[sb1]

Scott,

As to soaking, I have encountered very few card issues, other than photographic(i.e. Old Judge, T200, etc) that cannot be soaked without damage. I can't say what happened with the T205 you mention but that certainly sounds strange. All of the T and E issues of that era would have been produced with the same types of ink and paper.

You are correct though that not all types of glue are soakable, especially the dark brown horse glue. I won't go into all of the ins and outs of soaking as it's been tossed around in multiple threads before, but it's not rocket science and one certainly does not need a paper conservator or other online guru to soak 99% of the tobacco and caramel cards of that era. Most advisable to start with a dog and give it a try. Collectors have been soaking stamps and other scrapbook items for nearly a century with no ill effect on most. It's a whole lot better than the dummies that try to peel the cards out of an old time album and end up creasing them and removing part of the back. I cringe everytime I see one of those and just wish someone had the foresight to take the pages and just give'em a light bath.