UPDATE::Very strange back overprint on a T206 Elberfeld Wash. Port.
 

I recently purchased a T206 Elberfeld Washington Port. off of ebay and from the small photo I thought that the card had some glue or paper gain on the back. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...K%3AMEWNX%3AIT

I received the card in the mail today and to my suprise the markings on the back are an overprint of some kind. If anyone has an idea of what the image is please contact me. It almost looks like a ship but I am not for sure. Despite the image looking rather broken up there is no paper loss on the back so it almost as if the image was a print off to clean a plate before the next printing pass.

[IMG]<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/?action=view&amp;current=elberfeldback.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/elberfeldback.jpg" border="0" alt="elberfeld back"></a>[/IMG]

Updated the scan to show the colors a little better

Looks like something from the 1912 B.A.T Aviation Series.

http://cigarettecardinserts.co.uk/ca...les/bat020.htm

Green
 

Never saw a "green" Piedmont before...

Reminds me of this e99

http://www.baseballcardresource.com/...nt_SGC10_B.jpg

Could be a blimp card overprint
 

Here's another example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1908-Baldwin-SC1...item3c9c0a41a8

Also looks to me like a blimp skin tattoo that was adhered to the back, but I'd guess it is an overprint of some kind.

questionable seller?
 

In looking at this seller I might be a bit concerned about 39 negatives in the last 12 months....even with 3k-4k of transactions that seems like a lot of negatives. Neat card if it turns out ok.....

Plus the other 12 Revised feedbacks

I really don't think that it is something that the seller did just for the fact that he didn't point it out or try and get a picture from closer than 2 feet.

As for as the tattoo comment nothing says tough like a blimp, Ha!

Under a loupe the colors are definitely layered.

Can't say I'd ever buy from him with that feedback record and his nasty retorts.

I'm still waiting to hear about the "green" Piedmont.

Doesn't look green on my computer, just off-blue, which is probably just a scanning issue. Take a look at the back on the ebay listing, and you'll see it looks like a normal blue Piedmont.

I see it now.

I still don't like the guy.

.

I think it looks like a flaming piece of corn on the cob, half unwrapped.
I hope I never give that answer on a ink blot eval!
Take care,
Bob

.

With some photoshop magic I was able to take most of the piedmont back out to display the image a little bit better. I have to agree with the zeplin/balloon theory the blank spots really show up as clouds without the piedmont border in there. Again if anyone know what series this is from please let me know!

[IMG]<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/?action=view&amp;current=elberfeldbackcleanup.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/elberfeldbackcleanup.jpg" border="0" alt="elberfeld back cleanup"></a>[/IMG]

[IMG]<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/?action=view&amp;current=elberfeldback.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/elberfeldback.jpg" border="0" alt="elberfeld back"></a>[/IMG]

Some sort of airship
 

I guess I'm showing my age. The image is of some type of airship or zeplin.


Patrick

You should post it over on the vintage non-sports cards chat board...I'm sure it will be identified by one of the gurus on that side.

i know mr ellington quite well and i never had a problem with him. i think he was pounded with negs concerning cd's and records. bought as many as 15 t206's from him and all came back either 4 or 5.

I remembered another net 54 member had a balloon back a couple of years ago and looked through the old posts in 2008. Here is the attached photo of Kroh with again a Piedmont 350 series back. The non vintage side could not come up with a set that these could have gone with. Interesting none the less!!!

[IMG]<a href="http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/?action=view&amp;current=UG_KrohBlimpBack1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x63/Captainhask/UG_KrohBlimpBack1.jpg" border="0" alt="Kroh Back"></a>[/IMG]

I just got this one in the mail and remembered this tread. So hear is another card with a tattoo airship backs to add to the collection.

back overprint
 

I'm thinking it's possible a few of them are w545's? There are other airships and planes in the set like the one attached.

look like Tattoo transfers were stuck the the backs IMO...

especially the Kroh card, because the "1843" is not backwards. Tattoos are usually printed backwards so they are correct when applied. But if this was a nonsport blimp card that was stuck to the back of the T206 then removed and leaving some ink behind... the image would be reversed. Plus I think the Nonsport guys would ID a blimp card easily, but a tattoo not so easy.

IMO they are not scrapsheet overprints either for the fact that there are more than one color and colors are all correctly aligned, and the colors and spotty texture remind me of the tattoos Ive seen from that Era. And a tattoo would have that flaky look after all these years from sloughing off a little at a time.