Goodwin Auction is open + Peck & Snyder Discussion

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by felada

The peck and snyder is interesting. There are two distinct types for the Cinci card. While both are typically dated 1869 is the general consensus that the type offered in the auction was issued earlier than the other type?

I am not certain when the type offered by Goodwin is dated. However, for the other type -- the full P&S trade card, the issue date varied from 1869 to 1870. The first version, black with the baseball ad on the verso, most likely was the first issue, released during the 1869 season. The second version, black with the ice skate ad, most likely was issued during the winter of 1869-70. And the third and final version, red with the baseball ad, most likely came out during the 1870 season (the team composition did not change in 1870). 1870 was the year P&S also issued the Athletics, Mutuals and White Stockings trade cards. Of these three, two (Athletics and Mutuals) were issued with colored inks -- blue for the Athletics and green for the Mutuals. Thus it is logical that the 1870 reissue for the Red Stockings would be in a red ink. Supporting this view that the red version was issued in 1870 is that the photo contrast on the red ones is noticably inferior than on the blacks. Constant use of a negative to make prints would over time degrade the negative, thus reducing the quality of the resultant print. Thus it makes sense the red versions would have weaker photo contrast than the earlier black issues. Be careful in evaluating claims by auction houses that sell red ones that the photo contrast is so outstanding. Over the past 25 years I have seen exactly one red version which had photo contrast matching the best blacks. That was over twenty years ago and unfortunately that red one was trimmed.