E104/D359/T208 Questions

[judsonhamlin]

I'm normally a mainstream T-card guy, but I've always enjoyed this set (or sets) - but don't know much about it. Here are some q's so I can educate myself:

1) Why are blank backed cards assumed to be Nadjas as opposed to another issue (kind of like E92 Dockman is cataloged apart from E101)?

2) Understanding that the Athletics were world champs, why were these cards only issued by New Jersey and New York State bakeries, and obscure tobacco company (also in NY) and Nadja? No Pennsylvania bakeries had the team spirit?

3) Is there any surviving documentary evidence as to how these were distributed by the bakeries or Cullivan? (ads, display pieces)?

Thanks in advance.

[barrysloate]

No wrath will be sent your way....hi Judd:)

[toppcat]

I have thought that these were made available to Rochester and Syracuse denizens by either a really remote salesman or a renegade printer. I assume they were blank backed and then printed with the appropriate ad.

The US was baseball mad back then and cards of the champs would have been very popular I would think.

REA estimates an overall pop of about 50 for T208 in their current auction. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to overall population of each flavor?

[cfc1909]

from my best trying to get a total there are more than 50 t208s

[caramelcard]

1) Why are blank backed cards assumed to be Nadjas as opposed to another issue (kind of like E92 Dockman is cataloged apart from E101)?

They're (blank backs) assumed to be E104s because they have the same fronts AND because E104-3s are found with both nadja and blank backs. Blank backed E90-2s are called E104-2. These cards with blank or anonymous backs like E104 blanks, E101s, E98, etc. might not even be candy cards but we go with the closest we can find until we find proof that they're not.


2) Understanding that the Athletics were world champs, why were these cards only issued by New Jersey and New York State bakeries, and obscure tobacco company (also in NY) and Nadja? No Pennsylvania bakeries had the team spirit?

I think it's probable that the cards were inserted into "Williams Wrapped Bread" (a couple different styles of bread) at many different bakeries around the region including in PA, but the NJ bakery was probably a larger bakery that did more business and got credit for the scheme.

3) Is there any surviving documentary evidence as to how these were distributed by the bakeries or Cullivan? (ads, display pieces)?

Never seen ad pieces, but I have found through looking at other bread issues that these cards were inserted into the product or given out during baseball season and that often times the premiums ended at the end of the season until the next year. I think it's safe to say that the cards were inserted into "Williams Wrapped Bread" at many different bakeries around the region including in PA, but the NJ bakery was probably the main bakery.


Another interesting question is: Why do some E104s have the world champions tag line and some don't?

The cards could've intially been issued during the 1910 season before the team won the WS and then continued to be issued for the next year or even two while the team was at it's peak?

We've seen with D304 that cards were kept "in stock" and issued over the period of 3 or 4 years with print being added to the same cards that were already printed years ago.

Rob