W517 set issued in 1930, not 1931, and reissued in 1932

[egbeachley]

Couldn’t it be possible that these strip cards had a very low budget and there was no such thing as a “quick turnaround”? Maybe they had players chosen and pictures provided by mid-1930 and it took until the following year before they were published. Or maybe even more likely is that the manufacturer waiting until their other stock ran out and by then it was 1931. Hard to prove.

Maybe Barry can recall if he bought them in 1930 or 1931.

[brianp-beme]

Thanks for all the comments so far. As mentioned previously, the era that the W517 was issued in (whether 1930, 1931 or 1932) had few cards produced. Another cool thing about the set is that 34 (32 different) of the 54 cards in the basic set are Hall of Fame players, and the set includes the two biggest names with Babe Ruth (2 cards) and Lou Gehrig. A further feature are the various tints, with Green and Sepia being the two most common. Definitely great cards that almost always go for a lower price compared to ones issued a few years later.

Brian

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

Couldn’t it be possible that these strip cards had a very low budget and there was no such thing as a “quick turnaround”? Maybe they had players chosen and pictures provided by mid-1930 and it took until the following year before they were published. Or maybe even more likely is that the manufacturer waiting until their other stock ran out and by then it was 1931. Hard to prove. Maybe Barry can recall if he bought them in 1930 or 1931.

Let's leave Barry's early 1930's purchasing habits out of this conversation. But seriously, you make valid points. First of all, if you check out the images they are typically from an earlier time, as many cards feature players in uniforms from teams they were on prior to the one identified on the card. I guess that all that my research can conclusively prove is that they were not produced until early 1930, and that the variations must have been produced after April of 1932.

It is possible that all the cards were not produced until 1932. I still think, however, that my evidence points to an original production of these cards in 1930, which of course assumes a somewhat timely production and the belief that the makers cared enough about putting out cards with relatively up to date player team identification.

Your points are valid, and unless we get Barry to talk, we might never know.

Brian

[spec]

Brian,
Thanks for your research and interesting speculation. I have had the potential W517 variations on my wantlist for decades without finding any team changes beyond the four you listed. Guess I can stop looking now.
By the way, all four of my team-change cards are green print.
B0b Rich@rds0n