Purpose of B18 Blankets

[cubman1941]

This is from Issue 003 of Shoeless Notes, the email newsletter for the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library in Greenville, South Carolina. Maybe others knew this but I sure didn't.

"When we do find out something we never knew before, it’s such an exciting thing! To be able to share it with you, to be able to make that history come alive, it makes the hours and hours of digging through old newspaper clippings and searching through digital archives worth it. On June 11, John Thorn learned something new.

John is the Official Historian of Major League Baseball, and, without hyperbole, he probably knows more about baseball than anyone who has ever lived on this planet. The fact that even John is still learning new things proves my earlier point: it’s impossible for anyone to know everything. But John didn’t just learn something that he didn’t know… he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be.

Which takes us back to John Thorn, who was doing some reading on June 11, and came across an entry on NYHistory.org which very casually told him precisely what he didn’t even know he was looking to learn that day:
A white cotton felt cloth pen wipe, printed with a central image of a baseball player marked "Jackson", surrounded by pennants marked "Cleveland" and "A.L." for American League, with green borders decorated with purple corner blocks resembling bases, with baseball items in each block including a ball, a mitt, crossed bats and a catcher's mask. Part of a collectible series of baseball team felts given as a premium by cigar stores and manufacturers for blotting the ink from a nib pen.

So there we have it! 106 years after their creation, the world knows once again what these “blankets” were originally intended to be: pen wipes."

[jjp3rd]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing this. OK to share with others?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cubman1941]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing this. OK to share with others?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Absolutely, and you might want to go to the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library website and join to get the newsletter. NO cost.

[jjp3rd]

Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[swarmee]

Fountain pen blotters? Why would you use felt/fabric for that instead of the heavy cardboard normally used. You'd just have ink running through it onto whatever the felt was sitting on.

When I first opened it, I expected the answer "doll house rug" or "fabric square for quilting pillows or blankets."

[Vintagecatcher]

Christie's had an important group of documents in a lot that ended 4/5/2018, which revealed that Mercantile Novelty Co., Inc. made the B18s for American Tobacco Company.

Patrick

[buymycards]

At first I didn't think it made sense that they were pen wipers, but then I looked up a definition of pen wiper:

Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.

noun A piece of rag, chamois leather, or other material used for wiping or cleaning pens after use. Pen-wipers are often made up into ornaments more or less elaborate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
noun A cloth, or other material, for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun A cloth or other material for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.

[nolemmings]

Odd in that I don't recall ever seeing one with much if any ink stains or blots. You'd think the school kids among others would have used them freely. I guess those could have been tossed as garbage, but the cynic in me makes me wonder if they were just collectibles and somebody, pressed to come up with a more useful explanation, chose ink wipers. Better that than snot rags.

[Clutch-Hitter]

At first I didn't think it made sense that they were pen wipers, but then I looked up a definition of pen wiper:

Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.

noun A piece of rag, chamois leather, or other material used for wiping or cleaning pens after use. Pen-wipers are often made up into ornaments more or less elaborate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
noun A cloth, or other material, for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun A cloth or other material for wiping off or cleaning ink from a pen.

Thought of the leather cards reading this

[Clutch-Hitter]

Leather cards perhaps used to assist in opening jars and the like

[bigfanNY]

At one time I was close to completing this set and thumbed through quite a few stacks. And it seemed that most stacks had a few that were washed out. So maybe these were the ones used to clean pens and then were washed to use again?

[Jobu]

This surprises me too. Like the silks, I thought these were made to display or sew together. I also thought what Todd did - odd that there aren't a bunch with ink stains on them.

I have a cabinet photo that shows several B18s sewn together to make a pillow. This doesn't mean they couldn't have been repurposed ink blotters, but I would like to see the source material for the ink blotter claim.

[chlankf]

That's a really cool photo. I've been working on this set for some time. The ink blotter theory is interesting, however, I just don't see it. I don't see any with ink stains that would support this thinking. As for washing, not a chance. As soon as you get them wet the ink bleeds. Just my simple thinking. Regardless, I love the set.

This surprises me too. Like the silks, I thought these were made to display or sew together. I also thought what Todd did - odd that there aren't a bunch with ink stains on them.

I have a cabinet photo that shows several B18s sewn together to make a pillow. This doesn't mean they couldn't have been repurposed ink blotters, but I would like to see the source material for the ink blotter claim.

[NiceDocter]

Great eye for that pickup on the cabinet! Probably sat in an antique store for years without anyone noticing! Wonder if the girl in the photo knew that years from now we would be discussing how wonderful the picture is but because of the pillow on the chair!!!! LOL

[brianp-beme]

I always assumed that the B-18 blankets were meant to be drooled upon.

Brian

[cubman1941]

This surprises me too. Like the silks, I thought these were made to display or sew together. I also thought what Todd did - odd that there aren't a bunch with ink stains on them.

I have a cabinet photo that shows several B18s sewn together to make a pillow. This doesn't mean they couldn't have been repurposed ink blotters, but I would like to see the source material for the ink blotter claim.

This is the source material. I also just joined John Thorn's blog site:

"Shoeless Notes - Issue 003
September 11, 2020

Hello and welcome to Issue 003 of Shoeless Notes, the email newsletter for the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library in Greenville, South Carolina.

When we do find out something we never knew before, it’s such an exciting thing! To be able to share it with you, to be able to make that history come alive, it makes the hours and hours of digging through old newspaper clippings and searching through digital archives worth it. On June 11, John Thorn learned something new.
John is the Official Historian of Major League Baseball, and, without hyperbole, he probably knows more about baseball than anyone who has ever lived on this planet. The fact that even John is still learning new things proves my earlier point: it’s impossible for anyone to know everything. But John didn’t just learn something that he didn’t know… he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be.
Let me back up, because that last sentence probably doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot to most of you, and the rest of this newsletter is going to go a lot better for everyone if we’re all on the same page! Back in the early days of baseball cards, card sets would often times have designations such as B18 or N162. One of the most famous card sets of all time, which features one of the most famous cards of all time, is the T206 set which was produced from 1909 to 1911. If you’ve ever heard anyone mention the Honus Wagner card that has sold for millions of dollars, they’re talking about his T206. There wasn’t a rhyme or reason to the lettering or numbering of those sets, it was just a way to tell them apart.
In 1914, a unique “card” set was introduced, which has become known as the B18 set. But the cards were not made of a paper-like material, as most other cards had been before it, and as most have been since. The B18s were felt squares measuring approximately 5 ¼" on each side with a dark brown border all the way around. They started getting included as part of tobacco packages, most notably in ones with the brand name of Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes.
A common way baseball cards were distributed in the early days was in packs of cigarettes, and often times the cigarette companies would have advertisements on the back of the card. In fact, the reason Honus Wagner’s T206 card is so valuable was due to Wagner’s objection to a cigarette ad being on the back of his card. Wagner demanded that the American Tobacco Company pull his card from circulation, which made them super rare, and since he is an all-time great, a graded example can now fetch 7 figures.

