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Posted By: barrysloate

Hal's theory is credible but Plank and Wagner were very big stars by 1910 so we still need to assume there was a specific reason the printers chose to delete those names. And for the record there were numerous factories printing these cards and to what degree did they all agree in unison to pull cards and reprint sheets?
There is another theory circulating re: Plank and that is a number of prominent Phila Athletics were missing from the set- Mack, Coombs, Adams, among others- and perhaps they formed a group boycott for some reason. Therefore, maybe Plank first agreed to let the cigarette companies use his image, then decided to show solidarity and join his teammates in their boycott. Not saying this is true, but I did hear it through the grapevine.