History Questions Circa 1910

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Posted By: Dave

Just a few questions to ponder...if anybody knows any answers..

Who is the next most famous ballplayer not to be in the T206 set besides Joe Jackson?

What was the average salary a ballplayer made that year?

What was the average salary of the average U.S. citizen?

Who was the highest paid ballplayer of the time period? and for what amount?

Out of the cigerette brands advertised on T206's, which pack costed the most and what did it cost?

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Posted By: fkw

Harry Hooper, he played 81 games in 1909, 155 in 1910, 130 in 1911.

Other than Hooper, maybe Max Carey as he started in 1910. Some people think the Southern Leaguer named Scoops Carey is Max Carey, but Ive always thought it was another "Scoops" Carey and not the HOFer Max. This is right isnt it???

The strange thing is, there is no players that retired just before T206 that I know of that are not in the set, but many started right after (1912-14 era), like Coveleski, Rixey, Schalk, Roush, Heilmann, Maranville, etc.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

Other Famous Ballplayers Not Included in T206:

Babe Adams -- 12-3 in 1909; 18-9 in 1910
Smoky Joe Wood -- 11-7 in 1909; 12-13 in 1910

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Posted By: Dave

ahhh, Smokey Joe Wood I should have thought of.......are the other questions that hard? lol

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Posted By: MVSNYC

-smokey joe wood
-ball players made a few thousand a year
-avg U.S. citizen made $750/year
-my guess is cobb or wagner for the highest paid (maybe $7000?)

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Posted By: T206Collector

I don't have my copy in front of me at the moment, but the author gives a pretty good summary of the history of baseball as a business leading up to that time period, including salaries, attitudes towards ballplayers, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Touching-McFarland-Historical-Baseball-Mcfarland/dp/0786418699/sr=8-2/qid=1166639578/ref=sr_1_2/104-3467459-6117550?ie=UTF8&s=books

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I once saw the salaries. Ball players weren't rich by today's standards.
However, considering most came from lower class backgrounds(coal miners, factory
workers, etc), they made a good wage. Likely much more than they would have gotten
if they took a blue collar job back home. Folks like Cobb and Speaker made incomes
that made them upper class, making much more than the average doctor. Even knowing
today's salaries, the Cobbs and Speakers had nothing to gripe about.

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Posted By: J Levine

I have mixed feeling about this question. First off...I am glad the player I am going to name does not appear in a lot of tobacco sets because I frankly don't have the bankroll but I think it is a shame he did not appear more...

Ol' Pete!

Joshua

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Posted By: Dylan

Speaking of Cobb the Tourists'(of the semi-pro Sally league) management sold Cobb to the American League's Detroit Tigers for $750.00. During is rookie season Cobb managed to bat only .240 in 41 games. Nevertheless, he showed enough promise as a rookie for the Tigers to give him a lucrative $1,500 contract for 1906.
Cobb became a VERY wealthy man by establishing a relationship with coca cola starting in 1907. By the time he died, he owned three bottling plants and over 20,000 shares of stock. Also in 1921 when Cobb took over as player/manager for Detroit(replacing Hughie Jennings) he signed a deal on his 34th birthday for $32,500.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

So what was the cost of a pack of Piedmont cigarettes in 1910, like he asked?? For some reason I think a nickel, because I think I saw a Coupon Cigarettes ad about 5 cents. Anyone have an ad with a price?

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Posted By: joe

From accounting ledger.

Aug 29, 1905 Cobb's 1st game.
Sept 12, 1905, 1st entry for Cobb, code 29 $7.00.

1904 player salaries $39,145.94
Mullen 2750.50
O'Leary 3000.00
Wood 1943.38
Stovall 1800.00
Drill 1016.65
Robinson 1800.00
McIntyre 2400.00
Hiniman 1116.62 ?
Coughlin 1341.66
Kitson 4000.00
Barritt 3300.00
Jaeger 200.00
Killian 1850.00
Donovan 4500.00
Raymond 115.00
Bivelle 1228.85
Crawford 3500.00
Lowe 3283.28
Fred Burton 1341.38 ?
Edward Guringer 1235.oo ?
Carr 1593.37


1905 player salaries $$18,700.00 no individual breakdown, not sure why salaries went down.

1906 $26,150.00
1907 $47,336.58 Cobb $2400.00, 7 players with higher salary.
1908 $45,600.00
1909 $65,100.00
1910 $67,400.00
1911 $80,150.00

Ty Cobb, Spikes flying!

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Posted By: Dave

Very interesting....and to see Donovan and Kitson making more in a year than Sam Crawford?