Two hour interview with.... Bill Mastro

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Where did Ray discuss the origin? I know I have read this but cannot now recall except to vaguely remember it was something about Florida.

Off memory - Ray's version of events is recounted in O'Keefe's book, who I believe he spoke to for an article or two from a couple years before the book. I believe there are other places it's been, but I'm not sure when it first appeared as it was probably before my time. I'm pretty sure we dived into Ray and the card in the thread here a couple years ago.

As I recall the details (I'm not home, I can't go through my archive right now), the Florida origin was stated by Ray to be from a flea market. The sheet was bought at the flea market for an unstated pittance, and then brought up north where the cutting and selling (1985) happened via Ray. Ray, of course, is probably the only person who would really have any real information on the origin. I would never assume people are honest, but there's no other evidence and nothing that contradicts.

The claims from Long Island have been made by multiple people. None have ever been able to provide a shred of evidence or real information beyond just insisting they are right because they are.

NY is closer to the production facility (we do not actually know, despite many claims to the contrary, for a certain fact which facility actually printed T206 - probably it was multiple, and not all of them may have been direct on paper facilities of the ALC), but in the course of 70 something years items move around. Plenty of New Yorkers have retired to Florida and brought their possessions with them. I have found 1910 T card sheets (actually a series of panels in two sheets for two different sets) and traced them to a NY origin, but things can be found in other places too and be legitimate. I don't see any problem with a sheet popping up in Florida.