Posted By:
Brian Weisner
Hi Michael,
Jerry is right, I have owned both and the ink is brown not a faded black.
However, I don't believe that any were intended for distribution, but were mistakes in the printning process.
1. Old Mill Brown: All of the known copies of these have been "hand cut",while some people have reported seeing factory cut examples, I have never seen one and don't think they exist. I believe someone simply used the wrong ink and a few of these printers scraps made there way out of the factory.
2. The Old Mill Overprint's also appear to have been factory mistakes, or printer's scrap, and with less than 5-6 known were never intended for distribution.
3. Brown Lenox: All are factory cut, and some appear on the same poses as black Lenox cards, which makes Michael's point of light black ink seem logical, but under a microscope, the ink is Brown. Personally, I think someone made a mistake and used the brown ink for the players names on the back and the front. Or they may have run out of black ink, and figured that know one could tell the difference if they used brown.
Be well Brian
PS I didn't believe either one was real until I purchased a Revelle Old Mill Brown Old Mill in a Lipset auction. After verifying under the scope that it was really brown ink, I traded the card to Jerry, who already had copies of the over prints.