Anniversary Post #2

Yesterday, this blog passed two years in existence. What began as an exercise to let me share some of my knowledge of the Hobby to others has turned into a regular outlet for me to comment on trends, share some of the cards that I've picked up, dispel a myth or two, answer questions and toss out the occasional sarcastic comment. It's also allowed me to interact with some really cool hobbyists that I'd have never met otherwise...which is always a good thing.

And I also intended to show off some of the cards in my collection that aren't exactly high-grade, like these (which eventually went to three lucky readers):

Here are some of my highlights during the past year:

I shared a not-exactly-short history of the Fleer company.

I offered this profile on a player who was present during three forfeited games of the 1970s.

I showed some hard-to-find T-series cards issued in "tobacco" country.

I also showed several ad backs of T-series cards.

Speaking of tobacco, here's a profile on Buck Duke.

I shared three baseball-related songs.

I even took a look at "action figures."

I tracked the design evolution of 1948-49 Bowman baseball, 1954-56 Topps baseball and 1950s Bowman football cards.

I spotlighted the 1941 Play Ball, 1954 Bowman, 1956 Topps, 1961-62 Topps Hockey, 1967 Topps Venezuelan, and 1979 Topps sets.

Finally, I said goodbye to Harmon Killebrew and Gary Carter.

Not bad for a year's work. Hopefully, I still have enough gas in the tank to keep it up...so keep those questions coming and feel free to comment on some of these topics.

So...am I #1 when it comes to vintage sportscards?

Billy seems to think so. Here's a closer look:

Q&A -- "Regular Size" T3

Today's email comes from a reader named Jeff:


Q:

"I have come across a smaller version of what is described as a Turkey Red cabinet card. The card measures 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". It is a #2 Bergen.

Do you know if this could be a reprint?"

(The image above is a real T3 Bergen that was offered in a Mears auction...and sold for $44)

A:

Yes, it's a reprint. T3s have been reprinted several times in what we now call "standard" size (which wasn't introduced until 1957). Authentic T3 cards are eight inches tall.

A Tale of Two Managers

In its 1969 set, Topps featured two managers for the Washington Senators in its set.

First, there was this guy:

Card #294 -- Jim Lemon

Unfortunately for him, Jim Lemon was relieved of his position before the season began and replaced by this legend:

Card #650 -- Ted Williams

Manager changes happen. That's a part of baseball. In fact, the season just began last week and I'm sure there's somebody placing bets right now on which skipper will be the first one fired this year.

Since Topps was issued in series back then and unable to know what was going to happen in the season, this sometimes happened. But it's all good, because...

Wait, a minute...somebody is whispering to me...Do what? Turn Lemon's card over?

Oh, that's just wrong on so many levels.

Circulation Boosters

(This is another post that basically rehashes the material I wrote on my "regular" site. Here's the page where this info was pulled.)

Ever since baseball cards have been produced, they have often been used as promotional products. From the beginning, they were designed to entice baseball fans to buy certain products in an attempt to find cards of favorite players or work towards a complete set of cards. The list of products that have included baseball cards over the years is quite long; they include cigarettes, cocoa, caramel, gum, candy bars, ice cream, cereal, dog food, snack cakes, root beer, potato chips and hot dogs. In the early part of the 20th Century, a few newspapers also used baseball cards to help sell more issues.

In 1911, there was a fierce competition between The Sporting News and Sporting Life, and much of that competition centered on coverage of major league baseball. During this period, Sporting Life used a set of baseball cards as a premium to subscribers. In order to collect the cards, readers would have to send an advertisement to the paper and have the cards mailed back. The cards were available in 24 series (12 cards in each series) issued throughout the season. Although there are 287 different players featured in the set, advanced collectors will consider the set complete at 310 cards.

Although the cards in this set -- like many other issues during this period -- resemble T206 cards in design, there are some differences. The M116 cards are an eighth of an inch taller than T206 cards, use a different lettering style, and player pictures (often similar to T206 photos) are less vivid in color. Most notably, the backs of an M116 card carries one of three different advertisements for Sporting Life. Card fronts feature a hand-colored portrait photo of the player surrounded by a white border, with the last name and team city below.

