[tedzan]

Some years back, Art Martineau noted the difference in the color of the Sovereign backs. Most were printed with a normal green color,
and some with a lighter green color. Recently, Jim Rivera posted a thread regarding this lighter, "candy apple green" color variation of
certain SOVEREIGN backs.

In the SOVEREIGN print run, the subjects in the 350/460 series category are not identified as they are with the PIEDMONT or SWEET
CAPORAL backs (i.e., "350-460 Subjects"). The SOVEREIGN cards in these mid series are all printed as "SOVEREIGN 350 Subjects".

However, all 61 subjects in the 350/460 category exclusively have candy apple green backs. All the other 341 cards of the SOVEREIGN
set have a normal green colored back.

Recently, while looking over my complete SOVEREIGN set, I observed 5 more that have apple green backs. Scot Reader had predicted
that Kleinow & Smith would have apple green backs. Given this apple green pattern, I think we can be 100% certain that the following
5 subjects were intended to be 350/460 cards. However, American Litho. did not extend these 5 subjects into the 460 press runs due
to the following events......

Joe Doyle........................traded to Cinci.(May 1910); career ends June 25, 1910
Red Kleinow (NY)..............traded to Boston May 1910
Simon Nicholls (bat)..........traded to Clev (spring 1910); career ends May 1910
Bob Rhoades (arm ext.)......career ends Summer of 1909
Frank Smith (white cap).....traded to Boston in the Summer of 1910.


To summarize.....this subtle change in green color reveals to us, 100 years later, that American Litho. had originally planned to print 66
subjects in their 350/460 series. Further evidence of this fact is that none of these 5 additional subjects exist with the AB 350 (frame)
back. Which of course, if they did, would contradict this entire premise....since the AB 350 (frame) back is strictly found with 350-only
cards.

Therefore......
66 = 55 (350/460 subjects) + 6 super prints + (Doyle, Kleinow, Nicholls, Rhoades, Smith)


OK, so why the difference in ink color for this intermediate SOVEREIGN series of 66 cards ?

One possible explanation is that American Litho. started printing this series of 66 cards about the same time (Summer of 1910) when
they printed the AB 350 (frame) cards. As, a similar shade of green ink appears on them, too.

I'm not sure that this guess explains why....so, let's hear your guesses as to why ? ?


Four of the 19 HOFers in the 350/460 series



Green back of 150, 350 and 460 series cards



/\..................................The 5 intended subjects for the 350/460 series that were not printed with 460 backs................................../\


The 6 super-prints that are in the 350/460 series with SOV 350 backs have candy apple green backs.



TED Z