If you’d like to read a more in-depth history of the B18 set, read THIS PIECE by Jeffrey Obermeyer, which he wrote in 2009
The method of delivery for the B18s was nothing new, but the size and material of these “cards” was different than almost anything that had been seen before. They became known as “blankets” over the years, and nobody really seemed to know why. One working theory was that they were just like tiny blankets, themselves. Another theory was that the name was due to the fact that people would collect as many as they could, and either sew them directly together to create a blanket, or stitch them onto other patches of fabric and create quilts.
The B18 set had 90 different baseball players represented, including nine from each of ten different major league teams. Five of the teams were from the National League (Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis), and five were from the American League (Cleveland, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, and Washington). There were 16 teams in major league baseball at the time, but why the other six were left out of this set will likely forever remain a mystery.
Of the 90 players represented in the B18 set, nine became Hall of Famers: Max Carey, Frank Chance, Ty Cobb, Miller Huggins, Walter Johnson, Rabbit Maranville, Casey Stengel, Bobby Wallace and Zach Wheat. Other notable players featured in the set include Fred Snodgrass, Ray Chapman, Chick Gandil, and our very own Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Joe’s blanket had two different variants, each of which are shown above. One had purple basepaths and yellow bases, and the other had green basepaths and purple bases. The purple basepath version is the rarer of the two, and therefore the more valuable, though both are incredibly sought-after.

The original photograph which inspired the image on Joe’s B18 blanket was taken by George Grantham Bain (likely on March 23, 1914 at Cleveland’s spring-training site in Athens, Georgia)
Which takes us back to John Thorn, who was doing some reading on June 11, and came across an entry on NYHistory.org which very casually told him precisely what he didn’t even know he was looking to learn that day:
A white cotton felt cloth pen wipe, printed with a central image of a baseball player marked "Jackson", surrounded by pennants marked "Cleveland" and "A.L." for American League, with green borders decorated with purple corner blocks resembling bases, with baseball items in each block including a ball, a mitt, crossed bats and a catcher's mask. Part of a collectible series of baseball team felts given as a premium by cigar stores and manufacturers for blotting the ink from a nib pen.
So there we have it! 106 years after their creation, the world knows once again what these “blankets” were originally intended to be: pen wipes. "

[swarmee]

There wasn’t a rhyme or reason to the lettering or numbering of those sets, it was just a way to tell them apart.

Part of a collectible series of baseball team felts given as a premium by cigar stores and manufacturers for blotting the ink from a nib pen.
So there we have it! 106 years after their creation, the world knows once again what these “blankets” were originally intended to be: pen wipes. "
Still don't have a period source; that's just a modern attribution, as far as I can tell. All of their tobacco felts are listed as "pen wipes", with the disclaimer that "Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change."
May be right, may be wrong. But the article writer's quote I bolded is incorrect. The letters have meanings, and the numbers are grouped in such a way that they also have meaning, just like the numbers in the Dewey Decimal system have meaning.

Here's my counterpoint. They declare the national flag blankets as pen wipes as well.
https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibit/pen-wipe-tobacco-82

https://www.nyhistory.org/sites/default/files/styles/exhibitions_slideshow/public/emuseum_real//2002_1_2852.jpg?itok=OADHLEp1
Pen wipe/ tobacco
OBJECT NUMBER:
2002.1.2852
DATE:
1912-1930
MEDIUM:
Cloth
DIMENSIONS:
11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in.
DESCRIPTION:
A brown cotton felt cloth pen wipe, printed with a 48 star American flag, with a red and blue border decorated with ribbons, swags and striped shields with a brown border. Part of a series of Flags of the World given as a premium by cigar stores and manufacturers for blotting the ink from a nib pen.
CREDIT LINE:
Gift of Bella C. Landauer

Does anyone believe that in 1910 an American company printed a US flag on an item meant to clean soot off a fountain pen? I remember how much outrage bathing suits printed with American Flag symbology were causing back in the 1980s. Making an item intended to be soiled and then thrown away depicting an American Flag a hundred years ago would have been ridiculous. I would say the labeling on nyhistory.org is lazy and the article writer's republishing that attribution as some kind of fact is also lazy.
Weren't many of these items redemptions as well from coupons or order booklets? There should be some paper trail if these were manufactured with the intent of being pen wipes.

[1880nonsports]

Don't buy it at all. First nothing to do with cigars so makes what's said less credible? Second - without the felts manufacturer or possibly something from the ATC - no way were they pen wipes even if someone used one in that matter once or twice. On coupons and trade card type paper - it's been clearly stated that it's use was for the home honey to create household items. I have a folder showing all the things that could be done with them - pictures plenty of sewn items - no mention of a pen blotter. While I'm sure as a baseball historian he brings a lot to the table - sometimes supposition replaces fact.
I'm rarely right about anything - just ask my wife. However until I see something contemporaneous in print - ink blotter a HUGE stretch. I actually have a few blotters in my accumulation. 1930's-1950's their "hey day" and ostensibly made of a porous paper.
I would LOVE to see an actual reference as the utilitarian and/or practical uses in either situation are not mutually exclusive. Come over to the non-sport side (link at top) and let's discuss it. We have a couple of experts in the field that would be happy to explore and discuss the issue even though the S/L/B category gets little respect.

no guarantees whether written or implied........

[1880nonsports]

I don't think I've ever seen a blotter that didn't have a company attribution....

[forbesrs]

As background, I co-authored the book American Tobacco Cards and have completed the manuscript for another book on American tobacco silks, flannels, and leathers. My specialty is 1900-1920 tobacco.

As a collector I have a ton of reference material, catalogs, etc., as well as the silks and flannels themselves.

