The American Card Catalog: The Standard Guide on All Collected Cards and Their Values is a reference book for American trading cards produced before 1951, compiled by Jefferson Burdick. Some collectors regard the book as the most important in the history of collectible cards.
First published in 1939 as The United States Card Collectors Catalog, subsequent editions of the ACC came in 1946 (when it was renamed), 1953 and 1960. Only 500 catalogs were printed in 1939, increasing to 3,000 in its last edition of 1960.
It has become the de facto method in identifying and organizing trade cards produced in the Americas pre-1951. The book catalogues sports and non-sports cards, but is best known for its categorization of baseball cards. Sets like 1909-11 White Borders, 1910 Philadelphia Caramel’s, and 1909 Box Tops are most commonly referred to by their ACC catalogue numbers. They are, respectively, T206, E95, and W555.
The following is a list of card classifications in which baseball cards are found. Two examples of each type have been listed.
Card Classifications
N-Cards (19th Century Tobacco)
Examples
1886 N167 Old Judge New York Giants
1887 N28 Allen & Ginter
1887 N175 Gypsy Queen
1887 N172 Old Judge
1887 N184 W.S. Kimball Champions
1887 N284 Buchner Gold Coin
1887 N370 Lone Jack St. Louis Browns
1887 N690-1 Kalamazoo Bats
1887 N690-2 Kalamazoo Teams
1888 N29 Allen & Ginter
1888 N43 Allen & Ginter
1888 N162 Goodwin Champions
1888 N321 S.F. Hess & Co. California League Creole Cigarettes
1888 N333 S.F. Hess Newsboys League
1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco
1889 N526 Number 7 Cigars
1889 N338-1 S.F. Hess & Co. California League
1889 N338-2 S.F. Hess & Co. Cigarettes
1893 N135 Honest Long Cut Tobacco Talk of the Diamond
1894 N142 Honest Cabinets
1895 N566 Newsboy Cabinets
1895 N300 Mayo Cut Plug
1896 N301 Mayos Die-Cut Game Cards
D-Cards (Bakery/Bread)
Examples
D310 Pacific Coast Biscuit (1911) D311 Pacific Coast Biscuit (1911) D322 Tip-Top Bread Pirates (1910) D327 Holsum Bread (1917) D381 Fleischmann's Bread (1916) D382 Tarzan Thoro Bread (1934) D383 Koester's Bread World Series Issue (1921)
E-Cards (Caramel)
Examples
1909-11 E90-1 American Caramel
1910 E90-2 American Caramel
1910-11 E90-3 American Caramel
1908 E91A American Caramel
1908 E91B American Caramel
1908 E91C American Caramel
1908 E91 American Caramel
1910 E92 Dockman & Sons
1910 E92 Croft's & Allen (also called Croft's Candy. backs come in three colors, black, blue and red) 1910 E92 Croft's Cocoa 1910 E92 Nadja 1911 E93 Standard Caramel 1911 E94 George Close Candy 1909 E95 Philadelphia Caramel 1910 E96 Philadelphia Caramel 1910 E97 Briggs (two variations, color and B&W) 1909 E98 Anonymous 1910 E99 Bishop & Company 1910 E100 Bishop & Company 1909 E101 Anonymous 1908 E102 Anonymous 1910 E103 Williams Caramel Company 1910 E104-I Nadja Caramels 1910 E104-II Nadja Caramels 1910 E104-III Nadja Caramels 1910 E105 Mello-Mint Gum 1915 E106 American Caramel Co. 1903 E107 Breisch Williams 1922 E120 American Caramel Co. 1921 E121 American Caramel Co. 1922 E122 American Caramel Co. 1923 E123 Curtis Ireland Candy 1910 E125 American Caramel Co. 1927 E126 American Caramel 1917 E135 Collins-McCarthy 1912 E136 Home Run Kisses 1914 E145-1 Cracker Jack 1915 E145-2 Cracker Jack 1927 E210 York Caramels 1921-23 E220 National Caramel Company 1910 E221 Bishop & Company Team Cards 1910 E222 A.W.H. Caramels 1888 E223 G & B Chewing Gum 1914 E224 Texas Tommy 1921 E253 Oxford Confect. 1909-11 E254 Colgan's Chips 1912 E270 Colgan's Chips 1910 E271 Darby Chocolates 1933 E285 Rittenhouse Candy 1910 E286 Ju-Ju Drums 1912 E300 Plow's Candy
F-Cards (Food -Ice Cream & Dairy)
Examples
1916 F-UNC Tango Eggs
1928 F50 Harrington's Ice Cream
1928 F50 Sweetman
1928 F50 Tharp's Ice Cream
1928 F50 Yuengling's Ice Cream
1937-38 F7 Dixie Lids
M-Cards (Publications)
Examples
M101-2 Sporting News Supplements (1909–1913) M101-4 Sporting News (1916) M101-5 Sporting News (1915) M101-6 Felix Mendelssohn (1919) M101-7 Sporting News Supplements (1926) M110 Sporting Life Cabinets M116 Sporting Life (1911) M117 Sporting Times (1888–1889)
R-Cards (Gum)