[brian1961]

Dear Kevin,

Normally I would like to help you, but I am in the process of having my book on postwar regionals published. Spending 5 years as I did writing and editing it, I would much prefer that I opt out to help you for the time being, until NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN is finally published. Then you'd sure be welcome to quote it, providing you find something usable. With 50+ years off and on in the hobby collecting many of these cards, including Stahl-Meyer, and gathering any research I could lay my hands on, I would like to think the hobby could use such a book.

Most of the guys here major in prewar, as you know, but since WWII is approaching its 75th infamous anniversary, eras taking place after the war are beginning to seem long, long ago.

I wish you the very best Kevin, regardless. One thing that I would love for you to hunt for that I failed to find is this: Rob Lifson spoke of seeing a Sunday Funnies advertisement for the Stahl-Meyer cards from a major New York City newspaper. Sadly, he could not recall who owned it. That little item might just unlock even more of the mystery of these great cards than what I was able, by the grace of God, to find. I checked several reels of microfilm from 1953 but came up empty. Tough on the eyes!

That's the kind of piece that needs to be shared with the hobby community, and not locked up in a drawer for nobody to see 'cept the owner. He might just die and the old ad be thrown away afterwards.

Lord willing, this will be the year my book is published. By the way, the cover photograph is smashing, but the three cards are SGC-graded. I approached PSA first, and they turned me down on two of them, so ......... Fortunately for all concerned, there's a healthy mix of graded cards from both firms.

Again, wishing you the very best. ----Brian Powell