Weil Baking - backs anomaly
 

The T206 Ewing thread got me thinking about some of my Weil Baking cards. If you look at a "normal" back, the "a" in action is fine. The first scan shows a normal "a".

If you look at the next two scans, there is what appears to be a comma in front of the "a", and the last scan shows part of the "a" is missing.

I find it kinda of interesting. That goes to show you how exciting my life is, when I am finding minor printing flaws on the backs of cards. :(

Only one I currently have scanned... missing part of the A

http://zwsmith.weebly.com/uploads/2/...91465_orig.jpg

The bit printed before the "a" is most likely a nailhead from one of the nails holding the copper electrotype plate to what was usually a wooden block.

The missing bit from the "a" is probably either from a repair where they replaced the loose nail with a screw, or chipped the "a" placing the nail for that position.

Both good evidence that those cards were printed from electrotypes rather than lithographed like the T cards.

Steve B

Thanks
 

Thanks, Steve. That is interesting.

Rick

Nice catch Rick. I will go through my scans to determine which cards have each flaw-- a cursory review shows that each player is consistent in how card back displays, flaw or no flaw.

As you may have noticed, every Weil's card has a slight inking void in the form of a very thin line in the bottom half of the "e" in Weil, and in some it is a bit more pronounced:
http://photos.imageevent.com/imoverh...arge/weil4.jpg

Note also that some have heavier inking on the "NS" in New Orleans, with the bottom leg of the "N' cut off. Here's a Shauno Collins (compare to above):
http://photos.imageevent.com/imoverh...rge/weilns.JPG
I find that the following cards have the same inking as the Collins: #27 Caldwell, #94 Kauff (mine); #134 O’Neill, #144 Robinson, and #194 Wolfgang. #70 Gowdy has a filled-in upper “S”, as does #61 Foster.

My "a" is missing almost half of himself. :(

http://luckeycards.com/pe135weilbaking.jpg

Now that is really interesting Leon, because your card is from a completely different set. Weil must have used the same machinery for stamping their card backs in both 1916 and 1917 (note the hair-thin line void in the lower half of the "e" again too).

Todd, my WaJo has the line in the "e" and the heavier inking on the "NS." But, like your example with the light inking on the "NS," there is a mark that resembles a period between the double colon and the LA. at the bottom right.
Val

Side note: 4914 Prytania St no longer exists so I am guessing the building was torn down. Right now 4914 would fall about on a driveway between a Chase Bank (4910) and Kyoto (4920), a popular sushi restaurant. When I lived in New Orleans (moved in August) my place was about 10 blocks from here and I walked and ran by it all the time. I was just getting back into collecting when I moved so I didn't even know how cool that spot was until it was too late and I was in Wisconsin.

I went through the old New Orleans Sanburn maps to find as many locations as I could for all the factories that distributed NO issues. There are still a few left standing today like the W. R. Irby branch of Liggett & Myers on Magazine (law office now), People's Tobacco on Julia St (a warehouse), and General Baking (a school).

It's pretty neat to see these buildings still in use today and to see them in person.

For anyone interested, I reviewed 156 different Weil Baking cards today for additional printing anomolies and found these:
partial "a": Ainsmith, Baird, Betzel, Brown (a lot missing), Fisher, Foster, Getz, Gowdy, MageeL, Mann, Milan, & Stallings
mark before "a": Bescher, Betzel? Byrne, Gardner, Groh, Mack, McBride, Mollwitz, &Tinker
mark after 4 pips: Clarke, Crawford, Wajo, Russell, Walker and WilsonA
The only one who did appear consistent was Betzel, who had a mark before the "a" in one example and a partial "a" in the other.

Of course feel free to add any others.