T3 question

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Posted By: Mike Peich

This is an interesting question. And I agree with Frank, and Lew Lipset, that it is safe to asume that the more popular players, like Cobb, Matty, Johnson, et alia, would have been more requested, hence there were more of them in circulation. As a good example of this theory, take one of the scarcest cards in the set, Bob Rhoades. By the time the set was being distributed Rhoades, who had pitched a no-no in 1908, and had a 22 win season, with a 1.80 era in 1906, was out of basball, probably the victim of a dead arm. But because of his few promising years pitching for the Naps, he was included in the T3 set. When the set was released, very few people requested a Rhoades card--out of sight, out of mind. Some people may have asked for him, but probably more than a few got him as a third choice. Whatever the scenario, not many of Rhoades were distributed, hence their scarcity today.

I don't know about the blank backs, other than they may have been created to help fill the demand for cards. I have three blank backs in my collection, but none of the them is a particularly big name other Donovan.

I do hope Craig Diamond weighs in because he is very knowledgable about the set.