Is it worth opening the pack?

[T205 GB]

I have a Murad cigarette pack sealed and stamped. I paid about $45 for the pack and have been thinking about opening it to see what's inside.

Is it worth it?

What could be inside?

[gnaz01]

Not sure I could resist Andrew :p

[conor912]

For $45? Absolutely!

[ullmandds]

Open it for sure...and film it!

[T205 GB]

Any ideas of what could be in it?

[ullmandds]

A non-sports card of some kind?

[canjond]

Unfortunately it's the wrong period - I'd keep it sealed.

[T205 GB]

Thanks Jon. I was going to bust it later this week and post it but it's worth more sealed then.

[canjond]

I think it is worth more sealed. It's beautiful condition, but I believe that the states didn't start having their own tax stamps until the early 1920s. I will verify though.

[rdwyer]

The only possibility would be a T51 — COLLEGE SERIES card.

[BradH]

The only possibility would be a T6 — COLLEGE SERIES card.

Actually, if the date matches up, I believe it could only be a T51 College Series card. The T51s came in packs and measure about 2" x 2-3/4".

The T6 (pictured below) was a premium that was available only through a mail-in offer. The T6s measure about 5" x 8" I believe. I have quite a few of them in my office, but haven't looked at them for a while.

Also, a pinkish-colored coupon (front and back picured below) came in the pack, with a T51 card I believe.

Every coupon I've ever seen is creased down the middle, as it was presumably folded to fit into the packs. I have a few of these coupons and I remember the first one I ever purchsed arrived at my home exactly 100 years to the day that it had expired. I thought that was kind of cool.

[Bridwell]

You might show us a scan of the back of that Murad pack.

I recommend looking for a tax stamp with Dewitt Clinton on it with date, on the back on the pack. Also look at side to see if it is Factory #7. It should be dated around 1910 to have a good shot at finding a T51 college card.

[frankbmd]

I opened six packs last night.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images/show/frankbmd/odds-ends/4968/1910-murad-t51

[bbcard1]

Actually from what I hear, depending on where you live, $45 for a pack of cigarettes is about right.

[1880nonsports]

I opened six packs too

[1880nonsports]

there are at least 3 "T" series that could be found in these clam shell packs. I would say there's about zero chance your pack holds a T51 card but would prefer to see the factory designation and the reverse of the pack before swearing my life away. Regardless - if I thought it was real - and if I didn't have two of the same and from the same source at your pricepoint - I wouldn't open it....... It's all about the sizzle - and not so much the steak. It's still a neat associated pack and the condition is very nice. I collect unopened cigarette packs and tins just because they are less likely to be found that way. With a clean T51 or folded postcard and an open pack with some rank old smokes the BEST outcome - and NOTHING the likely outcome - you pays your money and you takes your chances..........

[jerrys]

Frank - were the Murad packs you opened the style shown above or this style?

144429

[auggiedoggy]

I opened six packs last night.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images/show/frankbmd/odds-ends/4968/1910-murad-t51

Smoke em if you got em. :D

[tedzan]

I agree....check-out the Factory designation on the pack....if there is any possibility of a College card within this pack, it should read......
"Factory #7, 3rd Dist., N.Y."


Here's my type card (#105)

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan77/images/large/DavidsonCollege50x.jpg



TED Z

[SMPEP]

Liek everyone else, I think the only thing you could find in it are the T51 murads. There are a few with baseball, football and basketball scenes ... but even those rarely sell for more than $20 (Michigan FB, Penn state baseball, Harvard football, NW basketball?, maybe a few others). And with 150 different cards in the set ... and say under 20 decent cards ... it has to be more valuable unopened.

Just imagine that it contains a Juanita College card inside. You probaly wouldn't crack it open for that!

Cheers,
Patrick

[GrayGhost]

I had a Piedmont pack once, but in those days, I was dumber than I am now. I didn't know it was the wrong era/stamp/type, etc. Opened it, all there was in it were a few rancid cigarettes, a piece of backing cardboard and some foil:(

[Theoldprofessor]

I taught at Davidson for 37 years. I can say with some conviction that I have never seen anyone wandering around the campus who in any way resembled those hardy young gents depicted on your Murad card.

We started out as a school designed to prepare young men for the ministry. Apparently the Murad folks got the notion that we sat on the frontier with Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Ernest T. Bass. Woodrow Wilson stayed here for his freshman year, but not even a generous interpretation of the artist's work could re-cast either of those two as Woodrow.

Nice card though.

[T205 GB]

Yes it is a Factory 7 designation. The tax stamp is from Vermont and unfortunately looks to be dated 1930's.

[1880nonsports]

do not disparage the great Ernest T.!

[tedzan]

I taught at Davidson for 37 years. I can say with some conviction that I have never seen anyone wandering around the campus who in any way resembled those hardy young gents depicted on your Murad card.

We started out as a school designed to prepare young men for the ministry. Apparently the Murad folks got the notion that we sat on the frontier with Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Ernest T. Bass. Woodrow Wilson stayed here for his freshman year, but not even a generous interpretation of the artist's work could re-cast either of those two as Woodrow.

Nice card though.


Very interesting.

Oh well....the artists who designed these cards were in NYC (at American Litho.)....so what did they really know :)

Thanks for the input.



http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan77/images/websize/DavidsonCollege50x.jpg



TED Z

[BradH]

For those who are unfamiliar with the T51/T6 series, I scanned one of my T51 Penn State cards with a T6 Penn State to compare the sizes. The colors tend to more bold and rich on the T6s. The artwork on the T6s were elongated (compared to the T51) to the size of the 5" x 8" card. The T6s are also on much thicker and sturdy cardboard, compared to the thin and somewhat flimsy T51s.

Also, I scanned a the back and side of one of my Murad packs with the 1909/10 tax stamp. This is a Factory No. 7, 3rd District pack.

And finally...An older T6 coupon which is slightly different from the one I posted above. You can see that this one says that the "College series will be ready to mail June 1, 1910." This indicates it was part of the early series, when the T6s were still not yet ready for delivery.