E90-1s have plate scratches too!

[edhans]

Hello Ted,
I was anticipating you'd weigh in on this thread, though I'd hoped your reply would be a more constructive one. I don't know if we'll ever be able to present a hypothetical E90-1 sheet from the scratches. Pat, as usual, has done some terrific work and we already have several dozen examples, including neighbors and matches. We've found evidence of double (or more) printing on a sheet, which surprised me considerably. At this point we lack the double name and ghost images that have helped advance the T206 research. We've only been at a week, and I remain hopeful that more evidence will surface, perhaps in a form we little expect.

Reconstructing the sheet; or sheets, obviously; wasn't necessarily the ultimate goal of the project. My goal was merely a deeper understanding of the manner of distribution of E90-1s. It has been obvious to me for years that the long-held three series theory is woefully inadequate in explaining the varying levels of difficulty among the cards. A chance observation on a recent acquisition set us off on this voyage of discovery.

Could I impose on you (or your friend) to post scans of the cards with scratches? I'm expecially interested to view the Demmitt to see if it matches any of the two we already have. Two of the finest E90-1 sets in existence reside right here in Western New York (mine is not one of them). I need to get those two to check their cards as well. And I hope that other evidence will continue to arrive, so we can advance this little project.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed so far; and expecially to Pat, whose work I continue to view with amazement. Keep 'em coming!