How did this get graded/slabbed?

[CharleyBrown]

This is certainly not the Bond Bread Portrait Facs. Signature, and it isn't the Bond Bread Exhibits due to the slab.

Because the corners aren't die-cut... means that this one is likely the reprint.

I thought PSA didn't grade these?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1947-Bond-Bread-Jackie-Robinson-Baseball-Card-PSA-VG-EX-4-Dodgers-Rookie-/230842109619?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item35bf430eb3

[GasHouseGang]

Shaun,
This has been discussed quite a bit in the past. Like you, I thought PSA didn't slab these cards if they have square corners. But I don't think they are reprints, but again that has been discussed too! Here's some boxes of cards that were offered. I've also attached an article that appeared in SCD in 1993 about the set and a significant find of these cards (1/2 of the set) with square corners.

[Exhibitman]

There's quite a bit more to the story of these cards. According to Bob Lemke, the cards were made by Chicago-based Aarco Playing Cards and sold in 12-card boxed sets called Collectors & Traders Sports Star Subjects. From there, the cards were used for various products. The cards come in the following varieties:
—A boxed set of the 48 cards with squared corners and whitish stock.
—The initial issue inserted with the bread has a whitish stock and rounded corners. My experience w/the boxers has been that these sell for a multiple of the square version.
—A Pittsburgh dairy used the initial set of cards as a promotional handout and contest in 1949. Card backs are stamped with a purple legend “Page’s Pittsburgh Milk Co. The Sweetest Milk Ever Sold.” There is also a rules card that explains the contest: turn in a full set of 48 and get a bike, so I bet there is certainly 1 extreme short print, but all the cards are rare.
—Some cards have surfaced in a perforated edge format with images of western stars on their reverses and appear to be issued by a shoe store. Also quite difficult to find. I have one.
—Some cards have surfaced with square corners and on yellower stock. Its manufacture timing is unknown. Some researchers believe they are later-made reprints.
—There was a warehouse find of half the cards in the original issue of the set in the 1980s. All of the ‘find’ cards had square corners and are on the whitish stock of the earlier cards. The square cornered “find” cards are easy. Owing to origin concerns not all slabbers will take them. They all used to take them and policy has varied over the years. That likely accounts for the slabbed one. I used to have an SGC 92 Joe Louis w/square corners.
--There are also Exhibit sized cards on cardboard. Pretty tough to locate but nice larger versions. I picked up Musial and Slaughter at the Natty this year.

[CharleyBrown]

David,

Thanks for posting the packs and the article. I had seen the article before but never the packs. Very interesting indeed.

Reprint was a poor choice in words, though I was thinking more of what Adam had mentioned about the cream/yellow color stock. This one on eBay doesn't look to have the white stock that Ted Z. had posted in a thread a long time ago.

At first, I thought it might be an Exhibit size, but double checked my own, and realized that couldn't be the case. I am intrigued as to how PSA ended up grading this one as the Portrait Facs. Signature, as that is by far the most common of the Bond Bread 13.

Here is a scan of my Jackie Robinson Exhibit Sized.

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/CharleyBrownWLT/The%20Jackie%20Robinson%20Collection/1947-bond-bread-exhibits-jackie-robinson.jpg

Very interesting notes Adam on the Pittsburgh milk version. I've heard about the perforated edge Bond Breads... didn't realize it was through a shoe company. I would love to pick up the Jackie Robinson perforated edge. I don't think I've ever seen one in a scan, and definitely not in person.

[Exhibitman]

That's a great "Exhibit", Charley. I try to pick up those cards whenever I see them. Would love to get a Joe Louis. Got these at BAL:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/notanexhibitcard/websize/1947%20Bond%20Bread%20exhibit%20Musial.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/notanexhibitcard/websize/1947%20Bond%20Bread%20exhibit%20Slaughter.jpg

The perforated cards are a bitch to find; again, I'd love to own a Louis.

I did get lucky [heh] in Leon's auction and picked up these dairy cards:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/rareboxingcards/websize/1949%20Pages%20cards.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/rareboxingcards/websize/1949%20Pages%20cards%202.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/rareboxingcards/websize/1949%20Pages%20cards%203.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/rareboxingcards/websize/1949%20Pages%20cards%204.jpg

[GasHouseGang]

Adam,
I didn't want to dredge this up again, but something interesting was posted over on the nonsport side of the board. The poster showed these cards and said they came in this type of box. The interesting part is they have round corners. Since you seem to be the resident expert on these cards, were these really issued in these boxes with round corners? Here are the pictures.

[GasHouseGang]

Bump, hoping for input from Adam Warshaw.

[Exhibitman]

I don't konw; I suppose they could have cut the corners since there are baseball cards issued both ways.

[GasHouseGang]

I guess that's possible, but it seems unlikely. Have you seen those baseball cards pulled directly from those boxes? I'm assuming they have square corners. I've seen the baseball cards in the boxes at shows, but haven't seen them removed. If the boxed baseball cards have round corners like the movie star cards, that would definitely upset our current belief that the round cornered cards were only available as Bond Bread cards.

[Exhibitman]

Yes, I have. The set was offered for sale in April 2006 with Mastro. The lot shows all four baseball boxes with a selection of the cards with round corners. Here is a link to the auction:

http://www.legendaryauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=57459

Any theory that the round cards were only with the bread loaves is not supported by the evidence.

[GasHouseGang]

Adam, thanks for posting that link. That's interesting. According to the nonsport posting, the movie star cards are dated as 1948. I would guess that most likely these sports cards came out in the same year. The movie star cards are called W.S. New York cards based on the label on the back of the package. Here's a scan of the back of the pack. It's too bad Bond Bread didn't put some type of label on the back so these two issues could be easily distinguished from each other.

[GasHouseGang]

Now someone has turned up one more piece to the puzzle of the boxed baseball players. We wondered what W.S. stood for on the back of the box. Well a similar box for a different set has surfaced. This box is from a non-sport W673 "Navy Ship" set and has a more distinct label. It appears W.S. stands for A.J. Wildman and Son. It certainly appears to be the same type of box. Check out the pictures.