What Are These Called?

[Tsaiko]

OK, I give up. I've been able to track down and research just about everything so far, but these things are proving elusive. Most are about 11"x13" or larger and they all have W. D. SCHMIDT & COMPANY on them. My scanner isn't big enough to scan the whole card, but they have a loop thread (for lack of a better description) at the top for wall hanging. After an exhaustive google search and entering" W. D. SCHMIDT & COMPANY baseball 1909", I found a reference to W. D. SCHMIDT - Walsh 18"x11" on Leon's site, but couldn't find a picture.
I've got a Walsh in this format too, but not at 18"

I've worn out my google button Any help?? Are they collectible? Do they have a category or are they just an advertisement?

Btw, that doesn't look like "Home Plate" to me. I guess tailors shouldn't be captioning baseball pictures. It looks like a catchers mitt though, so maybe a play at first. I actually thought it was third base at first, but that looks like the infield, in the background, upon closer examination. And who's that guy in the background, an ump? Maybe a grounds keeper on picture day? I don't see any fans in the stands or anybody else for that matter, so it seems staged. Must be, no shin guards. Ok, I'm rambling at this point
Any help is appreciated

[drc]

I haven't seen one before, but I assume it would likely be cataloged as a premium.

[Leon]

Your scan is only the 2nd I have seen. This is by far the biggest "card" in my collection. I am not sure why you couldn't see it on my site. I just clicked on it and it opened right up? I can't help a whole lot with other info, other than the obvious advertising and the fact they were probably used as hanging signs, due to their size......

[batsballsbases]

Leon,
Is that the new scale battery that replaces the old scale quarter!

[Leon]

Originally Posted by batsballsbases

Leon,
Is that the new scale battery that replaces the old scale quarter!

I had to use the quarter .

[milkit1]

yes!
I got some too! Let me get them scanned. This is very exciting :0

[milkit1]

I have Both the ones pictured PLUS:

chance big.jpg

Mine are shorter though they are just bigger then my scanner as well. I bought them so i could mat the Kling and Chance with my T202 Cubs set. ANY info would be greatly appreciated. Whats on your pictures backs? Mine have been mounted and have old easter postcards stuck to the back of them so be glad you got one that is not trimmed!

[milkit1]

I just realized my Lobert/kling is actually a little different. Look at the tag:

kling.jpg

walsh.jpg

The Walsh might be the same as mine is probably trimmed off?

[Leon]

Thanks for posting those. The Walsh does in fact look to be the same albeit it yours is slightly trimmed, as you said.
For those that don't have one of these in hand they look as though they are two pieces of paper glued onto the front and back of a piece of cardboard. Mine has a very original (not fabricated "original") look to it with a nice uneven patina. It appears cosistent with 80-90 yr. old paper and cardboard.

[milkit1]

even with the trim mine are approx 11x14. Its possible mine is trimmed so much that it lost the ring binder holes but Im unsure about that. I wonder why my Lobert/Kling is different?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by milkit1

even with the trim mine are approx 11x14. Its possible mine is trimmed so much that it lost the ring binder holes but Im unsure about that. I wonder why my Lobert/Kling is different?

Is it the tag line that is a bit different? I am not really seeing the difference but it could be staring me in the face .

[Tsaiko]

Leon, I saw the description on google, but missed the listing on your site - I see it now. Nice card. So there's no history on these?
If there's only a few of these, promotions, the target audience must have been narrow - maybe regional, even outside of Chicago?
Buy a suit and get a free giant baseball card??
Someone must know something, I've googled every combination I can think of and have come up with squat.

milkit1 - Nice find! Leon says his Walsh is 11x18 and though mine looks identical to his, mine measures 11x13, so there is obviously some variations in size as well as wording.

Interesting.

[milkit1]

The variation is in the tagline at the bottom of the Lobert/Kling. They say different things. Very weird!

[bmarlowe1]

Tsaikos really nice picture was taken at West Side Grounds in Chicago in either 1906 or 1907. That is definitely the left field line seats in the background - the section that begins just beyond 3rd base and extends out beyond the foul pole. (Milkit1's Frank Chance photo is 1907 - that one is game action).

That is Kling at first based with a catchers mitt and it does look to be staged - note the vast expanse of empty seats.

[Tsaiko]

Thanks and good eye bmarlowe1. This is what a real play looked like there.
I guess Kling is blocking the stairway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pi...rld_Series.jpg
Full View:
http://www.ticketcity.com/images/wor...rld-series.jpg

Well if you guys don't know anything about these, I'll continue researching.

Maybe these were made special for "Big Jim" Colosimo to be hung in his brothels It would be nice if there was an interesting history behind these.

[Leon]

My best guess is that these were given to retailers (think Boston Garter but not as nice) to help advertise/sell the line of clothing. By showing a player(s) it would give an implicit endorsement of the product, not unlike any other advertising sign....card . They seem to be too big to be anything but an advertising sign, imo....It would be nice to find a mention of a player getting a few bucks for letting their likeness be used for promotion.

[Tsaiko]

Sounds like a plausible scenario Leon. The only reference I can find on W.D. Schmidt is a link to your personal collection, lol.

Maybe the players didn't get paid and W.D. Schmidt got batted out of business
Or maybe their suits were as bad as their ads

The truth is out there - waay out there.

[triwak]

Very cool large cards!