Posted By:
JKDaniel,
There are some problems with your analysis. First, with respect to postcards, you state:
"I also believe most postcards with sports themes (especially baseball) have really only been 'discovered' in recent times because of their jump in value, and were kept originally by the owners because of the message on the back - not the picture on the front."
If so, how do you account for the vast number of postcards that were never used? I would suggest that they were saved by the purchasers and collected. I have owned several PC's but not once have I owned one with writing on the reverse. I realize plenty have writing on the reverse, but many that survived do not. I believe many postcards were produced with ball players because the companies understood that people collected items with ball players and, as you say, it would lead to more sales - much in the same way tobacco companies put cards into their products to sell more tobacco. This brings me to my second point. You acknowledge exhibits are cards. Please take a close look at the walter johnson exhibit posted above. Its from a set produced by an exhibit company with PC backs (although my particular card happens to have a blank back). If an exhibit company can produce a card that doubles as a postcard, so too could a postcard company create a postcard that was intended to be collected.