I can categorically state that the tobacco flannels were NOT originally produced to be used as pen blotters. They were produced to be used in quilts, decorations, tablecloths, etc., but there was never any intent to produce these for wiping pens. The fact that someone may have at some point used one of the flannels as a pen blotter (while tragic for that example) does not prove anything. I have handled thousands of tobacco flannels and have never seen one example with ink on it in any type of pattern as you would get when wiping a pen.

This falls into the category of urban legend - sounds interesting but has absolutely no basis in fact.

As a note, B18s are flannel, not felt. Flannel & felt are two distinctly different materials. Burdick named the "B" category "Blankets, Rugs, Cloth Items" for the tobacco inserts and premiums which were made out of flannel, plush, and a couple of other types of material. I am not certain whether Burdick originated the term or whether others in the early hobby (1930's) called these items blankets, but Burdick used the term in his American Card Catalog: ("B" is for blanket...). The BF2 Baseball Players are on felt. (non-tobacco).

There is a distinct logical system in the "B" section of the ACC, with divisions made by type of material, whether fringed or not, and size. Not perfect, but a pretty good organization of this category of tobacco collectibles.

Bob Forbes

[teza11]

I don’t buy it either. Especially as it more broadly applies to novelty “rugs” in general. I want to read something printed by the tobacco company at that time explaining the purpose or intent of their marketing scheme. To that point, I’m fresh back from the teens having spent the last hour reading Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes newspaper ads. Lots of print material between 1913-14. Very little before or after. They were really loud about their blankets, rugs, and other bonus novelty items. Highly proud and patriotic about their large U.S. flag giveaways. They advertised that the flags were in “high demand” and “the ladies have found so many uses for them”. What I find very interesting is that there is absolutely no mention or advertising (at least that I could find) related to the issuance of the B18 baseball flannels. For a company that shouted so loudly about Navajo blankets…why no mention of America’s national sport?

Jeff

Various supporting ads –

[conor912]

I have to agree. Is it possible that that was the original intention by the manufacturer? I suppose...though they certainly were't used that way. I have only ever seen paper ink blotters, as well as not a single B18 with localized ink stains that made me think, "that must have been used to clean a pen".

[brianp-beme]

All the recent input on this thread reconfirms my original drooling thoughts.

Brian

[swarmee]

So, let's wrap this up with the following:

#BUSTED for the Mythbusters fans

or

#fakenews

[cubman1941]

Just so everyone knows - I have sent the author a note saying all the conclusions are that his conclusion was wrong. I suggested he look at our site and this post.

[swarmee]

Thanks. I would think people who are paid to do museum work and/or write articles would be much more thorough in their research in the future.

[conor912]

Thanks. I would think people who are paid to do museum work and/or write articles would be much more thorough in their research in the future.

I can't speak to whether anyone involved in this theory is paid or a volunteer, but I think it's probably safe to say we have all passed on something we've read as fact, at some point, without any further research. I personally enjoy discussing/debating other theories.

[swarmee]

I can't speak to whether anyone involved in this theory is paid or a volunteer, but I think it's probably safe to say we have all passed on something we've read as fact, at some point, without any further research. I personally enjoy discussing/debating other theories.

Yeah, but I also expect grading card companies to detect alterations they promise they can, so who knows. People just cash paychecks, I guess. No pride in ownership. I know I can't do that at my job.

[conor912]

I hear you....I guess my point was that it matters (at least IMO), if he's paid or not. I agree that if he is, the bar should be a lot higher.

[bbnut]

I saw the original post on twitter some months back, and the one today, and I said both times, that I don't buy it. I would want to see some provenance.

Back during that time, they had fountain pens (pens with a reservoir), and nib pens (sometimes called dip pens). You don't want to use fabric to help clean off a fountain pen because the fabric strands can get into the capillary system and clog it up. Paper--or today, paper towels--is a good way to get the excess ink off the pen when you're done using it, which you want to do because the excess ink can potentially clog the system or cause a mess.

It wouldn't be the first time a historical society or museum screwed up something like this. We only have to look at the location of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Doubleday Field for an example (although, as we know, that was done deliberately).

[steve B]

It's really common for general antiques people to label something in a way that matches either similar things they've seen, or as similar things that are currently popular.

My mom- when she still could collected egg cups. Over the years they went in and out of popularity.
When they were popular, other stuff that didn't have a clear use and was about the right size would get called an egg cup. Like toothpick holders, partial salt cellers, And if they were currently very popular shot glasses and eye cups....

When they were unpopular, and tooth pick holders were popular many became toothpick holders.

That works for lots of other stuff. Like a hand crank apple peeler becomes a pencil sharpener. Early! Rare! .....and totally NOT a pencil sharpener..

The writer is probably familiar with some form of pen wiper, so every cloth promotional item about that size is to them a pen wiper.

[Jobu]

Craig, Rocky - glad to see you find this photo to be as fun as I do!

I tried to get a bigger and darker image of the pillow for a closer look (just checking for ink stains :D).

[ThomasL]

Im suspicious that they were pen wipes as a quick ebay search revealed very few with ink stains (logically it stands to reason if that was the intended use there would be a lot).

Also the here is an ad from 1914 for the Sovereign Cigarettes "Flag Blankets"...no mention of blotter or ink anywhere in the ad that I can see (4-5-1914 The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC)

[ThomasL]

nevermind it was too big to upload I guess, but the citation is there for you to look up the ad for the Flag Blankets

[swarmee]

nevermind it was too big to upload I guess, but the citation is there for you to look up the ad for the Flag Blankets

They've already been posted in Post 21.

[Hankphenom]

Craig, Rocky - glad to see you find this photo to be as fun as I do! I tried to get a bigger and darker image of the pillow for a closer look (just checking for ink stains :D).

Such a cool photo, Bryan, wonderful to see "our stuff" in contemporaneous images.

[BuzzD]

I have one with an ink blot - I always wondered why, so the explanation makes sense to me

[Orioles1954]

The purpose of B18 Blankets was to annoy auction writers 100 years later.

[Orioles1954]

I have handled several thousand B18 blankets. Have never seen one with ink marks. However, I've seen hundreds with stitch markings, ya know, for blankets!

[BuzzD]

Here is my blanket with an ink blot.

[chlankf]

1st one I've ever seen. Thanks Buzz

[Hankphenom]

Here is my blanket with an ink blot.

