[darwinbulldog]

Three of these (all common players) showed up in Cincinnati earlier this year as part of an old collection purchased by a local card dealer. Here’s what I discovered before deciding to purchase the one that was listed on eBay. Garrety Dry Cleaners and Tailors ran an ad in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1930, so story checks out so far. I looked up the old Cincinnati telephone exchanges and found, lo and behold, the switchboard corresponding to the “CHerry 6332” exchange was in fact located in downtown Cincinnati just one mile from the 414 E. 5th St. address printed on the card. So what we’re dealing with here is either an extraordinarily well executed fake/fantasy card or a legitimate pre-war type card rarity.

With that information, I decided to purchase the card pictured, and once I had it in hand and examined it under magnification this confirmed my suspicion that it is a legitimate type. I bought one more of them (Chas. Hollocher), and another board member, who can identify himself if he wishes, bought the last one.

Garrety Dry Cleaners and Tailors, by the way, seems to have remained in business until the 1960s when all the property on the block was bought up by Procter & Gamble for their headquarters building – which is still there today.