[sbfinley]

The main issue is that in my experience 98% of signed pre-war cards were signed post war, specifically after Ritter's research and book (and a majority of those period pieces that make up the remaining 2% are goudey's, play ball's, arcade cards, and premiums released later in the 30's and 40's.) The lack of signed minor league tobacco cards is no different then the lack of major league pieces from the same era - it just wasn't the norm to have one do so. I'd much rather expect a signed Mathewson t206 to be floating in the world than a Scoops Carey because his stars were obviously brighter, but the fact of the matter is that none exist. By the time most of known signed tobacco were autographed (late 40's to early 50's I'd estimate), most minor league subjects had either passed away or faded away to obscurity with time. Are there some out there? Possibly, but they would be rare birds.