Need help with ID

Archive · #1 12-19-2003, 01:48 PM

Posted By: Ben

Hi all,

I picked this card up recently, but have no idea what it is. The seller also had another card that was very similar, but had Baker's name on the bottom. This one doesn't. It has a blank back. Anybody have any ideas?

Archive · #2 12-19-2003, 03:33 PM

Posted By: Adam J. Baxter

Looks like an E107 Breisch-Williams of Baker with a trimmed bottom border, although it seems a little whiter in color then I think E107's tend to be. I also can't remember off the top of my head if Baker is in that set. I'm just not 100%. This may be Leon or Scott Brockelman territory. They could probably ID it. If it is legit and the seller still has the untrimmed one in his posession, you get off your computer and go buy it....now.

Archive · #3 12-19-2003, 03:43 PM

Posted By: Ben

Adam- probably not an e107 because baker wasnt in that set- he wasn't even in the majors in 1903. Here's a scan of the other card he had with the name on the bottom...might be of some help in IDing my card.

Archive · #4 12-19-2003, 03:47 PM

Posted By: scott brockelman

i am not certain, but this card looks similar to others i have seen that were produced 1910-1911 era after the A's won the championship, i have seen some simgles and a team card, they all resemble E107's, but are not. i have some scans and copies but did not look for them before posting this. without the name and team text, it is hard to say for certain, the card does appear a little wider.

scott

Archive · #5 12-19-2003, 05:44 PM

Posted By: Ben

Scott, if you get a chance could you send me the scans you have or post them in the thread? That would be very much appreciated. Hoping this might be my "favorite find of 2003".

Archive · #6 12-19-2003, 06:07 PM

Posted By: Julie

the picture was taken earlier (because of the extreme youth of the subject!). Baker had been in the Majors since 1908; could the picture be even earlier, with the "A" superimposed on a minor league or amateur team uniform?

Archive · #7 12-20-2003, 08:15 AM

Posted By: Todd

After reading Julie's post, I looked at Marc Okkonen's book of 20th century uniforms, and found that, if his findings are accurate, the A's logo never looked like what appears on this "mystery" card. Since he acknowledges that the A's uniforms were the most photographed of the era (given the team's success), I would suspect someone out there has the same logo appearing on a card or photo-- if not, maybe it was added. I'm away from all my baseball stuff at the moment (this pesky thing called work), or I would look. Can anyone confirm this logo?

Archive · #8 12-20-2003, 08:46 AM

Posted By: Brett Domue

Take a look at the championship teams at the Philadelphia A's Historical Society:

http://philadelphiaathletics.org/history/champs.html

Looks like a legit logo.

Brett

Archive · #9 12-20-2003, 09:00 AM

Posted By: Todd

The botton left "stem" on the card has a very distinct hook-like feature on one side, and is blunted on the other. The drawings in Okkonen's book, and also the photos you've cited (as far as I can see) have more like a tilde-shaped stem on that side.
Also, the book and photos show the left-side "arm" of the A to be thinner than the right, whereas the card has them the same thickness, and the book/photos generally have a lot of space on the inner triangle of the A- not so on the card.
I'll keep looking, but I don't see it yet.
Todd

Archive · #10 12-20-2003, 09:15 AM

Posted By: Brett Domue

It doesn't appear to be a logo ever used for actual game jerseys. Due to the collar, however, this almost looks like some sort of dress uniform.

Archive · #11 12-20-2003, 09:18 AM

Posted By: Brett Domue

The Hall of Fame has a uniform database which shows the designs of home and road uniforms for each year.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/database.htm

Archive · #12 12-20-2003, 09:23 AM

Posted By: Todd

That cite uses Okkonen's drawings, and he's specially acknowledged. Now I have access to it on the Net as well.

If you look at those, you'll see none of them match what's depicted on the card, so I remain stumped.

As for your comment about dress uniforms, I suppose that's possible, although I have not heard of that before, and the collar thing doesn't bother me, since the "game" uniforms had those same collars that could be turned up.

Archive · #13 12-20-2003, 09:42 AM

Posted By: Todd

Actually, if you pull out your T206 Eddie Plank , you'll see the same logo. Still, his E95 card has the same photo, with no logo. Either someone airbrushed out his logo on one, or added it on the other. Still doesn't answer whether the logo belonged to a real uniform.

Archive · #14 12-21-2003, 12:27 AM

Posted By: Julie

The logo on Plank's T206 is almost, but not quite identical--I canb't find the damn logo on any of my (present) T206s--all the As are looking elsewhere. Anyway, Plank's is a tad less elaborate, but identical enough so as to be reinforcing; I guess the logos were drawn on. My T3 of Bender(who's A is definitely drawn on) has a much simplified version of what appears to be the same A--no swirls, only two short tails, etc. But it seems to have been taken from
the same A as the Plank and the Baker Ben posted.

Given that the logos are (for some reason) drawn on, even in a photo--maybe not Plank's, which is nearly identical to Baker's, I'd say ther "A" on Baker is close enough as to not be suspect.

Archive · #15 02-02-2004, 12:17 PM

Posted By: BOTN

I wanted to bring this topic back as I am now the owner of the yet to be identifed Baker card. I contacted Lew this morning and he also has one and has no idea what the card is. I had called it an E104 but Pete and Lew both were absolutely certain that it is not a version of the E104.

The card measures 2 1/2 x 1 17/32 and is printed on glossy card stock. It has been trimmed as if it were cut off of a larger sheet.

Here is my copy

Any info would be most appreciated.

Greg