 There are several variations found in the set. Several cards feature either blue backgrounds or pastel-colored backgrounds; the cards featuring a blue background are scarcer. Here's an example with both types, featuring Hall of Fame pitcher Chief Bender:

There are three types of backs. They were largely dependent on the series, but there's a breakdown on the Old Cardboard page about the set.

The card of Jimmy Walsh can be found with either a grey or white background. Two players (Amby McConnell and George McQuinlan) had new cards issued late in the season to reflect trades, and cards featuring them with their new teams are quite scarce. Because of the way the cards were issued, the last six series (available during the waning days of the baseball season) are much harder to find than the earlier series.

While The Sporting News is still a highly respected publication today, the editors of Sporting Life closed up shop by the the time the U.S. entered World War One.

Q&A -- Diamond Stars Backs

Today's question comes from Danny:

Q: 

"Hope you can answer this! What are the differences between the two Bill Dickey card #11’s? Both have green backs, so how can you tell? One is listed as 1934 and the other as 1935. Also, I need to know how to tell the difference between the Tony Lazzeri blue back cards, as there is a 1935 blue back and a 1936 blue back? Appreciate the help!"

A:

Here's a link to my Web page on the set.

There are three different dates on many backs because the cards were issued over a three-year period. The date given in the statistics changed over the years but the copyright date at the bottom of the card remained 1934 throughout the run.

1934 is green.

1935 is either blue or green.

1936 is blue.

So, for instance:

The color of the text is green, and the stat date is 1934. So it's a 1935 card. The card you have with 1935 on the back will be from 1936.

Not a "Card" But Still Collectible

Today's entry features something that isn't really a card at all:

It's actually a piece of felt, known as a "blanket" by collectors since it could be sewn together. This was included inside a box of Egyptienne Straights cigarettes in 1914. Known to hobbyists as B18 Blankets, there are 90 players in all but many have variations involving background color.

Though stars can be pretty expensive, commons can be had for less than $15 on eBay. They're great pieces to pick up for a truly "vintage" accessory for your collection without a great deal of expense.

Brown Backgrounds

  Advanced collectors will know the design right away, but these cards are vastly overshadowed by other cards of the era:

But it's not because they're scarcer. Well, they are, but they're not as tough as many of the more regional tobacco issues.

Called "Brown Background" because of the sepia backdrop behind the players on its cards, the T207 set is not as widely collected as many other tobacco issues of its day. This lack of popularity among collectors is due to several factors; compared to other T-series tobacco sets there are fewer stars, less color and an unimaginative design. Despite these negatives, T207 presents a challenge for collectors because it contains several cards that are incredibly scarce.

The cards, measuring the same 2 5/8 inches by 1 1/2 inches as cards in the T205 and T206 sets, feature a somewhat dull front design. They were issued in 1912, at the end of the mainstream T-series tobacco period. Players are featured in sepia and white drawings with a solid brown background. A tan border runs around the card, while a white strip at the bottom contains the player's last name and team city. A thin black line separates the picture and white strip from the outer border. Card backs feature fairly lengthy player biographies below each player's name. Like most T-series issues, an advertisement appears at the bottom. Also like many of its contemporary sets, T207 cards were distributed among several brands. T207 back advertisements include Recruit, Broadleaf, Cycle, Napoleon and (the incredibly hard to find) Red Cross. There is also an "anonymous" back.

(This one isn't mine...but the back is the same as the one I have)

Stars in this set include Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker, as well as a small handful of other Hall of Fame players, but many stars (such as Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb) do not appear here. There are, however, several degrees of scarcity in this set: Irving Lewis, Louis Lowdermilk and Ward Miller are especially valuable because they are so scarce. Additionally, there are several other cards in the set which are harder to find than others; however, since names like Ralph Works, Victor Saier, Arthur Rasmussen and Morris Rath do not really excite many collectors, they are not the source of much collector interest. For the collector who enjoys a challenge, T207s offer the chase without the price extremes found among more mainstream T-series sets.

Despite the lack of collector interest in this set, it is harder to find T207 cards than T206 or T205 cards, and even its commons are slightly more valuable. Fortunately for collectors of this set, a lack of information about these cards sometimes results in heavily underpriced T207 cards on the market (For instance, I bought the example card shown above for eight dollars at a card shop in 1994 because the proprietor had no idea what he was selling).