T206 Wagner and Plank - They both didn't want their image on Tobacco cards

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Carter08

One argument I don’t love is the argument that Honus couldn’t have objected to tobacco because his leaf card shows him chewing. I get the argument from a superficial standpoint but it doesn’t hold for a bunch reasons - guy could be fine with tobacco for himself but not kids, he could have changed his mind after about 30 years, might be fine with chew but not cigarettes, etc.

I am one of those that falls on this side, I fully believe it's a myth. The real story likely has more to do with a tad of payola' for him to allow it vs. some noble venture.

I think that holds water like a screen door.

Most people tend to ignore the reference of history and use only a magnifying glass of current knowledge. During the T206 production, doctors would have been often touting the health benefits of smoking and the chance of your doctor walking into your exam room with a lit cigarette was likely very good. This continued well through the 30's, 40's , and 50's. To say that these 2 took some elite stance while ignoring of other tobacco releases seems questionable.

To be honest though, the truth means little. The story is ingrained and will never change, whether it is truthful or not. The facts for either are lost to time. Cobb will never regain his public reputation, we will never know the extent of Shoeless Joe's involvement, and we will never know the truth on this.