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Tom L.Most company or owner sketches WRT the Alpha Photo Engraving Company refer to an 1895 start date; however, I was actually able to find advertisements in the local Baltimore papers of the day starting as early as May 1894. Such references continued pretty much unbroken until 1961, when the company dissolved.
The two Alpha founders worked at other photo-engraving companies in Baltimore prior to establishing APEC, so in 1891 they would have been at different companies (of which there were several large ones in Baltimore - not sure whether I have the specific company names somewhere in my notes.)
Anyway, my guess is that the Alpha name is just coincidence (as I could find no reference to an Alpha Engraving company between the year of Leon's card, 1891, and the May 1894 APEC start date). Still, I would be interested to learn which Hanover team is indicated on the card above. Leon, have you figured that one out yet?