Personal Pre-War Set and Collector Survey

[todeen]

Originally Posted by BobC

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You speculated about the Reds set w-711. I asked the Reds HOF, and they had no information, only speculation as well. Here is their reply.

"Thanks for contacting the Hall of Fame. I must confess that I had forgotten about or missed completely the article in the 1982 Reds Yearbook that associated the W-711 series with a local dairy. After reading it (or re-reading it), I set about trying to find some period resource that might confirm or explain the reference in the article. The Reds’ archive do not contain internal company documents that go back that far and, Unfortunately, after searching through the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1938 and 1939, and reviewing all of the editions of “News of the Reds” published during those years, I could find no reference to the card set at all. There were many ads for French Bauer products in the newspapers but nothing related to the Reds. As far as the “News of the Reds” is concerned, I found multiple references to cut out schedule calendars that were available at no charge to fans at the ballpark as well as ads for Reds window decals that were offered at no charge at the park but nothing about the card set (sponsored or otherwise).

While I certainly acknowledge the possibility that I may have missed something, if we assume for a moment that I did not, I find it difficult to believe that a sponsored promotion related to the cards would not have been advertised in some way. The Enquirer was not the only paper in Cincinnati at the time but it was the preeminent morning paper and its Reds coverage was extensive. And if the cards were distributed as giveaways at the ballpark, I find it strange that there would have been no reference to the program in the Reds’ internally-produced newsletter. I have always understood the card set to be something that was sold at the souvenir stands at the ballpark and was never particularly bothered by the fact that no box or envelope associated with the set has surfaced. My thinking here has long been that anything they might have been housed in was likely devoid of any kind of marks or design and was therefore likely to have been discarded. There is much speculation here, of course, but I cannot find anything to support the assertion made in the yearbook article and it seems likely to me that I would have as I think such an association would have been promoted, especially since there is no sponsor or company name on the cards themselves. If I happen to find anything that sheds more light on this set and its production/distribution, I will certainly pass it along."

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