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warshawlawNone, and I never claimed to. I am not perpetuating a myth. I merely stated that the broken plate story was the explanation for the Plank, in response to the statement that the 1954 Williams Bowman was the result of a broken plate. As you agree, the Williams resulted from a threat of contract litigation, nothing more.
The broken plate story as to the Plank is repeated in various early hobby resources (The Complete Book of Baseball Cards, Steve Clark, page 55; The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards, Lew Lipset, Vol. 3 page 54). Lipset's note in regard to the 150 and 350 backs on the Plank card indicated that the story of the broken plate was coming under fire. Where that story stands now is hard to say. I have seen it repeated in auction catalogs and popular renditions of card history. It has also been criticized. Personally, I don't care which way it goes since I have no skin in the game. That said, until you have definitive proof of an explanation, the broken plate story is as good as anything else. Whether you choose to accept it is up to you; definitively labeling it a "myth" implies you have knowledge of facts that you clearly do not know. None of us do.