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Originally Posted by BobC
And exactly why I said earlier that not everyone is going to consider a Bond Bread card as a "true" card.
Remember all the years Beckett showed Ruth's rookie card as being his '33 Goudey cards? There actually is a big difference between being a player's first ever issue, and their first, nationally recognized and distributed "true" card.
I've always kind of figured the main reason behind the '48 Sports Thrills set not being always so well like and appreciated is because it includes many retired, older players, and not just all current players, and the various historically significant times and events in the history of baseball that they were part of. So, in that respect at least, it is not like a typical Bowman, Topps, or Goudey set of baseball cards of then all (or mostly all) current players. In this case though, Swell lucked out and produced this set right after Robinson entered the majors with the Dodgers, and they made sure to include Jackie's debut as part of this set. Name another sports card set or issue that preceded the '48 Sports Thrills cards that mentions and documents Jackie's debut and historical achievement. To me, that adds some significance to this particular card as well.
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Let's be honest: MLB was a regional sports league in 1947. No teams west of the Mississippi, no white teams south of St. Louis, one NL team in Birmingham, one in Kansas City. Wouldn't have made a lot of sense to promote MLB in places with no teams, pre-television. The Bond Bread cards were in every (white) MLB city, so I wouldn't exactly call them regionals.
The Swell card is one I deeply regret selling into the rising market. I think that one is the 'sleeper' Robinson card. The Leaf is the most overrated card of Robinson. It got all of its cachet when people thought it was a rookie card. Now that we know there were not only several issues that predate it but also some that are contemporary to it, including the Bowman, I do not see it in the same light. But what do I know; I like the most obscure cards I can get
