Original PB Pack Opened?

[rdwyer]

Too many things wrong here. No Bear on package. Tax stamp overprinting of 1912. Cards are not near mint. (Corner damage) Corner wear on coupon. Looks to me like someone put it together with a story. Ne1 else agree?

[Piratedogcardshows]

I thought the cards looked a little rough as well corner wise.Not what I would expect to see.

[NYHighlanderFan]

Not sure what to say about there not having a bear on the bag. I believe it clearly is either an error pack or had something to do with a promotion that is mentioned on the one coupon. The cards came out of it a long time ago, been handled, been taken in & out of a binder, etc...

I was in Baltimore for the national & saw the prices these boxes and packs have been priced at. But I didn't see one of these. Well, here's a pre-deregulation Polar Bear bag full with 100 year old tobacco and its T205 cards!

[Leon]

Originally Posted by NYHighlanderFan

Not sure what to say about there not having a bear on the bag. I believe it clearly is either an error pack or had something to do with a promotion that is mentioned on the one coupon. The cards came out of it a long time ago, been handled, been taken in & out of a binder, etc...

I was in Baltimore for the national & saw the prices these boxes and packs have been priced at. But I didn't see one of these. Well, here's a pre-deregulation Polar Bear bag full with 100 year old tobacco and its T205 cards!

So just a few questions. If this is your pack may we know where you acquired it? Was it unopened when you got it? Did you pull the cards out of it yourself? I collect the packs a little bit and am curious.

[Wite3]

Fairly certain those cards did not come out of that pack. The tax stamp looks wrong to me and the cards should actually be in worse condition. About 15 years ago, I watched a PB pack opened. It contained one t205 card and it was a mess...more like the coupon shown...staining much worse, card was tarnished more...corners nice but the card was bowed as well.

Think this is a put together...different elements from different packs/times.

Just my two cents though.

Joshua

[teetwoohsix]

I read the back of the black backed coupon and it talks about cutting the bear off the package to send in towards prizes.

What does the other side of that red backed coupon look like? I've never seen this before.

Sincerely, Clayton

[NYHighlanderFan]

I am letting this one go since picking up another 2.5 oz Polar Bear bag which still has the wax paper over it and an awesome unopened 1909 1 oz trial sample size bag over the past several years. I am selling it exactly as it was acquired from a Buffalo-area sportscard dealer but with the clear display case to keep it protected. Leon...I came over & introduced myself to you in Baltimore! I've never had enough guts to open any of my unopened stuff up. I am letting it go as-is instead of keeping the cards. Not sure about the bear missing but never seen another like it.

[NYHighlanderFan]

Hmmm...not sure how the 1912 tax stamp looks wrong...anyone know what the T205 distribution timeframe was and did it go into 1912? I've always considered it a legit T205 bag.

The one thing I always thought was legit about this bag is its lack of legal jargon with P.Lorillard as successors! No doubt this is a pre-deregulation pack.

[rdwyer]

T206 - 1909-1911
T205 - 1911 Only

[Leon]

Originally Posted by NYHighlanderFan

I am letting this one go since picking up another 2.5 oz Polar Bear bag which still has the wax paper over it and an awesome unopened 1909 1 oz trial sample size bag over the past several years. I am selling it exactly as it was acquired from a Buffalo-area sportscard dealer but with the clear display case to keep it protected. Leon...I came over & introduced myself to you in Baltimore! I've never had enough guts to open any of my unopened stuff up. I am letting it go as-is instead of keeping the cards. Not sure about the bear missing but never seen another like it.

From all I know I still don't believe these cards were pulled from this pack. We have 0 evidence of it besides an (unknown) dealer saying they were. Though I have never heard of 2 cards in a Polar Bear pack that part of the story wouldn't surprise me.

[NYHighlanderFan]

Yep...agreed Leon! At this point its just a nice Polar Bear lot. And that's what I would like to sell it as.

I must say...seeing grading companies slab Fatima & Piedmont packs from the 1940's-50's with Series of 117 or 121 stamps as 1911 packs flat out sucks! And the claims of WWI 12-packs pulling out white borders might be just as crazy. But I do believe they stuffed them in packs until they were gone...and into 1912 might not really be that far-fetched! After all, they only cared about advertising their product & not the timetable of them being last years cards.

And as far as an unknown dealer...like most of us I've been in this hobby my whole life. That takes me back into the late 1970's. I purchased my Addie Joss Lenox for $5 and my Dad looked at me like I was nuts. I have built several extremely solid relationships through the years with dealers. And a tiny few I see and think are fraudulent crooks. Most are decent, some upstanding. But through the years of passing tables at shows, answering classified ads, auctions, etc...there are some dealers who I just can't remember other than by face.