REA Lot 319 (Piedmont Cigarette Pack)

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Jamie,

Glad to see someone else picked up on what I said and I think your references to the Revenue Acts brings even more credence to the belief this pack most likely is a "fantasy" piece used to drum up the value of what would be an ordinary common T-206.

I've decided to repost my initial thoughts which I posted in the previous thread here. Hopefully Rob will see this post or have his attention drawn to it as I think we have strong evidence this pack isn't quite what it seems.

My previous post:

. . . I don't quite think Lot 319 (Piedmont Pack w/ card) is all it is purported to be. I may be wrong and would love to be convinced I am wrong, however the pack is purported to be recently opened with Herman Armbruster of St. Paul inside. When looking at the pack, however, I noted that the pack was a 12 count with L&M printing on the bottom and no "successor" language at all.

My problems with the pack are as follows:

1.) ATC was split up in 1911. Piedmont packs could not possibly have been printed with L&M on the bottom until after the split.

2.) The first Piedmont packs to be printed stated L&M, successor to ATC - this pack does not have the successor language.

3.) It is a 12 count pack - I have only heard / seen cards being packaged in 10 count cig packs.

4.) I believe Armbruster is a 350 only series (but please correct me if I'm wrong). If this is the case, wouldn't the release of the card be more in tune with summer of 1909, winter 1910 - a full year before ATC was split into L&M?

5.) It's hard to see the tax stamp but it does not appear to be the correct series/year for the T206 issue.

All of these facts, while not conclusive, lead me to believe that this pack couldn't have contained a card. With a minimum bid of $500, I can't help but wonder whether a card worth maybe $150-$200 has been placed in a pack to make it a more valuable piece.

I would welcome any evidence proving me incorrect but as a collector of these packs, something is fishy here . . .

Here is the description:

“This is an original pack of Piedmont cigarettes (Factory 25, Dist. VA.) dating from the era of T206 tobacco cards! This was originally purchased by our consignor as an unopened pack. He wanted the thrill of opening an original T206 pack and actually was successful in doing this. We would not recommend anyone purchasing packs to try this! Not only could this be very expensive, but so many of the tobacco packs that are represented as being from the T206 era are, in fact, not T206 packs, are often not even from the correct era, and do not even include a card. Even if one found a pack that was believed to have a T206 card, so many different sets were issued in the 1910 era, one could easily be disappointed and wind up with a flag or a fish card, or a card from some other nonsport tobacco-card set. This is a real T206 pack, one that has been confirmed with 100% certainty. The pack has been opened and inside was discovered the T206 baseball tobacco card, as hoped and expected. Over the years we have seen many empty boxes, but do not recall seeing an unopened 1910-era Piedmont cigarette pack. The good news is that it was a baseball player inside the pack, and this pack shows us precisely how cards were packaged in Piedmont cigarette boxes, with the card well protected from the tobacco by a protective interior lining. The bad news is the pack did not contain a Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson, or Wagner, but a minor league player by the name of Herman Armbruster of St. Paul. Aside from the consignor peeking at the card, and our pulling it partially out to properly identify the player, this card has never been touched by human hands! It is miraculous to actually see a Nr/Mt card inside the pack exactly as issued in 1910. Even though the pack was already opened, it was still very exciting for us to reopen the pack and see the card inside. Occasionally empty boxes that once held T206s surface, but this is in a whole different league. The pack was originally purchased encapsulated and graded by GAI as an unopened pack in NM 7 condition, and the GAI holder (seal broken) accompanies. This would be a fascinating and exciting item for both a T206 or unopened-pack collector. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).”