[wolf441]

Originally Posted by G1911

By consistent with the later evidence I am not referring to Wagner at all. In that time the hobby was focused on the tobacco companies and not the printers, it is consistent with the information we have gleaned since from other sources. A forgery would likely be on behalf of the ATC, as it is only very recently we have begun to understand that the lithographers played a much more active role in these sets than just printing them for ATC.

I agree with Steve, this is hardly the first letter from a sports writer on team letterhead, kickbacks from the team were common and the press was usually in bed with the team ownership. It doesn’t seem out of place to me. Also makes sense the team would be supportive: it’s free advertising.

The survival rate isn’t a red flag, I think. How many printing stones and plates from the ATC sets have been found? How much other internal documentation? It’s almost none. I wouldn’t expect these letters, fairly insignificant at this time, to survive in greater quantity than other documentation has.

I am a big fan of skepticism, separating fact from probability from personal opinions. We cannot say beyond any doubt the letter is genuine, but it is more reasonable to think it real than to think it a clever forgery, as there is no evidence for the later.

Thanks, that certainly makes sense. I'm usually not a conspiracy theory type of guy at all.

It would be cool if we knew where the Ball letter came from when it was originally put up for auction. Was there any mention as to who sold/consigned it when it originally surfaced and how it came to be in their possession?