After the Texas Tommy Elite Eight, the prize of the recent "Yahtzee Box Find" has to be this incredibly deep set of 1911 Zee-Nut Pacific Coast Leage cards. Of the 122 rarely encountered PCL players in the checklist, this near-set boasts 103 of them plus 11 duplicates, making it one of the most comprehensive sets to ever to be offered publicly. Produced by San Francisco's Collins-McCarthy Co., the cards were distributed in packages of the candy company's Zee-Nut product, a mixture of popcorn, peanuts, and coconuts similar to Cracker Jacks. According to PreWarCards.com, "it was not solely marketed towards kids. Rather, it was said to be for children, young adults, and even the ‘old folks.’ Their slogan was, “Gee! But it’s Good.”
The 1911 E136 series was the first Zee-Nut issue and, by far, the most impressive, resulting in annual releases every year until 1938. The tall and slender dimensions (2-1/8" by 4") combined with striking sepia-toned images of these underrated, overlooked West Coast ballplayers in full-body poses made the 1911 issue an instant classic for collectors. There are zero Zee-nut sets (no complete, near or partial) listed in the PSA Registry. That right there tells you how darn-near impossible it is to complete one, or even come close.
A total of 18 cards in this set have been graded by PSA, with some earning their place as the highest graded examples. You will notice that every graded card has an 'MK' qualifier. The original collector, a local kid from the San Francisco Bay Area who pieced this set together package-by-package, card-by-card, decided to hand-number each card in pencil primarily on the blank backs. While these may be erasable, we chose to leave them all in their original state. Highlighted by notorious Black Sox member Buck Weaver's coveted rookie (only holder labeled "Yahtzee Box Find"), here's the grading breakdown and PSA pop status (beginning with the four keys).
Buck Weaver, San Francisco Seals: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- grade pop 2, total pop 13, ten higher
Roger Peckinpaugh, Portland Beavers: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 4, one higher
Heinie Heitmuller (Small Pose), Los Angeles Angels: PSA PR 1 (MK) -- total pop 1, none higher
John Halla (horizontal), L.A. Angels: PSA PR 1 (MK) -- total pop 3, two higher
(2) Frank Arellanes, Sacramento Sacts: each PSA GD 2 (MK) -- first & only two graded by PSA
Alex Arlett (Small Pose), Oakland Oaks: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 1, none higher
Shad Barry, Portland Beavers: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 3, two higher
Chet Chadbourne, Portland Beavers: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Frank "Pop" Dillon, L.A. Angels: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 1, none higher
Roy "Rhino" Hitt (Large Pose), Vernon Tigers: PSA PR 1 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Wallace "Happy" Hogan, Vernon Tigers: PSA PR 1 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Franz Hosp, Vernon Tigers: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Walter "Judge" McCredie, Portland Beavers: PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Ernest "Kid" Mohler, S.F. Seals: PSA FR 1.5 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
John "Buddy" Ryan (No Box), Portland: PSA AUTHENTIC ALTERED (front erase mark?) -- total pop 3
Pinch Thomas, Sacramento Sacts: each PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 2, one higher
Deacon Van Buren, Sacramento: each PSA GD 2 (MK) -- total pop 2, none higher