Maybe that one was used for that, but how many T206s and other old cards have we seen with ink spots? I don't think anybody would claim those cards were made for that purpose, and I don't think B-18s were, either. I'm with Orioles54, if they were invented with a particular purpose in mind, it was to be sewn together for a blanket, pillowcase, or throw. Or maybe the inventor had this diamond in mind for the nine players on each team:

[ThomasL]

for what it is worth...which is nothing...

I would argue there was no intended purpose for the "blankets" other than to help sell tobacco products and in particularly sell to younger demographics.

Im sure a few used them as ink blotters as I think blotters were in high demand especially in school settings (at least reading some news articles I saw from 1914).

I saw no mention of "ink" or "blotter" for the Flag "Blankets" in 1914 ads or articles.

Seems to me the B18s would be made for the same reasons and logically it would be simply as a collectible/incentive in order to boost sales.

I will add I love the Shoeless Notes and see nothing wrong with their twist/take playing off John Thorn's insight. Keep up the good work over there guys if yall are reading this.

[Hankphenom]

for what it is worth...which is nothing...

I would argue there was no intended purpose for the "blankets" other than to help sell tobacco products and in particularly sell to younger demographics.

Im sure a few used them as ink blotters as I think blotters were in high demand especially in school settings (at least reading some news articles I saw from 1914).

I saw no mention of "ink" or "blotter" for the Flag "Blankets" in 1914 ads or articles.

Seems to me the B18s would be made for the same reasons and logically it would be simply as a collectible/incentive in order to boost sales.

I will add I love the Shoeless Notes and see nothing wrong with their twist/take playing off John Thorn's insight. Keep up the good work over there guys if yall are reading this.

+1

[buymycards]

7 1/2' x 44". 24 B7's and 4 B5's.

[FrankWakefield]

Alright.... ink blotter? I'm not convinced. I've seen several white border cards and Goudey cards with ink spots, marks and blobs on them... haven't seen a B18 with that. I've seen a few that looks like a border was trimmed into the card a bit (which I figured was done after distribution because it was slightly diagonal from the square corners). Are we gonna see someone say that our old ball cards were blotters, no... I'm not convinced about this blotter idea. One of us has such a B18, but there are hundreds of B18's in our hands and we only have ONE? I'm not convinced. Convincible, yes; but some contemporary print description would sell that to me.

[Leon]

I don’t buy it either. Especially as it more broadly applies to novelty “rugs” in general. I want to read something printed by the tobacco company at that time explaining the purpose or intent of their marketing scheme. To that point, I’m fresh back from the teens having spent the last hour reading Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes newspaper ads. Lots of print material between 1913-14. Very little before or after. They were really loud about their blankets, rugs, and other bonus novelty items. Highly proud and patriotic about their large U.S. flag giveaways. They advertised that the flags were in “high demand” and “the ladies have found so many uses for them”. What I find very interesting is that there is absolutely no mention or advertising (at least that I could find) related to the issuance of the B18 baseball flannels. For a company that shouted so loudly about Navajo blankets…why no mention of America’s national sport?

Jeff

Various supporting ads –

Cool ads..

[cubman1941]

Apparently many people have reached out to the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum regarding their article in the last newsletter. For those who do not get the newsletter I provide this response.

"Hello and welcome to Issue 004 of Shoeless Notes, the email newsletter for the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library in Greenville, South Carolina.
After reading the last newsletter about the B18 Blankets, a handful of people reached out, unsatisfied with the notion that those pieces were originally intended to be pen wipes when they were released in 1914. An argument being made is “if they were intended to be ink blotters, then many of the blankets which have survived all these years later should be stained.” While that is a logical initial thought, it isn’t necessarily true, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if you ruined a piece of fabric with ink (whether it had been used for its intended purpose or not), would you have kept that used, dirty fabric? Most likely no, you would have thrown it away. It would be like finding a Kleenex package in 100 years, and saying “there’s no way these were intended to be used for people to blow their nose… all of the ones here in this package are completely clean!” That would be because the ones that were used for their intended purpose had been discarded.
Secondly, there are plenty of examples of B18s which have stains. Some stains are bigger than others. Some stains are darker than others. But very few B18 examples have survived in pristine condition 100+ years later. A quick eBay search shows many examples with stains of some kind and in varying sizes. Whether those stains were caused by ink from a pen is clearly up for debate.
In addition to the ones which have stains, there are many examples today which have been faded. Is the fading because they were subjected to sunlight? Maybe, though I’m not aware of many blankets or pillowcases that are faded from sun damage since blankets and pillowcases are primarily used indoors. Another possibility is that there was an attempt to clean an ink-stained B18 so it could be re-used, and the cleaning chemicals used to remove the ink also helped fade the print on the piece. That’s just a theory, obviously, but it seems entirely plausible to me.
Whatever the case, it is clear that age, alone, does not fade the print because there are hundreds of examples of B18s today which still have bold, dark images. I had always been under the impression that the B18s were intended to be sewn to create blankets or pillowcases or quilts ..., so the John Thorn “discovery” came as a shock to me, too. But just because this potentially new information turns our preconceived notions on their head, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for it to be true. There was a time when everyone alive was absolutely positive that the earth was flat, too.
There is a lesson to be learned from all of this, though. And that is a lesson that can be applied to any research, whether it’s about Joe Jackson, about baseball cards, or about anything else: trusting just one source, no matter how reliable that source may normally be, can be a dangerous thing. "

[swarmee]

What a crock of a response. Rather than pointing to any of the material from 100 years ago from the company, they're doubling down on the theory and calling us flat-Earthers.... ridiculous.
No mention at all of US Flags being produced in order to be soiled intentionally.

[conor912]

There is a lesson to be learned from all of this, though. And that is a lesson that can be applied to any research, whether it’s about Joe Jackson, about baseball cards, or about anything else: trusting just one source, no matter how reliable that source may normally be, can be a dangerous thing. "

Hahaha. Except that every other source except for John Thorne makes zero mention of wiping pens, but whatever.

[1880nonsports]

Apparently many people have reached out to the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum regarding their article in the last newsletter. For those who do not get the newsletter I provide this response.

