e94 Close Candy Overprints
 

Hello:

I have sold and traded a few of these lately. I was wondering if there was a scarcity list in regards to the different overprints? Any help would be appreciated.

Blomes....easiest.

Rest of them.....hardest.

I feel like maybe I've seen more "oh you fan" overprints than the others besides Blomes, but maybe not.


By the way, since there's more Blomes overprints than the rest of them I think we should call them E94 Blomes rather than E94 Close.

Rob

Do we know for sure that Blomes was related at all to George Close Company? I mean, the script/writing/etc on the Blomes back is entirely different than the others and it doesn't mention George Close while all other (9) backs do mention George Close.....

maybe not quite Rob :)
 

Blomes is 5x-7x more common than the rest. There is 1 known, real, Oh You Fan overprint and one fake one. Rob is correct on the rest...they are equally tough. Some people think reprints are easily made and abundant. They aren't. Hope this helps. For the record I have spoke to Rob Lifson, and many other 30yr+ veterans and all of them say they had seen them way back in the day, when they were worth only a few dollars. They have been around forever. Hope this helps. Here is the known checklist, although this is one of my million showings of these, it is apropos...

http://luckeycards.com/pe94overprintset3.jpg

one more tidbit
 

One more tidibit. I might even call E94 as Burdick did and classify them as Star Baseball Players. That way we get out of having to make a decision on what Company to call them. Most folks in the hobby call them Close Candy cards....that or Blomes is correct, imo. Very debatable discussion and one I enjoy :).

Tom- I have never been able make any connection between Blomes and Close candy, except some of the caligraphy looks a bit similar, however many writings back in early 1900's had the same ornateness. I have advertising on both sides too, many more on the Close Candy side but examples of both nonetheless.

I answered my own question by seeing that Blomes Chocloates Baltimore pouch you have on your personal site. So it appears that Blomes Chocolates took the E94 stock and just did their own overprints on the backs for issue in Baltimore I guess.

yes
 

Yes, that is what it looks like to me. Here is a Blomes ad piece I just picked up and the wrapper you speak of....and a few more for good luck!!

Still would be nice to find something with the script Blomes like the overprint on the back of the card to completely tie it in together.....

We need to one day find out how these anonymous sets worked.

If anything, I think the Blomes overprint is really important in that it confirms that the "E94" cards are not only a George Close issue.

Were they just generic cards produced by X and then given to different companies (blomes, close)? I'm not sure if E94s were ever placed in candy boxes. I don't see a lot of candy stains on this issue like we do with philadelphia caramels. They could've just been handed out at stores when someone bought the candy.

Could retailers buy 100 of them and then stamp (E98 old put) their logo on them?

Some E98s have candy stains and some don't. But, that could just mean that some were exposed to hotter weather or whatever.

Anyways, there's a real possibility that E101, E98, E94, etc. type issues were just a pool of cards that were sold to different companies or retailers and the advertisements were not printed at the factory so that they could be used for several different products.

I know some folks say that E94 overprints were applied at the factory, but I don't see anything that suggests that.

Rob