[Archive]

Posted By: Hal Lewis

Jay:

Most of the Kalamazoo Bats cards say "Copyright 1887" on the front...

but apparently SOME of the cards have photos of players on their 1886 teams...

and some have photos of players on their 1888 teams.


BUT...

all of the HOF's in the N167 set played for the New York team in 1886 and 1887.



so even if you found a Kalamazoo Bats card for one of those HOF's that did NOT say "Copyright 1887" on the front so that it possibly "could" be from 1886...

there would NEVER be any way to prove it.

Thus, I think the N167's get the nod as being the true rookie "cards" for those players...

even though the players clearly had J. Wood "cabinets" issued prior to the N167's.