"Hello and welcome to Issue 004 of Shoeless Notes, the email newsletter for the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library in Greenville, South Carolina.
After reading the last newsletter about the B18 Blankets, a handful of people reached out, unsatisfied with the notion that those pieces were originally intended to be pen wipes when they were released in 1914. An argument being made is “if they were intended to be ink blotters, then many of the blankets which have survived all these years later should be stained.” While that is a logical initial thought, it isn’t necessarily true, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if you ruined a piece of fabric with ink (whether it had been used for its intended purpose or not), would you have kept that used, dirty fabric? Most likely no, you would have thrown it away. It would be like finding a Kleenex package in 100 years, and saying “there’s no way these were intended to be used for people to blow their nose… all of the ones here in this package are completely clean!” That would be because the ones that were used for their intended purpose had been discarded.
Secondly, there are plenty of examples of B18s which have stains. Some stains are bigger than others. Some stains are darker than others. But very few B18 examples have survived in pristine condition 100+ years later. A quick eBay search shows many examples with stains of some kind and in varying sizes. Whether those stains were caused by ink from a pen is clearly up for debate.
In addition to the ones which have stains, there are many examples today which have been faded. Is the fading because they were subjected to sunlight? Maybe, though I’m not aware of many blankets or pillowcases that are faded from sun damage since blankets and pillowcases are primarily used indoors. Another possibility is that there was an attempt to clean an ink-stained B18 so it could be re-used, and the cleaning chemicals used to remove the ink also helped fade the print on the piece. That’s just a theory, obviously, but it seems entirely plausible to me.
Whatever the case, it is clear that age, alone, does not fade the print because there are hundreds of examples of B18s today which still have bold, dark images. I had always been under the impression that the B18s were intended to be sewn to create blankets or pillowcases or quilts ..., so the John Thorn “discovery” came as a shock to me, too. But just because this potentially new information turns our preconceived notions on their head, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for it to be true. There was a time when everyone alive was absolutely positive that the earth was flat, too.
There is a lesson to be learned from all of this, though. And that is a lesson that can be applied to any research, whether it’s about Joe Jackson, about baseball cards, or about anything else: trusting just one source, no matter how reliable that source may normally be, can be a dangerous thing. "

Sorry cubman - oh that what we wish to be were always true - there is NO CHANCE these were issued to be used as pen wipes. PERIOD. You can use a baseball to plug a hole in a dam but that doesn't mean it was meant to be.

[rootsearcher60]

I found this ad showing that the B18s were advertised to be used for display, and to make pillow cases. They were referred to as blankets. What I find interesting is that they were given away with Sovereign Cigarettes. This ad is from the Virginia-Pilot and the Norfolk (VA) Landmark, 14 July, 1914.

Michael

[canjond]

This is very cool! I’ve always like B18s. One of my favorite items is this uncut “sheet” of them (really 3 strips).

[mrreality68]

I found this ad showing that the B18s were advertised to be used for display, and to make pillow cases. They were referred to as blankets. What I find interesting is that they were given away with Sovereign Cigarettes. This ad is from the Virginia-Pilot and the Norfolk (VA) Landmark, 14 July, 1914.

Michael

Wow Great Find and Great information

Remember to send it to the Joe Jackson Museum so they can improve their Response

Thanks

[brianp-beme]

I found this ad showing that the B18s were advertised to be used for display, and to make pillow cases. They were referred to as blankets. What I find interesting is that they were given away with Sovereign Cigarettes. This ad is from the Virginia-Pilot and the Norfolk (VA) Landmark, 14 July, 1914.

Michael

Nice ad. What everyone is missing, because it is printed impossibly small at the bottom of the ad, to the point of being invisible, is this:

*Originally intended as ink blotters


Brian

[mrreality68]

Nice ad. What everyone is missing, because it is printed impossibly small at the bottom of the ad, to the point of being invisible, is this:

*Originally intended as ink blotters


Brian

Sorry I missed that because it was cover with an ink blotch

[BobC]

I found this ad showing that the B18s were advertised to be used for display, and to make pillow cases. They were referred to as blankets. What I find interesting is that they were given away with Sovereign Cigarettes. This ad is from the Virginia-Pilot and the Norfolk (VA) Landmark, 14 July, 1914.

Michael

Great find and info as well. Never believed they were intended as ink blotters either, especially with that theory coming from a single source, without any real collaborative evidence from the then contemporary period to back it up, like this ad you found which contradicts the ink blotter theory. Have had a small quilt made with B18s for years myself. The B18s on my quilt are somewhat faded, which I've always attributed to them having been washed over and over, as opposed to exposure to sunlight or some other chemicals. My vote is soap and water as a main fading factor. Of course, sunlight could be involved as well if such an item were always hung outside in daylight to dry on a clothesline after being washed.

[Hankphenom]

I found this ad showing that the B18s were advertised to be used for display, and to make pillow cases. They were referred to as blankets. What I find interesting is that they were given away with Sovereign Cigarettes. This ad is from the Virginia-Pilot and the Norfolk (VA) Landmark, 14 July, 1914. Michael Great find! I, too, never bought into the ink blotter theory, thinking why would you make such beautiful things just to wipe your ink off with? But with the picture of the Sovereign packs they came, now I'm wondering about the long-held theory that the staining typically found on them came from being wrapped around chewing tobacco? One would assume they would have been packed outside the wrapping between the box and the cigarettes, according to the picture, and therefore not exposed to any of the tobacco. They were definitely folded in quarters whatever the packing method. As for display, I don't know if anyone connected with the project had this in mind at the time, and it could be just the nine Washington B-18s that lend themselves to it so perfectly, but when I got my collection of the eight beautiful commons in a David Festberg auction several decades ago and laid them out with my mint Wajo, this arrangement, with every player on this special team in D.C. baseball history in their proper position, flashed into my brain almost immediately.

[CobbSpikedMe]

So were they a Sovereign or Egytienne Staights premium? I thought they were believed to be packaged inside Egytienne cigarette packages all this time. Some of them even still have part of the seal attached to them that was used to package them with the tobacco. There must have been two ways to acquire them now.



.

[Hankphenom]

So were they a Sovereign or Egyptienne Staights premium? I thought they were believed to be packaged inside Egytienne cigarette packages all this time. Some of them even still have part of the seal attached to them that was used to package them with the tobacco. There must have been two ways to acquire them now. I Hadn't heard that before about the Egyptiennes. Definitely Sovereign now, what's the evidence for Egyptiennes? I have seen the seals or parts of seals before, but don't remember if there's any clues there.

