CSG Registry Featured Set: 1938 Cartledge Razors Famous Prize Fighters Set

This month, we are excited to showcase a complete set of 50 vintage Prize Fighter boxing cards: TwoYewts - 1938 Cartledge Razors Famous Prize Fighters Set. (Be sure to check out CSG's recent Q&A with the set owner at the end of this article.)

This set was distributed by the Fred C. Cartledge Company in Sheffield, England, to promote the company’s Knock Out Razor Blades. The cards are printed in black and white, with the first 30 cards as drawings and the final 20 as photographs. Biographies of the fighters are printed on the back.

This set of contemporary fighters helped establish the sport in both Europe and the United States and has become an American hobby classic. Highlights of this set include: #18 John L. Sullivan (CSG 7.5), #22 James Corbett (CSG 7), #24 Bob Fitzsimmons (CSG 8), #26 Jack Dempsey (CSG 5.5), #29 Max Schmeling (CSG 5.5), #30 Joe Louis (CSG 7.5), #41 Benny Lynch (CSG 8), #43 Jack Kid Berg (CSG 8) and #45 Max Baer (CSG 6.5).

Click image to enlarge.

The CSG Registry launched in September 2021, and now has over 1,200 competitive sets available with over 1,800 registry users. The CSG Chat Boards continue to be active with requests for new sets and slots, and we appreciate your enthusiasm. Our CSG Registry team continues to add new sets daily and welcome your requests as it provides us with the opportunity to learn about your collecting interests.

The CSG Registry is a free online platform where collectors can register and display CSG-certified sports cards. It also helps you to organize your collection and interact with other collectors. Begin adding your CSG-certified cards in the CSG Registry here.

We are just getting started! If you don’t see a set for your cards, you may request a set. Please review our CSG Registry FAQs for details on how to add requests for sets and slots.

The CSG Registry team is here to help. Questions or comments? Go to the CSG Registry Chat Boards.

Q&A with the set owner, Dan

Question: How did you get into collecting sports cards?
Answer: It was back in 1984 when I was first introduced into the card collecting hobby by my cousin. I was around 8 years old and she had been given a shoebox of 1982 Topps baseball cards from a friend that she passed down to me. I had no clue what the cards were for and she showed me how the kids she hung out with were "flipping them" in a game to see who won each card based on the team's name color. If you matched the color your opponent put down, you won. That was all I needed. I strived to win every game and my collection soon grew!

Question: What are you favorite sports teams and/or athletes to follow?
Answer: With that first shoebox of cards, there was a stack of cards separated from the rest and held together by a rubber band. The stack was all New York Yankees players. Living in New York and having a stack of Yankees cards (with Don Mattingly showcasing in the Yankee lineup just as I was getting into the sport), I quickly became a lifelong Yankee fan. Presently I enjoy collecting cards of players that I grew up watching and who showcase true professionalism on and off the field. Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., Michael Jordan and Nolan Ryan are some of my favorites that I regularly search for at auctions and sports card events.

Question: What was your favorite card once you got into collecting? What made it your favorite?
Answer: Once I got into the hobby, my favorite card became a 1984 Topps Don Mattingly rookie card. I still remember winning it in a flip game (and from a Mets fan, to boot!) and putting it into a plastic sleeve right away. It was a little beat up from being flipped but it was mine to cherish regardless. At that time, I was following the Yankees and "Donnie Baseball" had become my favorite player, so his rookie card quickly became the highlight of my collection.

Question: Do you have a different favorite card now? If so, what is it and what makes it special to you?
Answer: As of now, I do not have any particular card that I would consider my favorite. But I do have a favorite genre that I enjoy collecting and that would be tobacco cards of lesser-known sets. Sets like the 1938 Cartledge Set being showcased here have a great appeal to me. I enjoy the way they look and the history behind the cards.

Question: We’re featuring your 1938 Cartledge Razors Famous Prize Fighters set. What drew you to collecting and building this set?
Answer: As I mentioned, I love the allure of tobacco cards in general and a lesser-known set like this drew my attention. I enjoy how the set contains both drawn renditions of known fighters and black-and-white photos of the day. It’s always interesting to be able to hold a card in your hand that is over 80 years old, and to have the entire set was a satisfying achievement.

Question: Is there a card out there you’re hoping to add to your collection? Similarly, is there a set you hope to complete someday?
Answer: I would love to one day add a Michael Jordan rookie to my personal collection; but that goal will continue to financially evade me unless I get lucky one day. I currently continue to add to the several players collections that I have listed with CSG and look to send in a 1938 Churchman Boxing Personalities Set that I have been putting together. I truly hope that one day CSG or an affiliate will consider grading non-sport tobacco and vintage cards so that collectors like myself can send in our other collections to be graded.

Question: What do you enjoy most about adding your cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: Like any other collector of items, it’s fun and satisfying to see your collection grow and the CSG Registry helps with that satisfaction by providing you an easy way to organize your collections. I enjoy being able to quickly refer to my player sets before a purchase to see if I already have a certain card or if I already have a certain grade. I also appreciate how CSG takes the time to photograph each graded card so that when viewing my collections I can see photos of the cards I have.

Question: What would you say to other sports cards collectors who may be on the fence about adding their cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: I would say "Go for it!" You can't beat the price point. I have sent in many cards and have to say that the CONSISTENCY alone is worth it. I have tried other grading companies only to wait over a year to get such inconsistent grading that I have to question "Were my cards just rushed through to get rid of backlog?" or "Was the grading even vetted properly?" Only one other vintage card grading company provided the consistency that I have seen with CSG but at triple the price point. Besides price, the card case is top-notch! When placing a CSG case against my other graded cards, I would absolutely prefer the crystal-clear tough case that CSG provides over any other.