The rare Brown OLD MILL cards with Factory #649 overprint(s)

[tedzan]

Quite noteworthy in the recent Brown HINDU survey is the fact that 35 of the 106 HINDU Major Leaguers coincide identically with the 35
cards of the SWEET CAPORAL 150 (overprinted Factory 649) series.
Brown HINDU survey link......
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...=127039&page=2

The significance of this coincidence is....it tends to lend support to previous conjectures that the Brown OLD MILL's cards are simply the
result of printer(s) at American Litho. (ALC) applying the same Brown ink that was used in a prior print run of the Brown HINDU Southern
League (SL) cards to print a new batch of OLD MILL (SL) cards. Furthermore, in the concurrent process of overprinting the SWEET CAP-
ORAL 150 (Factory 30) cards with the "Factory #649 1st Dist. N.Y." line, the printer(s) used the Brown OLD MILL scrap to test proof the
red ink overprints.

Therefore, we can date the printing of these SWEET CAP 150 cards to coincide with the HINDU cards in the Summer of 1909. Recall, that
these overprinted SWEET CAP cards were modified in order to be shipped to ATC's modern facility in Rochester, NY. In the Summer of 1909
ATC expanded their SWEET CAPORAL cigarette production to the same Factory (#649) that was producing their HINDU brand of cigarettes.

I do not think either the (plain) Brown OLD MILL cards, nor the Brown OLD MILL's with the "Factory #649 1st Dist. N.Y." red line, were ever
inserted into OLD MILL cigarette packs.....So, how did these cards get into circulation ?
I would imagine that kids found some sheets in ALC's trash (on 19th Street & S. Park Ave, NYC) and cut these cards off the sheets. This
could explain why these cards are extremely rare; and, this is consistent with the fact that all the known Brown OLD MILL's are hand cut.









TED Z