The 93 ungraded cards, all in similar PR to VG (MK) condition, listed alphabetically are: Abbott (LA), Ables (OAK), Agnew (LA), Akin (LA), Bernard (LA), Berry (SF), Brackenridge (VER), Brashear (VER), Brown (VER), Burrell (VER), 2 Byram (SAC), Carlisle (VER), Carson (VER), Castleton (VER), Christian (OAK), 2 Coy (OAK), 2 Crigler (LA), Cutshaw (OAK), Daley (LA), Danzig (SAC), Flame Delhi (LA), Delmas (LA), Discoll (LA), Fanning (SF), 2 Fitzgerald (SAC), Flater (OAK), Asa French (SF), Fullerton (POR), Will Gleason (OAK), Gregory (OAK), Hiester (SAC), Izzy Hoffman (OAK), Holland (SF), Howard (LA), Kane (VER), Kerns (SAC), Knight (OAK), Koestner (POR), Art Krueger (POR), Kuhn (POR), LaLonge (SAC), Dutch Lerchen (SAC), Leverenz (LA), James Lewis (SAC), Lindsay (POR), Lober (LA), Madden (SF), Harl Maggart (OAK), 2 Mahoney (SAC), McDonnell (VER), Meikle (SF), Metzger (LA), Miller (SF), Mitze (OAK), Moore (LA), Moskiman (SF), Naylor (SF), Nebinger (SAC), Nourse (SAC), Noyes (SF), Patsy O'Rourke (SAC), Ham Patterson (VER), L. Patterson (OAK), Ducky Pearce (OAK), 3 Hub Pernoll (OAK), Watt Powell (SF), Raleigh (VER), Rapps (POR), Bill Rodgers (POR), Shaw (SF), 2 Sheehan (POR), Shinn (SAC), Hugh Smith (LA), Art Smith (SF), Steen (POR), Stewart (VER), Stinson (VER), Harry Sutor (SF), Tennant (SF), Thompson (SAC), Frank Thornton (SAC), Tiedeman (OAK), Vitt (SF), Wares (OAK), and Zacher (OAK).
Besides Weaver (a second one graded VG 3 is listed in Lot 23), the most desireable cards in this set are Peckinpaugh (1925 AL MVP), Heitmuller (1912 PCL Batting Champ who died that same year of typhoid fever), and Halla (1905 Cy Young teammate on Naps) with his long horizontal pose reminiscent of the king of such landscape design, Christy Mathewson's 1914 Cracker Jack. Another significant card that did not get submitted for grading is a Milton "Discoll" error card. His last name should be spelled 'Driscoll' and the correct version is much more common. Graded PCL Hall of Famers include Pop Dillon (Angels player/manager), Walt McCredie (Porland manager, & integration pioneer), Kid Mohler, Happy Hogan (died in 1915 at age 37), Roy Hitt (Reds SP), and Buddy Ryan (1911 PCL HR & Batting Champ).
Among the ungraded notables is PCL HOFER Ozzie Vitt (PR, pop 2), a future teammate of both Cobb and Ruth who would later manage the infamous 1940 "Cleveland Crybabies." Others are Hans Ables (FR, pop 2), a dominat Oaks SP 1911-12; England-born Walter Carlisle (GD, pop 1) who pulled off the only known unassisted triple play from his CF position and regularly led the PCL in doubles, triples and runs scored; 2 Bert Coy (GD/FR, pop 2), PCL HR leader 1912-13; George Cutshaw (FR, pop 2), a starting 2B for 12 MLB seasons); Walt Leverenz (GD, pop 2) who won 269 games over 21 minor league seasons; Frank Miller (GD, pop 0), Seals 20-game winner 1910-12; 3 Hub Pernoll (GD/GD/FR, pop 3), 5'8" SP nicknamed "Piano Legs"; 2 Tommy Sheehan (GD/FR, pop 2), one of the only original 1903 PCLers in the set; Bill Steen (PR, pop 1), SP who won 57 games from 1910-11 and appeared in 108 MLB games; and Buzzy Wares (PR, pop 2), a 1930-52 coach for St. Louis Cardinals.
See PSA Pop Report: https://www.psacard.com/pop/minor-league-cards/1911/zeenut-pacific-coast-league/54274
These two sites provide great info about all Zee-Nut issues, including checklists and design:
http://www.starsofthediamond.com/zeenuts.html
https://prewarcards.com/2016/10/03/1911-1938-e136-e137-zeenut-sets
For more on the "Yahtzee Box Find", see Lots 3 and 4 or read these recent hobby media articles.
https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/auctions/texas-tommy-vintage-card-collection
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/yahtzee-1914-texas-tommy-find-includes-cobb-jackson