Help! Uncut strip of 3 Eclipse R337 w/ nno Ruth?

[thesoutherntraders]

I have been collecting for a little over two decades and for the first time I must say that I am stumped! I picked up a strip of three R337 Eclipse cards with Ruth, Myatt and Dave Harris at an estate sale yesterday (it was in a ziplock bag for $10!) and I can't find any information on the Ruth as it differs from every other R337 I have ever seen. The front of the Ruth appears to be the same as #402 but the top of this card says "For Price Note Reverse Side". The reverse does not have a bio of Ruth or the number 402, instead it has information about ordering strips for 70 cents a gross! I know these were issued in strips of eight but I haven't seen any uncut (or partial) strips available. Is this a promo for the ugliest set of all time? Was it issued with every gross that was distributed for reorder purposes? I am lost! Any help would greatly be appreciated!

[paul]

It looks like what a Topps collector would call a salesman's sample. I've never seen a pre-war one and it looks like an extraordinary find to me.

[danmckee]

That is an ad back. I have Lefty Grove and I think Johnson on a strip with the ad back. Bob Bostoff found the first ad back and ran an article in SCD so that the anonymous R337 became the Eclipse Import.

the should be a W designation instead of R I think.

Dan

[fkw]

wow big time score, might take some time for someone to find a better deal than yours....
Ive never even heard of these promo cards...

PS Dan (above) knows his R337's he is the expert on the set.

[thesoutherntraders]

Dan,
Thanks for the info! Would it be unreasonable to think this is the first ad back Ruth Eclipse that has been discovered?
Thanks again!
Brad

[fkw]

double post.......damn jungleinternet

[drc]

Bowman and Topps salesman would have uncut strips of cards with an ad pasted on back-- the was the mentioned salesman's samples. They'd take the to store to sell their wares.