Posted By:
Ted ZanidakisHere goes my illustrational explanation of above post....I hope I've made it clearer.
This Walter Johnson pitching pose is one of 55 Subjects in the 350/460 Series.
The bottom line of the back of this proof card in the scan reads "Factory 30, 2nd Dist. N.Y."
The normally printed versions of this card were never inserted in Cigarette packs. NO such
back exists on the 350/460 Series cards.
Instead American Tobacco overprinted this Factory line with a stylized scroll (as seen on the
rightmost back) and added "Factory No. 42 4th Dist. N.C." at the bottom.
This was done when ATC was being divested (circa 1911) and American Beauty, Piedmont,
and Sweet Caporal Cigarette production was transferred to the Durham, North Carolina plant
(Factory 42).
American Lithograph had in stock many of these already printed cards that were intended for
the Factory 30 plant. Instead of dis-carding all of them, they smartly changed the Factory
line and shipped the cards to N.C. (as an initial interim solution). Subsequently, they printed
Sweet Caporal 460, Factory 42 cards (no overprint).
Now, the connection to this strange Sweet Cap. pack is that this pack could represent this
transitional period in 1911. Therefore, a T206 card could be (or was) in this pack, based on
this transitional scenario.
We should not rush to dismiss this pack of having a T206 card in it....despite the uninformed
rhetoric of the seller.
In any event, it is impossible that a rare Joe Doyle error card, a Plank, or a Wagner would be
found in this pack. At best, you could find a Red Cobb or a CYoung (glove) card.
TED Z