[CobbSpikedMe]

I Hadn't heard that before about the Egyptiennes. Definitely Sovereign now, what's the evidence for Egyptiennes? I have seen the seals or parts of seals before, but don't remember if there's any clues there.

Hi Hank,

I thought this was fairly common knowledge about the blankets. Here are several places where it is mentioned.

https://prewarcards.com/2018/11/27/b18-blanket-red-infield-checklist-variations-egyptienne-straights-cigarettes/
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/unique-b18-blankets/
https://oldcardboard.com/o/b/b18/b18.asp?cardsetID=1038

I've never heard anyone doubt the Egytienne connection after 20+ years of collecting prewar. I don't know where the connection original came from but imagine there are ads that support it somewwhere.


Edited to add: This is also mentioned earlier in this very thread from 2020.

.

[Hankphenom]

Hi Hank,
I thought this was fairly common knowledge about the blankets. Here are several places where it is mentioned. I've never heard anyone doubt the Egytienne connection after 20+ years of collecting prewar. I don't know where the connection original came from but imagine there are ads that support it somewwhere.Edited to add: This is also mentioned earlier in this very thread from 2020. It could well be that I don't remember seeing or reading about the source, as I said I thought the word was that the staining found on so many blankets was from being wrapped around chewing tobacco, and that was clearly wrong. Sovereign and Egyptienne were both American Tobacco Co. products, so that's a possible connection, and Egyptienne did put many different "rugs," silks, etc., in their boxes, the shape of which might also be a clue. It's just that I would want to see something other than hearsay or word of mouth before I'd be willing to say that B-18s were distributed anywhere other than in packs of Sovereign cigarettes, which we now have proof of.

[CobbSpikedMe]

It could well be that I don't remember seeing or reading about the source, as I said I thought the word was that the staining found on so many blankets was from being wrapped around chewing tobacco, and that was clearly wrong. Sovereign and Egyptienne were both American Tobacco Co. products, so that's a possible connection, and Egyptienne did put many different "rugs," silks, etc., in their boxes, the shape of which might also be a clue. It's just that I would want to see something other than hearsay or word of mouth before I'd be willing to say that B-18s were distributed anywhere other than in packs of Sovereign cigarettes, which we now have proof of.

Fair enough Hank. It's just been accepted for so long that they were Egytienne Straights premiums that I had to mention it. I'd also like to see more concrete evidence of it myself now.



.

[Hankphenom]

https://prewarcards.com/2018/11/27/b18-blanket-red-infield-checklist-variations-egyptienne-straights-cigarettes/
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/unique-b18-blankets/
https://oldcardboard.com/o/b/b18/b18.asp?cardsetID=1038 .
Thanks for the links. I had no idea how rare and valuable the red infield variations are. I'd love to know the story behind those.

[nolemmings]

Fair enough Hank. It's just been accepted for so long that they were Egytienne Straights premiums that I had to mention it. I'd also like to see more concrete evidence of it myself now.
.

Lew Lipset wrote about this 40 years ago in Vol. 3 of his Encyclopedia. With props to Lew, his write-up on the set included this:

"Recently [before 1983] a Cleveland collector discovered a box of B18s, all folded with the entire strip intact. The B18 was in a small envelope and the strip reads 'an Attractive Novelty Attached to This Package'. According to the writing on the box, the brand name associated with B18 is Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes, which solves a long unanswered question".

FWIW, when I did some online research of old newspapers, I saw an ad for that brand advertising a tie clasp and later an American flag, but no ads for the B18s, at least in 1914.

[CobbSpikedMe]

So did the Egytienne connection start with Lipset? Still would like to see an ad showing the blankets with this brand.


.

[canjond]

It seems pretty logical to me that based on the ad above, the B18s were NOT attached to Sovereign cigarette packs but were instead handed out by dealers at point of sale. Just look at the fine print at the bottom that instructs dealers to get a supply of the B18s.

As others have mentioned, there are B18s with remnants of a blue band on them, so it seems most logical to me these were still adhered to a brand of cigarettes in addition to Sovereign, and Egyptienne Straights definitely seems most plausible given the Lipset article and the specificity around the packaging.

[mrreality68]

SO who got the Blankets from REA Auction last night?

[Hankphenom]

It seems pretty logical to me that based on the ad above, the B18s were NOT attached to Sovereign cigarette packs but were instead handed out by dealers at point of sale. Just look at the fine print at the bottom that instructs dealers to get a supply of the B18s. As others have mentioned, there are B18s with remnants of a blue band on them, so it seems most logical to me these were still adhered to a brand of cigarettes in addition to Sovereign, and Egyptienne Straights definitely seems most plausible given the Lipset article and the specificity around the packaging. Good catch to point out that they were not part of the packaging, but ordered separately. And I'm wondering if "dealers" (funny they called them that) had to buy a supply of Sovereigns in order to get blankets, the ad doesn't say anything about paying for them. It also seems they are trusting dealers to only give them away to purchasers of Sovereigns, at least during this promotional cycle. I wouldn't call color variations of the wrapping dispositive of this offer having been applied to other brands, and would have to see an ad of this nature for Egyptiennes before I would jump on that bandwagon. I love these mysteries!

[1880nonsports]

what pure bullshit. suck it up and admit John jumped the gun. Experts in THE FIELD OF S/F/B tried to give JOHN THE BASEBALL HISTORIAN some pointed advice regarding his pure SUPPOSITION based on a contemporary reporting by a single person. Awwww. He found a B18 with an ink stain!!!!! Stop the presses. Really sad......

I guess it was OK the original person said "cigar" box when it's a "cigarette" package. Pick the elements you think support the pen wipe hypothesis for me again? All three suggestions were ridiculous.

"he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be."

WAIT. He now knows something that only he knows as the other guy is dead. Works for me.

Can't believe how out of shape this has gotten me. Too much caffine?

[1880nonsports]

Show me some blotters without the name of a company. They were big in the 40's. B18 slightly earlier - maybe they didn't understand the concept of putting one's name on them......

well I just read the secondary response again. I give up. Serious horseshit.

[CobbSpikedMe]

what pure bullshit. suck it up and admit John jumped the gun. Experts in THE FIELD OF S/F/B tried to give JOHN THE BASEBALL HISTORIAN some pointed advice regarding his pure SUPPOSITION based on a contemporary reporting by a single person. Awwww. He found a B18 with an ink stain!!!!! Stop the presses. Really sad......

