Frank,
I have to agree with some others here. The era in which Lionel Carter collected was one in which the condition of the reverse side of the card wasn't as important as it is today. In fact, it was not an uncommon practice for some dealers to routinely write prices on the backs of cards when selling them. I doubt Lionel Carter would have soaked cards to remove excess paper or that he, as condition conscious as he was, would even have acquired such cards through trades or purchases. The fact that his collection was housed in a series of albums lends additional support to this idea as well -- why would he remove paper from the back of his cards only to store them in a way where the backs were obscured? Just my thoughts...
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