What's the Deal With These R315's?
 

I just picked up a lot of 1929-30 R315's. They came in all sizes and some were way out of line. I just don't like the look of these. Here are 2 of them. What is your opinion?

Howard:

If you are questioning their authenticity, I think they are good.

One of the things that is throwing me off was that a R315 should have a width of 3 1/4 inches. The Pipgras measures 3 3/8 inches. Is that normal for the R315's?

Who knows how, or if, the TPG's will grade them numerically with weird cuts, but these were issued in strips (too?) and those dimensions don't bother me, as a collector.

Leon showed a vertical strip of R315's. Unless I am mistaken, they were also issued in horizontal strips. Leon (or someone else on the board) has scans of a horizontal strip. The cards at the top appear to have been issued in horizontal strips as well, since you can see the border on the card to the right.

horizontal R315 strip
 

I wasn't showing the horizontal strip as it's more common to see the vertical ones. This is the only horizontal I am aware of but I am sure there are more out there somewhere....(this is a poor scan but this thing is large , approx. 16 1/2" x 5 1/4" :))

http://luckeycards.com/pr315stripx5f.JPG

Thanks for your help. I never realized that the R315's were also strip cards. That explains the miscuts that I have in the lot.

It's never too late to learn something new.

There is some good info in this thread so I am bumping it to ask another question. I have known there has been a version of the R315s that appear to be yellow'ish in color. I picked this one up recently. The back looks kind of blotchy so I am curious if maybe something, after the fact, made these types turn yellow? Large scan on purpose and it is NOT scanner enhanced at all. This is the way it looks in hand...Any thoughts are appreciated. My first inclination is that they were produced this way.....

http://luckeycards.com/pr315hornsby.jpg

I don't think anything happened after production to make these yellow, so I would trust your first "inclination" Leon. I used to collect R315s a few years back and still have some, although none of the yellows, which as you know are much tougher to find but not super scarce. I believe if anything the yellow have a darker looking back than the whites, from different tones of cream to almost gray, whereas the whites are just that on both sides for the most part.

I have seen a card or two like yours, and see where there's a Travis Jackson in ebay completed listings that's alot like yours. I would wonder whether some chemical or process was applied to make the fronts look yellow rather than just using a yellowish stock, and if so whether some excess of that chemical or process got inadvertently applied to the back during production. Here's the back of the Jackson:
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Stonewall-Jac...uOg~~60_57.JPG

I have a small lot of R315's and my yellow variation is on completely different stock than the whites. I just pulled it out a Riggs Stephenson 'Cubs" and the stock is definitely cardboard feels just like a postcard. Also over the years I have noticed most of the yellow's I have come across seem to be cut more uniform. I wonder if any research has been done to show which are earlier?

Cheers
Jonathan

Don't know if it's just me or not but I'm kind of waning nostalgic about Leon's missing quarter from the scans................

It's funny that you brought up these yellow R315's. I just sold a few recently and was puzzled by the yellow ones. Actually, had 2 Riggs Stephenson cards that were yellow. Here is a scan of one of them.