Posted By:
Bill CornellI believe I made a minor hobby discovery today after I bought a 1911 Baseball Bats card (actually a cutout from a penny candy box) of Harry Davis that has a "Toy Town Post Office" stamp on the back:
The last few SCD guides have mentioned this stamp. On p. 487 of the 2003 guide, there is this description:
"Rather than a card issuer, this enigmatic rubber-stamp has been found on the backs of dozens of 1910-era baseball cards. Measuring 1/2" in diameter, the seal is in purple ink. At center is a barred circle with 'TOY TOWN' above and 'POST OFFICE' below. Whether the cards were sold pre-stamped as part of a toy set or were defaced by a youngster and eventually made their way into the hobby is unknown. Because the cards are low-grade the addition of the stamp neither adds nor detracts from the value of the card on which it is placed."
Since Baseball Bats can only be cut-outs from an existing box, it seems implausible that this logo was "pre-stamped" - it must have been added to the back of the card at some point after it fell into a buyer's (or collector's) hand.