I guess it was OK the original person said "cigar" box when it's a "cigarette" package. Pick the elements you think support the pen wipe hypothesis for me again? All three suggestions were ridiculous.

"he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be."

WAIT. He now knows something that only he knows as the other guy is dead. Works for me.

Can't believe how out of shape this has gotten me. Too much caffine?



Love it Henry! Not too much caffeine at all, just pure enthusiasm.




.

[Orioles1954]

what pure bullshit. suck it up and admit John jumped the gun. Experts in THE FIELD OF S/F/B tried to give JOHN THE BASEBALL HISTORIAN some pointed advice regarding his pure SUPPOSITION based on a contemporary reporting by a single person. Awwww. He found a B18 with an ink stain!!!!! Stop the presses. Really sad......

I guess it was OK the original person said "cigar" box when it's a "cigarette" package. Pick the elements you think support the pen wipe hypothesis for me again? All three suggestions were ridiculous.

"he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be."

WAIT. He now knows something that only he knows as the other guy is dead. Works for me.

Can't believe how out of shape this has gotten me. Too much caffine?


Thanks for differentiating felt and flannel. I've been calling them felts forever and now know otherwise.

[Orioles1954]

what pure bullshit. suck it up and admit John jumped the gun. Experts in THE FIELD OF S/F/B tried to give JOHN THE BASEBALL HISTORIAN some pointed advice regarding his pure SUPPOSITION based on a contemporary reporting by a single person. Awwww. He found a B18 with an ink stain!!!!! Stop the presses. Really sad......

I guess it was OK the original person said "cigar" box when it's a "cigarette" package. Pick the elements you think support the pen wipe hypothesis for me again? All three suggestions were ridiculous.

"he learned something that possibly less than 10 people currently living knew. He learned what the 1914 B18 Blankets were originally intended to be."

WAIT. He now knows something that only he knows as the other guy is dead. Works for me.

Can't believe how out of shape this has gotten me. Too much caffine?


Thanks for differentiating felt and flannel. I've been calling them felts forever and now know otherwise.

[ValKehl]

Great find! I, too, never bought into the ink blotter theory, thinking why would you make such beautiful things just to wipe your ink off with? But with the picture of the Sovereign packs they came, now I'm wondering about the long-held theory that the staining typically found on them came from being wrapped around chewing tobacco? One would assume they would have been packed outside the wrapping between the box and the cigarettes, according to the picture, and therefore not exposed to any of the tobacco. They were definitely folded in quarters whatever the packing method. As for display, I don't know if anyone connected with the project had this in mind at the time, and it could be just the nine Washington B-18s that lend themselves to it so perfectly, but when I got my collection of the eight beautiful commons in a David Festberg auction several decades ago and laid them out with my mint Wajo, this arrangement, with every player on this special team in D.C. baseball history in their proper position, flashed into my brain almost immediately.

Hank, your framed rendition of the Washington-player B18s is a gorgeous piece. I am aware that you parted ways with much/most of your collection some years ago, but I hope you retained this lovely piece.

[Hankphenom]

Hank, your framed rendition of the Washington-player B18s is a gorgeous piece. I am aware that you parted ways with much/most of your collection some years ago, but I hope you retained this lovely piece. Thanks, Val. Since Alan Feinberg framed it like this some 25 years ago, it's been at or near the top of my list of favorite pieces. Great team, great issue, so many special features to them both, and as you put it, just gorgeous to look at. I have sold a lot over the years, as you know, but have kept a number of my favorites, some of which made the move with me to Winchester. These pictures (starting at post #771) are slightly dated, but not much, and don't include my D.C./WaJo vintage pin collections, but do show most of the things I haven't been able to bring myself to part with over the years.
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=131800&page=16

[ValKehl]

Thanks, Val. Since Alan Feinberg framed it like this some 25 years ago, it's been at or near the top of my list of favorite pieces. Great team, great issue, so many special features to them both, and as you put it, just gorgeous to look at. I have sold a lot over the years, as you know, but have kept a number of my favorites, some of which made the move with me to Winchester. These pictures (starting at post #771) are slightly dated, but not much, and don't include my D.C./WaJo vintage pin collections, but do show most of the things I haven't been able to bring myself to part with over the years.
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=131800&page=16

Hank, many thanks for the link to the pics and commentary you posted back in 2020. Because my memory is so pathetic, I greatly enjoyed seeing and reading them again, as much as if I hadn't seem/read them before.

[yanks87]

I’ve been following the discussion about B18 felts and who may have distributed them. The recent post showing felts as a give-away with Sovereign cigarettes indicates that tobacco sellers in Norfolk, Virginia can pick up felts to be given away with the purchase of Sovereign cigarettes is indicated in the lower part of the ad.
Some folks then wondered if the attribution of them being given away with Egyptienne Straights was incorrect or needed a better provenance. Attached is a picture of a sticker on the back of a felt with the Factory number of 2153, Third District, State of New York (central Manhattan Island). Also pictured is an ongoing auction for an ‘early’ box of Egyptienne Straights, and on the back of the box is the remainder of a tax stamp and the attribution to Factory number 2153, Second District, State of New York (Lower Manhattan Island).
So, it would appear that the felts (folded to quarter size) were attached to the square Egyptienne Straights box as stated on several posts and information articles, which probably represents the bulk of the felts that were given away. The recently discovered ad for Sovereign cigarettes felts to be given away by Norfolk tobacco shops appears to be another source of the felts. Whether there were other locations where felts were made available to tobacco dealers selling American Tobacco Company cigarettes remains to be another quest(ion).

