pipp alone for under $50 today.

I still enjoy finding these cards on places like eBay. This example set me back about $7 — and it's the rarer W516-2-2 version.

Just in case you were wondering there were three variations of this set. 516-1 were hand lettered and had a normal image, 516-2-1 had a reversed image and typed lettering, 516-2-2 was reversed and hand typed.

It really doesn't matter which variation you get, these old cards are a great addition to any vintage collection.