The Cracker Jack Collection
Baseball’s Prized Players
by Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala
with John Molori and Jim Davis
Foreword and Contributions by Joe Orlando
What Critics Are Saying
“From the fabulous art work through the vintage Cracker Jack baseball cards to the organization and lively essays - the book belongs on every baseball fan's sports bookshelf. It will stay on mine. HIGHLY NOTABLE.”
- Dr. Harvey Frommer, Baseball Guru.com
“From the fabulous art work through the vintage Cracker Jack baseball cards to the organization and lively essays - the book belongs on every baseball fan's sports bookshelf. It will stay on mine. HIGHLY NOTABLE.”
- Dr. Harvey Frommer, Baseball Guru.com
“Their new book The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players, serves not only as celebration of the cherished set, but also a historical documentation of the company. The book is a testament to the longstanding relationship between the sweet treat and the very American game of baseball. Using beautiful imagery and detailed analysis, the book is now the absolute authority on the 1914-15 Cracker Jack sets. An easy to read piece that will immerse yourself in a by-gone era, The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players is a nostalgic delight, much like its namesake confectionery.”
- CardboardConnection.com - Cardboard Connection Book Review
“Their new book The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players, serves not only as celebration of the cherished set, but also a historical documentation of the company. The book is a testament to the longstanding relationship between the sweet treat and the very American game of baseball. Using beautiful imagery and detailed analysis, the book is now the absolute authority on the 1914-15 Cracker Jack sets. An easy to read piece that will immerse yourself in a by-gone era, The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players is a nostalgic delight, much like its namesake confectionery.”
- CardboardConnection.com - Cardboard Connection Book Review
“Ninety-nine years after the first card was pulled from the penny box comes “The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players ”, a coffee table book that brings the sets, the era and the athletes back into focus...The Cracker Jack Collection is a must-have for your hobby library. It's one of those books you'll grab off the shelf on a hot summer day when the topic of Deadball Era stars comes up or a cold winter night when thoughts drift back to a different time in the game of baseball.”
- SportsCollectorsDaily.com - Rich Mueller, Sports Collectors Daily
“Ninety-nine years after the first card was pulled from the penny box comes “The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players”, a coffee table book that brings the sets, the era and the athletes back into focus...The Cracker Jack Collection is a must-have for your hobby library. It's one of those books you'll grab off the shelf on a hot summer day when the topic of Deadball Era stars comes up or a cold winter night when thoughts drift back to a different time in the game of baseball.”
- SportsCollectorsDaily.com - Rich Mueller, Sports Collectors Daily
“A Crackerjack good read ”
- PSACard.com - SMR Magazine
“A Crackerjack good read”
- PSACard.com - SMR Magazine
“From the introduction to the final chapter, the “The Cracker Jack Collection ” is an entertaining read for die-hard sports enthusiasts and casual dabblers in sports history. Buy this book for the baseball lover in your life or for anyone who wants to learn more about this bit of iconic American history.”
- Michelle Xiarhos Curran, Merrimack Valley Magazine
“From the introduction to the final chapter, the “The Cracker Jack Collection” is an entertaining read for die-hard sports enthusiasts and casual dabblers in sports history. Buy this book for the baseball lover in your life or for anyone who wants to learn more about this bit of iconic American history.”
- Michelle Xiarhos Curran, Merrimack Valley Magazine
“You don't have to collect vintage baseball cards to get a kick out of The Cracker Jack Collection. Tom and Ellen Zappala, the authors of The T206 Collection take fans back to the Deadball Era, long before $100 million contracts, when players had to hustle off the field as doctors, laborers, cigar makers and vaudevillians to afford to play the game. If you're looking for fresh yarns to tell during the next raindelayed game, you've come to the right place.”
- Joe Sciacca, Editor-in-Chief, Boston Herald
“You don't have to collect vintage baseball cards to get a kick out of The Cracker Jack Collection. Tom and Ellen Zappala, the authors of The T206 Collection take fans back to the Deadball Era, long before $100 million contracts, when players had to hustle off the field as doctors, laborers, cigar makers and vaudevillians to afford to play the game. If you're looking for fresh yarns to tell during the next raindelayed game, you've come to the right place.”
- Joe Sciacca, Editor-in-Chief, Boston Herald
“What intriguing reading. Timeless photos coupled with wistful, elucidating and provocative commentary...often of the kind that re-kindles ageless debates over deserved or undeserved stature and celebrity. Here's worthwhile dabbling equally for the purist or for the merely curious.”