[yanks87]

Going further down the rabbit-hole, from: Cigarette silks, cigar flannels and ribbons in quilts - Antique Quilt History, there was a discussion about tobacco ‘flannels’ – author indicated that the material was flannel, not felt. From the article:
“Another popular textile insert or premium was the tobacco flannel. These were made of a cotton flannel fabric and printed in many designs, again in themes similar to the themes used on the cigarette cards. Popular subjects were flags of all the different countries of the world and athletes participating in various sports.
As with the silks these flannels were distributed in or on, cigarette and tobacco products, with the larger flannels available in the premium catalogs, and sent to consumers in exchange for coupons, (which were also distributed in tobacco packaging.)
Tobacco flannels are sometimes referred to as “cigar felts”, and this is probably a misnomer, because it is not clear how, or if, they are associated with cigars. The inference is that the flannels were inserted into the boxes of cigars. But according to cigar box collector and historian Tony Hymen, there is no reason that they should be called “cigar felts”.
One might also question why they are called felts when they are obviously made from flannel. One advertisement does mention a “felt”, but the photo in the ad shows what appears to be the small rug, which is usually made up of a velveteen type pile or made of flannel. Perhaps this is a simple example of a word’s popular meaning changing over a century of years.
Another tobacco insert or premium is the small rug or carpet, which is sometimes confused with the flannels. J. R. Burdick in his book The American Card Catalog, catalogs the flannels and rugs separately, noting that the rug has a fringe and the flannel does not.

Rugs were distributed in the same way as the flannels, in or on cigarette or tobacco packaging. One advertisement for Egyptienne Straights cigarettes states that the consumer will receive one rug in each package, plus a free rug from the tobacco shop dealer, “to induce you to try these wonderfully good cigarettes”. The dealer was instructed to apply to the manufacturer for the supply of free rugs so they would have them on hand, in the shop, enabling them to participate in the promotion.”
The above section (in bold) is the same approach that was shown in the Sovereign ad for baseball felts (flannels). So, it would appear that whether it was a baseball felt or a rug, supplying free flannels or rugs to tobacco dealers was a standard practice within the American Tobacco Company.
Even further down the rabbit hole – the article displayed the back of a rug which has a stamp for Egyptienne Straights showing the Factory number 2153, and the 3rd District of New York.

All similar to the baseball tobacco felts mentioned earlier in this post.

[Hankphenom]

I’ve been following the discussion about B18 felts and who may have distributed them. The recent post showing felts as a give-away with Sovereign cigarettes indicates that tobacco sellers in Norfolk, Virginia can pick up felts to be given away with the purchase of Sovereign cigarettes is indicated in the lower part of the ad.
Some folks then wondered if the attribution of them being given away with Egyptienne Straights was incorrect or needed a better provenance. Attached is a picture of a sticker on the back of a felt with the Factory number of 2153, Third District, State of New York (central Manhattan Island). Also pictured is an ongoing auction for an ‘early’ box of Egyptienne Straights, and on the back of the box is the remainder of a tax stamp and the attribution to Factory number 2153, Second District, State of New York (Lower Manhattan Island). So, it would appear that the felts (folded to quarter size) were attached to the square Egyptienne Straights box as stated on several posts and information articles, which probably represents the bulk of the felts that were given away. The recently discovered ad for Sovereign cigarettes felts to be given away by Norfolk tobacco shops appears to be another source of the felts. Whether there were other locations where felts were made available to tobacco dealers selling American Tobacco Company cigarettes remains to be another quest(ion). So the sticker wrapped around the box, holding the folded blanket to the back of the box, accounts for those found with part of the sticker still attached? And perhaps also explaining the prevalence of staining coming either from the stickers or from exposure of the blankets to the elements from being on the outside of the box.

[Exhibitman]

Some of the large American flag "B" novelties are really striking.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/saleholding/websize/1910%20B4%20Felt%201.jpeg

[BobC]

Going further down the rabbit-hole, from: Cigarette silks, cigar flannels and ribbons in quilts - Antique Quilt History, there was a discussion about tobacco ‘flannels’ – author indicated that the material was flannel, not felt. From the article:
“Another popular textile insert or premium was the tobacco flannel. These were made of a cotton flannel fabric and printed in many designs, again in themes similar to the themes used on the cigarette cards. Popular subjects were flags of all the different countries of the world and athletes participating in various sports.
As with the silks these flannels were distributed in or on, cigarette and tobacco products, with the larger flannels available in the premium catalogs, and sent to consumers in exchange for coupons, (which were also distributed in tobacco packaging.)
Tobacco flannels are sometimes referred to as “cigar felts”, and this is probably a misnomer, because it is not clear how, or if, they are associated with cigars. The inference is that the flannels were inserted into the boxes of cigars. But according to cigar box collector and historian Tony Hymen, there is no reason that they should be called “cigar felts”.
One might also question why they are called felts when they are obviously made from flannel. One advertisement does mention a “felt”, but the photo in the ad shows what appears to be the small rug, which is usually made up of a velveteen type pile or made of flannel. Perhaps this is a simple example of a word’s popular meaning changing over a century of years.
Another tobacco insert or premium is the small rug or carpet, which is sometimes confused with the flannels. J. R. Burdick in his book The American Card Catalog, catalogs the flannels and rugs separately, noting that the rug has a fringe and the flannel does not.

Rugs were distributed in the same way as the flannels, in or on cigarette or tobacco packaging. One advertisement for Egyptienne Straights cigarettes states that the consumer will receive one rug in each package, plus a free rug from the tobacco shop dealer, “to induce you to try these wonderfully good cigarettes”. The dealer was instructed to apply to the manufacturer for the supply of free rugs so they would have them on hand, in the shop, enabling them to participate in the promotion.”
The above section (in bold) is the same approach that was shown in the Sovereign ad for baseball felts (flannels). So, it would appear that whether it was a baseball felt or a rug, supplying free flannels or rugs to tobacco dealers was a standard practice within the American Tobacco Company.
Even further down the rabbit hole – the article displayed the back of a rug which has a stamp for Egyptienne Straights showing the Factory number 2153, and the 3rd District of New York.

All similar to the baseball tobacco felts mentioned earlier in this post.

Interesting read and info regarding the misnaming of flannels as felts. One easy way to possibly show (and actually feel) the difference is to get a B18 flannel blanket, and a BF2 Ferguson Bakery felt pennant. Feeling and looking at them immediately shows the differences between those two materials. Always figured the confusion originated from the designation by Burdick of both issues as in the BF category, and that category initially being attributed to items made of felt. And then by extension everyone just sort of erroneously assumed everything else in the BF category was also made of felt as well.

Similar situation exists with regard to the cigarette silks I believe. Burdick gave these items an S category classification. So pretty much everything in the S category is referred to, and considered made of, silk. However, in the case of the S74-1 baseball silks and S72-1 actress silks that came with a paper advertisement backing on them, in the printing on the backs it clearly states these items are made from satin, and not pure silk. But everyone still refers to them as silks because of Burdick's categorization.