Theories on T206 backs having fewer subjects

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

After seeing all the data on the different backs how come there is different subjects left off of different backs? You would think there would a have been a master sheet to send out after the first one was printed for Piedmont.

Was it a regional thing?
Where did each factory get the same card fronts?
Did they each build there own sheets?
How far were each of the printing facilities from each other?
Were all the cards printed in same factory and then sent out?

I would like to hear some theories, it sure doesn't make much sense to me.

Lee

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

Hi Lee,
I'm to tired to type right now, but this thread answers some of your questions. Be well Brian


http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1156601933/last-1157233467/Re-+T206+printed+coils

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

Thanks Brian,

I definately missed that thread. Certainly seems to example all my questions.

Lee

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey Lee,

I think most of what is in that link is correct. But not all.

I agree that the American Lithograph Co. produced the cards. I think they were contracted to do so by James B. Duke's American Tobacco Trust, to produce the cards. May well have been that Piedmont sought that first, and when it boosted sales then all of the other ATT companies followed along.

I do NOT think that American Litho was part of the Trust. Here's a link to a current eBay item produced by American Litho in 1895, which ante dates our dear white border cards by 14 years, which is before the Trust, I think.

http://tinyurl.com/2m8bc3

So I think the Trust, or Piedmont, contacted American Litho about doing cards. American Litho did them, front AND back, probably cut them, and shipped them to the various companies as inserts in the packages.

Now, to find me one of those unused packages of cards... maybe a huge package of various series 460 cards that went unused.

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

Hi Frank,
I'll post more tomorrow, but Duke helped Knapp start the American Lithograph Company and was a silent partner. Talk to you tomorrow. Be well Brian

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

Hi Frank,
I found the link sooner than I thought.....

http://www.spoonercentral.com/knapp/ALCO.html

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

As we know....Piedmont covers all 522 subjects of the T206 set. All other T- brands fall short of this mark.
Piedmont was 1st and it was the most to be printed. This fact is so, due to ATC favoring this brand. And,
as the subsequent brands were introduced (Sweet Cap, Sovereign, Hindu, etc.) player's status changed
(i.e., trades, retirements, reassigned to Minors, and deaths). Therefore, a lot of these players were not
printed with the other brands. I cannot speak for all the 15 T-brands; but, I am certainly very cognizant
of this regarding the Sovereign brand. No less than 65 subjects were not printed with this brand, for the
aforementioned reasons.

I'm in agreement with Brian and Frank, that American Lithograph printed all the different brand cards in NYC,
then shipped them to the various Tobacco Factories to be inserted in their packs. The backs were printed
in sheet form. My guess is an array of 12 cards across by 4 down, forming a 48-card sheet.

The fronts are a mystery to me....LITHOGRAPHY is printing with images etched in stone....could there have
been 400 "stone plates" (approx. # of diff. images in the T206 set) ? That thought is mind-boggling to me....
but, who really knows ? ?

TED Z

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey Brian,

I think you're a bit more "right" than I first thought. I still think American Litho predates Duke's Trust. But I can see how he'd make sure his Trust did business with his printing company...

Seems to me that most cards are duplicated vertically, but there are miss cut cards that depict different players vertically...

Hey Ted, I'd think 24 cards to a sheet. 4 tall and 6 wide? Usually 6 different cards to a sheet / stone, and 4 duplicates vertically... all speculation. Occasionally there'd be different cards vertically. That would be about 88 stones, or so. Maybe 90 for the superprints. All speculation, of course.

Thanks Brian, for that link.

Frank.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I am guessing at 12 across....due to the fact that there are 12 subjects in the 150-only series.
And, I'm assuming these cards were the very 1st to be printed; therefore, they set the format
for Am. Lithograph. And, subsequently, this format lent itself to 48-card sheets. Consider the
144 subject (48 x 3) 150/350 series, the 48 subject Southern Leaguer series, and the 48 sub-
ject 460-only series

Here's a list of the 150-only subjects.....

Ames (hands on chest)
M. Brown (Cubs)
G. Brown(e) (Chicago)
Burch (batting)
Donlin (fielding)
L. Doyle (throwing)
Evers (Cubs-batting)
Pattee
Pelty (horiz)
Powers
Reulbach (glove)
Honus Wagner

TED Z