- Branch Rickey III, President, Pacific Coast League
“What intriguing reading. Timeless photos coupled with wistful, elucidating and provocative commentary...often of the kind that re-kindles ageless debates over deserved or undeserved stature and celebrity. Here's worthwhile dabbling equally for the purist or for the merely curious.”
- Branch Rickey III, President, Pacific Coast League
“As a vintage player in good standing, I had the great pleasure of hitting a grand slam on the 150th anniversary of Connie Mack's birth in front of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This book is a great read as the vintage ballplayers featured here are the founding fathers of the game. The artwork in this book is superb (I only wish I was in it!) Tom and Ellen, you have done a fine job! ”
- Bill “Spaceman” Lee, member Red Sox Hall of Fame and All-Star pitcher
“As a vintage player in good standing, I had the great pleasure of hitting a grand slam on the 150th anniversary of Connie Mack's birth in front of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This book is a great read as the vintage ballplayers featured here are the founding fathers of the game. The artwork in this book is superb (I only wish I was in it!) Tom and Ellen, you have done a fine job!”
- Bill “Spaceman” Lee, member Red Sox Hall of Fame and All-Star pitcher
“The classic Cracker Jack baseball cards made the Deadball Era come alive in striking, vivid colors. This book captures all of that as well as the backstories that breathe further life into their subjects. Anyone who likes baseball will cherish this book.”
- Rusty Sullivan, Executive Director, The Sports Museum, Boston, MA
“The classic Cracker Jack baseball cards made the Deadball Era come alive in striking, vivid colors. This book captures all of that as well as the backstories that breathe further life into their subjects. Anyone who likes baseball will cherish this book.”
- Rusty Sullivan, Executive Director, The Sports Museum, Boston, MA
100th Anniversary Commemorative Edition
This beautiful coffee table collectible sports book celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Cracker Jack Ball Player card set. It is filled with original images of the Ball Player cards, Cracker Jack prizes, and baseball memorabilia from the era.
The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players celebrates the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest baseball card collections in the world. The players included in this superb set range from some of the best in the game, like Eddie Collins, part of the famous $100,000 infield of the Philadelphia Athletics, to lesser-known players like Cuban-born Armando Marsans, a talented player who also made fine cigars!
Ben Franklin Award Winner, Silver Medal, 2014
100th Anniversary Commemorative Edition
This beautiful coffee table collectible sports book celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Cracker Jack Ball Player card set. It is filled with original images of the Ball Player cards, Cracker Jack prizes, and baseball memorabilia from the era.
The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players celebrates the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest baseball card collections in the world. The players included in this superb set range from some of the best in the game, like Eddie Collins, part of the famous $100,000 infield of the Philadelphia Athletics, to lesser-known players like Cuban-born Armando Marsans, a talented player who also made fine cigars!
Ben Franklin Award Winner, Silver Medal, 2014
A Peek Inside The Book
The game of baseball was still evolving during this period and issues like player salaries, rule changes and the birth of the renegade Federal League all contributed to shaping our National Pastime. The player stories included in this book give a glimpse into the realities of life in the early 20th century, and provide a journey through one of the most exciting eras in baseball history. This book is a great read for anyone who loves baseball, not just the collector.
This beautiful hardcover coffee table format publication is filled with artistically rendered full-color photographs of baseball artifacts; a full-size, full-color image of every player card in the set; and images of antique Cracker Jack prizes and memorabilia. The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players not only details the personal and professional lives of the players that make up the historic Cracker Jack Collection, but also discusses the history of the Cracker Jack product and its close connection to baseball.
A Peek Inside The Book
The game of baseball was still evolving during this period and issues like player salaries, rule changes and the birth of the renegade Federal League all contributed to shaping our National Pastime. The player stories included in this book give a glimpse into the realities of life in the early 20th century, and provide a journey through one of the most exciting eras in baseball history. This book is a great read for anyone who loves baseball, not just the collector.
This beautiful hardcover coffee table format publication is filled with artistically rendered full-color photographs of baseball artifacts; a full-size, full-color image of every player card in the set; and images of antique Cracker Jack prizes and memorabilia. The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players not only details the personal and professional lives of the players that make up the historic Cracker Jack Collection, but also discusses the history of the Cracker Jack product and its close connection to baseball.
The Cracker Jack Collection
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