Posted By:
Hal LewisThe more I think about it...
the more I am convinced that the Copeland example WAS indeed a salesman's copy that he took around the country showing retailers as an example of what he could provide them with in regards to marketing.
This would, of course, explain why it says "SAMPLE COPY" on it in BIG letters.
Therefore, I agree that that THIS particular card was never distributed by Peck & Snyder...
but was used by a salesman from THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY to try and sell more of the cards to companies (like Peck & Snyder) so that THEY could use them for advertising.
The only reason it says "Peck & Snyder" on the back is as an EXAMPLE to other prospective purchasers so that they can see what it would look like with THEIR company's logo on the back.
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Having said that... I think ALL of the OTHER cards from Peck & Snyder that we know about WERE ordered by Peck & Snyder from The American News Company and then SOLD to the public for 10 cents apiece.
In fact, we KNOW this from the 1870 information that Rhys found.
I do NOT think it is any "coincidence" that the cards cost FIVE CENTS apiece to purchase from The American News Company...
and then Peck & Snyder was selling them for TEN CENTS apiece.
Peck & Snyder was making FIVE CENTS for every card they sold... which as you pointed out was about $1 a card in today's money.
Not a bad profit per card by any stretch, and explains everything we have seen in this thread.
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Also, since we KNOW that Peck & Snyder had to pay FIVE CENTS apiece for the cards...
and we KNOW that they were selling them for a nice profit...
I think this shines serious doubt on their willingness to just GIVE them away for FREE advertising to anyone who came in off the streets.
Photographic materials were just too rare in those days to be giving them away.