I love "Marked" vintage cards
 

I really admire the history behind vintage marked cards.

What are your overall feelings & views of old school cards that have been marked by their early owners?

I pay neither more nor less for them. It’s ‘honest wear’ to me, I don’t mind an old time owners stamp at all. I think it’s pretty cool some people try to piece back together a particular individuals cards and collect a certain backstamp.

Maybe I’ll stamp all mine before I die.

Agree, think they are cool and definitely of value to true collectors/hobbyists. Same sort of concept when people seem to pay a premium for say graded cards that are noted as being from someone's prominent collection, like Lionel Carter, or from a known event/find, like the Black Swamp find from a few years back. Don't have many, but a few backed-stamped/marked cards in my collection, along with a couple from Lionel Carter's collection as well, I think.

Hopefully our resident Howe's Hunter will chime in about the Howe McCormick back-stamped cards he actively searches for throughout the hobby. Great story and collection effort on his part.

someone took care in adding player names to a bunch of 1907 dietsche postcards...I only kept the cobb.

I prefer cards with no markings on them but if it's a card I want that happens to be marked I enjoy a good story behind it. For example in 2014 Heritage auctioned a set or near set of 1916 sporting news cards that had writing on them. The original owner as a youngster brought the cards to games and wrote the player stats on the cards.

I'm amazed that someone was able to guess the SGC grade on this card over 100 years ago :D

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...pon-cigarettes

Nice card, Tom. I'm thinking the dealer wanted $20, probably like in 1996.

More bang for the Buck...marked Zeenut Buck Barker backs, and marked D310 Pacific Coast Biscuit with Buck Weaver on front.

Sometimes to me a vintage card seems naked without a pen/pencil mark from its previous owner. Being a lower condition/budget collector, it certainly can be a welcoming sight for financial reasons as well.

Brian

I guess it is a matter or both personal preference. I do not mind cards being marked but it depends on how it was marked and if it takes away from the eye appeal of the card.

sorry I forgot to attach this as an example where it does not take away from the card to me

I find that I like the back stamps more and more as time goes on.

I hold an unmounted T3 Pinkerton SGC graded Cobb fielding with a Buck Barker back stamp and address; it is one of my most precious Cobbs.
Try to put a scan up this week.
Strangely enough, it is the 2nd time I have owned it.

It started out as a rare back I could afford
 

My original goal as to get as many T206s as I could. Then I tried to break it up by getting one of each back. So I bought an affordable Hindu backed card sight unseen and when it arrived, it had a stamp on the back. Wasn’t happy about the fact the stamp wasn’t mention but it was affordable.

Move ahead almost 15 years, and while looking on eBay for any card I could afford, there was a Piedmont with the same stamp. Thought it might be kind of cool to have two cards with the same mark, bid on and won it. Came on Net54, posted pictures of the two and heard from several members saying they had one also. Within six months, I had six. A year later, I sold all my other cards and decided to collect nothing but cards with Howe McCormick’s stamp on the back.

That was in 2007, and since then, the collection has grown to 392. The latest two arrived just yesterday, I’ve not had a chance to post them in the puck-up thread yet.

But what started as a way of picking up some cheap cards (they were marked, after all) seems to have become a collecting niche for others.

No idea how many of Howe’s cards are still out there, but when I can, I’ll continue to pick them up. And the collection wouldn’t be where it is without the help of so many here on Net54. Thanks to you all.

I love a good back-stamp.
_

Marked Cards
 

Have had 3 206`s with this exact same mark, thought it was kind of interesting.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5abd8f8a_z.jpgT 206 Doolan with the embossed ? letter. F Scott by Hugh Murphy, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cf7084b8_z.jpgAnother raw T 206 with embossed ?, possible F Scott by Hugh Murphy, on Flickr

I own a couple of T218 pugilists with the same back stamp as your White.

If you're into back stamps, long time member Andy Huntoon has built an amazing back stamp project website. Super fun to look at, here's the link:

https://thegreatt206backstampproject.yolasite.com/

In my early days of collecting I got these three with a "PB White" stamp.
Not knowing much, I thought they were just part of the Piedmont advertisement.

PB, if you're still alive I have your cards!!

I also kind of like old cards with markings...particularly if it looks like a kid was writing on it. Reminds me of the true origins of these cards and I like to imagine kids holding their cards, listening to their favorite players playing on the radio or reading about them in the newspaper. Very nostalgic.

But I have my limits. Here's a w517 Ruth card (not my card, image from ebay) that has kid writing, but it references 1983. Even though it appears a kid wrote on it, it's likely this card was written on during the 80's...so to me now it appears less desirable. If he had written 1933 instead of 1983, I would consider it much more desirable because I never would have known it was "modern" writing. It's funny how our mental perspective of cards can change their perceived value.

Attachment 522213

Attachment 522214

Here's another post dated script (also not my card, image from ebay).

Not sure when it was written on, but likely 1939 or later.

Again, I mentally dislike knowing the card was written on AFTER Ruth was done playing.

Attachment 522215

writing on a never bothered me
 

especially if it's from the period

A V100 with a "Buck" Barker back stamp:

Similarly, postcards with letters on the back are better than blank ones.

I would very much like to obtain an example of this W575-1 card of Sam Rice that has a clean back.

