Felix Potin Cards: 1922 Contemporary Celebrities Series 3 Set (Part 4 of 5)

This is the fourth part of a five-part series on the Felix Potin Contemporary Celebrities set. Here’s Part 1, which focused on a general overview of the cards. Part 2 included a look at the first set. Part 3 included a review of the second set.

It’s possible that Felix Potin had given up the idea of issuing a third set. Set 2 was released in and/or around 1908 and the third set did not arrive until what seems to be 1922, when these cards are considered to have been first printed. But the company did in fact issue a third series and it would be the final one of the pre-war era.

And sports card collectors are certainly glad they did. Of the three pre-war sets, this one includes the most important sports cards by far.

As usual, Felix Potin’s set was massive. This one included another 510 cards — the same as Set 2 and the same as the updated Set 1 (while the original Set 1 featured 500 cards, later editions included 510). For whatever reason, that number became the preferred amount by the company. And because it was so large, you’ll find all sorts of subjects, including politicians, entertainers, military subjects, scientists, and yes, athletes.

Felix Potin issued a collectible album for this set as well. So as a result, you will see many of these cards either still glued or taped into albums, or you may see some individual cards with back damage if they have been removed.

The cards looked the same as the first two series’ with the only difference being the top, which noted that they were part of the ‘3rd Collection.’

So what’s in this set? Here’s a look at some of the key subjects.

U.S. Presidents

Of the non-sports subjects, some of the popular ones for American collectors are the cards of U.S. Presidents.

Then current U.S. President Warren Harding is in the set. U.S. Presidents appeared in the previous two sets so his appearance here is not insignificant.

However, what was unique is that Felix Potin included a card of Woodrow Wilson, the president that preceded Harding. Wilson is mentioned as the ‘Ancien’ President, which in French, simply means the old president or former president.

The Felix Potin sets were known for starting their sets off with world leaders, which they did for the third set, too. Both appear on the first page of the album.

Other Non-Sports Subjects

There are several other key non-sports cards in the set. Perhaps the most significant one is the card of entertainer Charlie Chaplin.

Chaplin is featured in full makeup and while all Chaplin cards are sought after, this one is one of his earlier issues. It is not his first card but as a 1922 issue, it is one of his earlier ones.

Two other non-sports cards that are quite popular are ones for famous businessmen, Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller.

Both men appear as older in the set. Carnegie, in particular, had died a few years before the release of this set. However, while Carnegie has some much older cards (his first may be the 1888 Duke History of Poor Boys), I am not sure how many Rockefeller does — even though Rockefeller was already over the age of 80 at the time this set was issued.

It would be interesting to know how many earlier cards appear of Rockefeller. PSA notes only one that they have graded — from another French set, the 1919 Guerin-Boutron Chocolates trade cards. Interestingly, the only contemporary cards of Rockefeller that have been graded are international issues. His first American cards graded by PSA (the 1952 Look ‘N See) did not come until well after his death.

Some other popular non-sports subjects in the set are Prime Minister Winston Churchill, artist Renoir, and composer Debussy.

Jack and Jack

The two most valuable cards in the set are the ones of Boxing Hall of Famers and heavyweight champions Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson.

The two cards are in the same set but came at two completely different times in the career of each.

At the time, Dempsey was the world heavyweight champion, clearly explaining his presence in the set. He would have been well-known in France.

Collectors surely knew of Dempsey not only because he was heavyweight champion but had defeated Frenchman Georges Carpentier in 1921, the year before this set was released in that country. And as a French set, it should come as no surprise that Carpentier himself is also featured in it.

While the card of Dempsey is one of his earliest, the card of Johnson is one of the latest in his career while he was technically still active.

Johnson fought into the early 1930s but he was not very active after fighting in Mexico in 1920. For the next few years, he fought sporadically in Mexico, Cuba, and Canada before returning for some fights in the U.S. later in the 1920s.

Johnson won the world heavyweight championship from Tommy Burns in 1908 and held it until a 1915 loss to Jess Willard.

My two cards shown here were both removed from my complete album, suffering from a bit of back damage.

Pricing for the cards varies quite a bit. Past sales have not been too consistent. However, even low-grade examples of both typically start in the $150-$250 range.

Other Athletes

As mentioned, the 1922 Felix Potin set is by far the most popular when it comes to the sports cards. In all, about 20% of the entire series, over 100 cards, feature athletes

Some of the more popular cards feature auto racers. These cards are popular not only so much for their names, but because there were so few auto racing cards from this era in general.

The most popular subject is American racer Ralph DePalma. DePalma, a Hall of Famer, is known for winning one of the first Indy 500 races in 1915.

Another very popular subject is swimmer Duke Kahanamoku. Kahanamoku was also known for popularizing the sport of surfing and his card is one of the key ones in the entire set.

Yet another key card is that of Hall of Fame tennis champion Bill Tilden. Tilden is one of the greatest American male players of all time and his card in the Felix Potin set is a desirable one.

I have seen the card called a rookie card many times. However, while it is one of his earliest cards, it is beaten by a year with his 1921 W551 strip card.

Still, the card is very desirable to early tennis collectors not only because it is one of his first cards, but because it is quite rare.

A slew of sports are represented in the 1922 Felix Potin set. Boxing, auto racing, tennis, and swimming have already been mentioned. Other athletes are represented from the sports of billiards, cycling, horse racing, rugby, soccer, track and field, golf, and more.

Additional popular athletes in the set include Hall of Fame tennis player Suzanne Lenglen, as well as Hall of Fame boxers Joe Jeannette, Sam McVea, and the aforementioned Carpentier.

Baseball?

None of the four major American sports, baseball, football, basketball, or hockey, are represented in the pre-war Felix Potin sets. However, at least one card has a tie to baseball.

Actor Fatty Arbuckle is in the set and he was the owner of minor league baseball team the Vernon Tigers from the Pacific Coast League.

While Arbuckle’s cards are not usually too valuable, they are often collected by baseball card collectors thanks to his small tie to the sport.

Arbuckle’s card is about as close as it gets to the set having a baseball card.

Price and Rarity

Felix Potin’s 3rd set is not only the rarest of the three pre-war sets but it is the most valuable. Finding these albums with complete sets are rare, but if you do, expect to pay $1,000 or more for one.