Years ago I had access to 2 separate collections of Baseball Magazine. One gentleman had a bound set of the 1915 issues, and most all of them before that, and most of them on up into the mid 20's. The other gentleman had a pretty solid run from the early 20's on up into the late 50's, with a smattering afterwards.
It occurred to me to make copies of the premium ads, noting the dates, to try to fine tune and catalog the issue dates of the premiums. The latter gentleman, and at least two other collectors, politely suggested to me that it wouldn't yield reliable results. Separately, they all said the same thing... that some premiums would be advertised before they were available, and some were available before appearing in an ad. Worse, at least one guy thought that a few premiums were advertised yet never were available. So I bailed on the project. In hindsight I may well have not finished it.
I wish I had gone ahead with it, even if it yielded questionable results. So Doug, I wish you well with your efforts and goals. Regretfully, I lack those issues you've listed. If I find my bundle of ad copies I will see if that'll be any help.
As for the years listed in the Vintage Catalog, I was a bit doubtful about a few of those year determinations, but Mr. Lemke seemed confident of them but seemed that he'd consider evidence to the contrary.
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