SMR Article - 1909 Dockman & Sons (E92) set

[Kevin Glew]

Hello everyone,

Hope you are well.

My name is Kevin Glew, a writer for SMR magazine.

I'm working on an article about the 1909 Dockman & Sons Gum (E92) set. I wondered if there is anyone out there who collects this set that would like to be interviewed for my article?

If you could let me know, that would be great.

Thanks for your consideration in advance.

P.S. You can respond on here or email me directly at kevin.glew@sympatico.ca

Sincerely,

Kevin Glew

[Yoda]

Hi Kevin and welcome. You have picked, in my opinion, the most interesting E card set around, for it is really 3 different sets, if you chose to look at it that way, Dockman, Crofts Candy (3 different colored back stamps, black, blue and the impossible red) and Nadja's. Here's a question for you as you start your investigations: Does the Ty Cobb obverse appear with Dockman or Nadja reverses? I know he is on the Crofts, because I had one in blue. Of course, one of the learned members of this forum no doubt will have the answer so we both can learn.. Good luck with your quest. John

[shernan30]

I only have one Dockman and its a Bemis scrap. E92 scrap doesn't get nearly the fame as a T206 scrap. I can't help with the article, but feel free to use this image if you need one.

[Yoda]

Shows how much I know. I completely forgot about the other piece of the E92set, the Croft's Cocoa reverse, making it perhaps the 4th way to approach the set as a collector. I feel confident that there are probably near sets out there of Dockman backs but to try to build a Nadja. Candy or Cocoa set with those difficult reverses would be oh so difficult.

[Vintagecatcher]

I also have an unusual Harry Bemis E92 Dockman & Sons that missed at least one, perhaps more, color passes. Note the collar color is the same as the rest of the uniform, whereas, the normal finished card had a blue collar.

Patrick

[x2drich2000]

I can't be of much help with the Dockman set, but have been working on a Nadja set for the past few years (have around 40 different at the moment). I've found once you get past the Dockman's, the E92 set gets really quite interesting such as the prevalence of the St. Louis Nadja's, the possible no prints/unconfirmed, blank/Menagerie/Prize Fighter backs.

John, to answer your question about the Cobb, I've seen images of the Blue Crofts, Black Crofts, and Cocoa. Several years ago there was a thread indicating a Nadja existed, but it was a friend of a friend type situation and no image was ever shown. Likewise, I've heard rumor of a Red Croft, but could find no image/auction. I kind of think of both of them the same way as the Tango Eggs Cobb, a bit of a myth, but the Tango Eggs finally did surface.

DJ

[Leon]

I am an optimist and think the Cobby's will surface at some point.
And some previous collection E92s....

Originally Posted by x2drich2000

I can't be of much help with the Dockman set, but have been working on a Nadja set for the past few years (have around 40 different at the moment). I've found once you get past the Dockman's, the E92 set gets really quite interesting such as the prevalence of the St. Louis Nadja's, the possible no prints/unconfirmed, blank/Menagerie/Prize Fighter backs.

John, to answer your question about the Cobb, I've seen images of the Blue Crofts, Black Crofts, and Cocoa. Several years ago there was a thread indicating a Nadja existed, but it was a friend of a friend type situation and no image was ever shown. Likewise, I've heard rumor of a Red Croft, but could find no image/auction. I kind of think of both of them the same way as the Tango Eggs Cobb, a bit of a myth, but the Tango Eggs finally did surface.

DJ

[DBesse27]

Hi Kevin, I really enjoy your articles every month. One tiny thing: can you stop referring to cards as "pasteboards"? I think you're the only one in the universe who uses that phrase. Other than that, I'm a big fan.

[Kevin Glew]

Originally Posted by DBesse27

Hi Kevin, I really enjoy your articles every month. One tiny thing: can you stop referring to cards as "pasteboards"? I think you're the only one in the universe who uses that phrase. Other than that, I'm a big fan.

Thanks for your kind words. You're right about "pasteboards" -- it's lame. I think I picked it over my many years of hobby writing looking for a synonym for "cards." I will break this bad habit. Thanks.

[shernan30]

Originally Posted by Vintagecatcher

I also have an unusual Harry Bemis E92 Dockman & Sons that missed at least one, perhaps more, color passes. Note the collar color is the same as the rest of the uniform, whereas, the normal finished card had a blue collar.

Patrick

Neat card Patrick. If you ever plan to pass it on to another collector let me know.

Steven

[brianp-beme]

Here are a few general remarks about the E92 Dockman set.

I believe that the E92 Dockman cards are the 2nd most commonly encountered of the small size caramel cards, after the E90-1 American Caramel set, and is easily the most common of the four E92 advertising backs.

The 40 cards share the same artwork drawn from a pool of 62 different images that are seen throughout the E92 sets. The 40 within the Dockman set are also seen in each of the other three E92 issues.

There are no known rarities in the set that I am aware. The checklist for the Dockman cards has stayed at 40 subjects for decades, and it is extremely doubtful that any more would be discovered now, and if they were they would probably be in some sort of proof or scrap form.

The most obvious omissions from the the Dockman set are Cobb, Collins and Evers, but there are six other commons and a Bender variation (striped cap) not included that are seen in the two Croft sets and the Nadja set, as well as the 12 St. Louis cards that are only seen in the Nadja set.

They, like many other of the caramel cards of the era, are just dang cool.

Brian

[jcc6252]

A favorite Dockman & Sons