1893 Just So Buck Ewing

[zljones]

While doing my prowling on the internet looking up old auctions of rare cards that occured in the past and also looking up any possible history on certain cards and their manufacturers, I came accross this:

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2010/111.html

This story blows me away that he was helping remodel his mother's bathroom and there it was. Since the family had the house since the 1920s, and the card was put there by the owner previous to them, it makes me wonder how easy it would be to track down the property info on the people that lived there before this family that put that card there in the first place. Maybe some decendents of that family that lived there before 1920 may have info that can lead to the origin of that card. Maybe the original owner of that house was a Just So Tobacco employee or lived in Cleveland or something. I know nothing about this set and can't find anything on the internet about this set, so I am assuming that there is no info about it or not much. Maybe these cards were only given to employees at Just So, or maybe they were only distributed locally? In Cleveland? Because they are Cleveland Spider players on them.
When I read this it got me thinking about this card and this set, just because of how rare it is and fascinating. And what a story behind it. I wish I had the time and the means to research it myself.

[barrysloate]

Just So's were a regional set that are assumed to have circulated around Cleveland. They were released to the public, but all are very rare and few survived.

[nolemmings]

Zach,

The cards are beautiful and worthy of your research efforts. They are of course rare and thus very expensive, but the Cy Young rookie card has been the subject of many a collector's fantasies. The previous poster has been fortunate enough to have handled several of these (Hi Barry), as have Terry Knouse and a few others. As for me, I would love to scrape up the five figures needed to afford a nice common for type, but they don't come around often, and my liquidity never seems to match up with their availability. The Ewing was a new discovery, as noted in the auction description--FWIW, I believe the McAleer is still out there somewhere.

[barrysloate]

Yes Todd, I believe I've sold a total of eight different, including six at one time.

[zljones]

I guess the only way I can even think to begin to research this is message REA and ask if they can ask the consignor for info. I am sure they will not divulge any personal info on the consignor directly. Then the next step I would imagine would be be the consignor to look into the property records or give me the address so I can. Then after that probably look up the family members of the house owner. They will probably have no info on a great relative like that, but who knows if they do they may have more of those cards laying around.

[aaroncc]

Old thread on Just So Ewing: http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=115882