1923 V145-1 William Paterson

The 1923-24 V145-1 40-card set is one of two issues designated as V145. With a V-Card distinction, it was a release printed in Canada and is considered a candy/caramel card issue. Both the V145-1 and V145-2 card sets are relatively similar in appearance.

There is nothing on the backs of the card, but the fronts include the player name, team name, card number, and ‘National Hockey League.’ All photos used of players are portraits.

V145-2 cards are much rarer than the V145-1 cards. To date, according to PSA’s population reports, they have graded approximately 1,300 V145-1 cards and only about half that for V145-2.

As is the case with the V129 set, it is not entirely known who produced the V145 cards and they are sometimes referred to as an anonymous set. However, most consider them to have been distributed by the William Paterson Company (William Paterson Ltd.). That name is also often misspelled by collectors as ‘Patterson.’ It is important to note that designation on the V145 cards varies between the two issues. While V145-1 is often attributed as a Paterson issue, some do not cite V145-2 as Paterson cards. That is curious given the similarities in appearance.

William Paterson Ltd. was founded by Canadian politician, William Paterson. The company was later (in 1928, shortly after the production of these cards) acquired by George Weston Limited, a large bakery and food processor.