I checked to see if I had Rice. I didn't. But I found I did have this back-stamped and written-on Duffy Lewis, a relic from his brief time in Washington.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1655976140
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1655976143

Thanks, George, for checking to see if you have a W575-1 of Rice. Another Net54 member has contacted me who has an example with a clean back and who wants my card with all the notations on the back, so we have agreed to do a trade (thanks, Brian!). BTW George, that's a good-looking, very-scarce card of Mr. Lewis!

Some youngster autographed the back of this 1929 Leader Novelty card after removing it from being glued or pasted in a notebook.

Sometimes you just have to make up your own card number for the series.

I wonder if this man (link below) was the PB White (1907-1995) that you are looking for?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/107044117/p-b-white

Re: I love "Marked" vintage cards
 

Up to 25 W516-1 "Becker" backs. I still have not laid eyes on a Ring or Kauf. I would probably pay just to view one of those.

Player Ink, Burdick Stamp
 

Signed by Leifield, stamped by Burdick:

https://live.staticflickr.com/8081/2...6fea0fae_c.jpg

Just because this is right up my collecting alley, here are some more Zeenuts (their blank backs were evidently perfect for releasing the artist within).

Brian

LOVE the topic... and I ADORE marked up cards...

My all-time favorite card:

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img...=40&format=jpg

I'd love to get one of the F. Scott Fitzgerald stamped cards.

Awesome thread. I appreciate marks and back stamps. I think I've seen this "RR" somewhere else...anyone recognize it? -Matthew

Wow Ed, 25 now! That's impressive. Here is my grouping of the Becker/Prize backs. I love these things. And I have yet to see a Ring or Kauf as well. I'm secretly hoping to find one of them before you do so I can shock you one day. :D



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Phil, that's a great example of the Castle stamp and on a red Cobb no less. Great find my friend.


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This is a post-war card, but the writing is quite interesting nonetheless.

In 1967, Robert Laughlin produced his own B/W set (1967 Laughlin World Series) that celebrated each of the World Series contests played up until that point. The early versions of the cards included his address on back, so collectors could send money and get the entire set through the mail. (As was pointed out to me by a member who's a Laughlin fanatic) the number written on back at the bottom is his ZIP code for the mail-away. It was undoubtedly written by Mr. Laughlin himself, and handed out to someone over a half century ago. Pretty cool...

Attachment 522559

That 1968 Mantle looks like it could have been mine as a kid!

marked cards
 

I must go against the grain. When I was younger my brother used to tease me
by saying he'd enter my room when I wasn't there, and take cards from me.
I marked their backs with my initials so I could prove they were mine, and
have developed an aversion to marks ever since. Ah, memories:)

Trent King

Many of us are already familiar with Buck Barker's tiny notations on the reverse of Old Judge cards, but he was not the only one adding character to that issue.

The first card below is the reverse of my N172 Connie Mack, which bears an advertising sticker of a large Philadelphia department store of that era, Strawbridge and Clothier. The second card is the reverse of my N172 Tom Deasley, which bears the likenesses of the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates - Benjamin Harrison and Levi Morton - in the 1888 Presidential Election.

Picked up both of these cards on this board. Really like these stamps.

https://photos.imageevent.com/joejo2...ze/cobbexh.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/joejo2...ize/img890.jpg

Time for another round of Zeenut markdowns...this group is stamped up and ready to fly off the shelves.

Brian

Marks and stamps give me another dimension to collecting.

Here are examples of the purple number back stamps that I am currently pursuing. They don't show up very often so when they do I get very excited. You can see and example in my avatar as well.



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Andy, do you know what the purple stamps represent? When you look at them together it almost seems like it was for a raffle or something.

Hey Phil. I've never noticed any patterns with the stamps as far as the numbers being in alphabetical order with the players or anything like that. They usually have a lot of writing on the backs as well including other hand written numbers and scribbles. Also, I've never seen a number repeat on two separate cards. I always just assumed it was a collector long ago just numbering his cards as he collected them.

These just come up for sale so rarely that i only have around 30 or so in my collection. Some of the ones on my site are owned by other collectors as well. I'm always interested in them guys if you have one. :D

My first post - New member after lurking for a couple years - this thread prompted me to join and post my Musial - I appreciate how Mr. Brooks stamped below Musial’si info - and yes I’m a beercan collector

Posted previously but qualifies for thus thread.


https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...ddell-portrait

Nelson Tisdel went to Harvard over 100 years ago. He is the original owner of this card. Gordon Soutter traded cards with one of Tisdel's sons years later to become the second owner. Mrs. Soutter got tired of Gordon's cards laying around and fifty years later put this one up for sale on eBay. I purchased it and became the third owner. To maintain the thread of provenance I have also signed the card after this scan was taken. Three owners in 113 years may not be a record, but is probably in the running.

I still have the card.

Since there's a lot of back-stamp knowledge here, anyone recognize this one? It's an incomplete stamp, so it's a bit hard to figure out. It's on an E96 Philadelphia Caramel.

I realize that some stamps are just someone testing a stamp on some scrap paper, but I was wondering if anyone else had seen this one.

Send a message to Andy Huntoon, he's our resident back stamp expert, username CobbSpikedMe. Take a look at his back stamp archive too its a lot of fun. https://thegreatt206backstampproject.yolasite.com/