1907-1910 Weiser Wonder - Walter Johnson PC, new to the hobby

[Vintageismygame]

My only comment is . . . where is the quarter at?

Matt

[Runscott]

Johnson was a wise man, but a Weiser youth.

[honus94566]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Johnson was a wise man, but a Weiser youth.

It's pronounced "Weez-er", like the band. Just sayin'

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by honus94566

It's pronounced "Weez-er", like the band. Just sayin'

I pronounce 'wise' 'weez', don't you?

[z28jd]

Here is an interesting piece together of a couple old posts/quotes. Hopefully I'm interpreting these right as I don't collect postcards

1-The dividing line on Postcards started on March 1, 1907.

2-For a short time after that, postcards still had white space on front for writing purposes, basically printers using up what they had to save on money

3-If yours has the white space on front and the divide line, then it was probably made shortly after March 1st

The first two are facts, the third is an assumption based on those facts

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by z28jd

Here is an interesting piece together of a couple old posts/quotes. Hopefully I'm interpreting these right as I don't collect postcards

1-The dividing line on Postcards started on March 1, 1907.

I do collect Postcards and would like to weigh in with an opinion here.

I completely agree with you on point 1. March 1, 1907 is the beginning of the Divided Back Era for Postcards. Before then, it was not permitted to place correspondence on the back of the card, just the address. And, as you noted, this date also marks the appearance of the dividing line.

That, coupled with the postmark would indicate that the card was released between these two dates:

March 1, 1907 and November 30, 1910

The other points you made do make sense to me; however, I don't think narrowing the date range down further is possible without information I have not yet seen.

Best Regards,

Eric

[boneheadandrube]

Originally Posted by honus94566

It's pronounced "Weez-er", like the band. Just sayin'

Incorrect, just sayin

http://www.forvo.com/word/weiser/

[honus94566]

Originally Posted by boneheadandrube

Incorrect, just sayin

http://www.forvo.com/word/weiser/

Ja, I know how it's pronounced in German...

My family is all from Idaho and I dated a girl from Parma (just a few miles away from Weiser) for a number of years. Believe me, the town's pronounced "Weezer". At least by anyone living within a 200 mile radius of the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weiser,_Idaho
"Locals pronounce the city's name as "Wee-zer."

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by honus94566

It's pronounced "Weez-er", like the band. Just sayin'

300 miles to the east of Weiser, I've seen a number of geezers, both kinds.

[Exhibitman]

Good points all. A copyright date is the date of creation of the image, not the date the object using the image was created. The copyright in this case is scratched into the negative of the image, which is why it is white on the field of the image. The PC is made using the image and other artwork. It had to be made around 1907 at the earliest because it would not have been a legal PC before that time, and obviously it was made before the post-date. Other than that, you cannot pin down any specifics from the item itself. You cannot simply assume that production ended when Johnson left the team; it may well have continued after they realized what a phenom he was.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Johnson was a wise man, but a Weiser youth.

Love it!

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Love it!

Don't encourage me - along with a sharp wit sometimes comes a sharp tongue. Disentangling the two has been a life-long battle

[barrysloate]

I hear you Scott.

And based on this discussion, I will agree with Rhys, that athough the window is 1907-1910, it would almost certainly be closer to the back end of it, when Johnson had already gained some national prominence.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

And based on this discussion, I will agree with Rhys, that athough the window is 1907-1910, it would almost certainly be closer to the back end of it, when Johnson had already gained some national prominence.

Johnson's national prominence actually dates from the start of his career, practically from his first game with Washington. Some of the early coverage in the national sporting publications is surprising, with many quotes like this one from Wild Bill Donovan following Johnson's debut against the Tigers on August 2, 1907: "If nothing happens to that fellow, he will be a greater pitcher in two years than Mathewson ever dared to be. Mark that prediction." And here's Addie Joss after Johnson's second big league game, a 7-2 win at Cleveland: "That fellow is another Cy Young. I never saw a kid with more than he displayed." Certainly by the time Johnson had thrown three shutouts in four days in his first full year of 1908, anybody following baseball at all would have known all about him. As for the town of Weiser and their local boosters, I believe it would have been more than enough for one of their own to have ascended directly to the major leagues, together with the fulsome praise showered upon him immediately thereupon, to have provided reason enough to create the postcard.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Great postcard, Leon!

[Jaybird]

nice postcard, Leon. And great find. I agree with some of the others that it makes sense to promote the town you find the most famous person to come from the town and put him on a postcard. Then you sell that postcard with the Weiser Wonder on it.

I can tell you that there was a high school that was a rival to Grant Hill (of NBA Basketball fame) right near where I grew up. Everyone would talk about the school that Grant Hill was from. But that was after he made good in the NBA, not before.

Same thing with Jim Thorpe, PA being founded after he made it big.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe,_Pennsylvania

Happens a lot in sports when the player makes it big and the home town then claims them.

I'm sure many postcards are written well after the date that they were written but in my (limited) experience, I've seen the majority of postcards written around the date they were issued (within the year?) Very unscientific, I know, but that has been my experience.

[Leon]

There is no doubt this could be a 1910 postcard. It could also be a year or two earlier too. Until now it was thought to most likely be from the teens. Until anymore evidence is found it will be circa 1910, I think that nails it.

I do understand that even though Walter didn't have a great record his very first years in WA he was still a great pitcher at that time. His team, not so great.

[Jaybird]

Originally Posted by Leon

There is no doubt this could be a 1910 postcard. It could also be a year or two earlier too. Until now it was thought to most likely be from the teens. Until anymore evidence is found it will be circa 1910, I think that nails it.

I do understand that even though Walter didn't have a great record his very first years in WA he was still a great pitcher at that time. His team, not so great.

I think that's very sound.

As to the point made by a poster about the white on the front of the postcard dating it to a certain era, that's just not the case. It just has to do with a certain aspect ratio image being used and not cropping it to fit on the postcard. You see it on this postcard as well which I date to around 1913-1914 (no earlier).

That would make sense if it was the town where Johnson was born and raised. Hometown boy makes good, etc. but he was from Olinda/Fullerton Union High School in California.

He only played in Weiser for two seasons. Supposition: it may have been produced to entice Johnson to stay in Weiser, Idaho in 1907.

Great article by Hankphenom on his years in Idaho, did not mean to post that and omit credit for the article, my apologies.

One more thing the PC's writer Walter Watkins mentions a town in Wyoming named Midway. Can't find anything about it outside Midway Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Does anyone have an ideas?

[packs]

After doing some research I could definitely see the card being made in 1907. Johnson was signed to a professional contract and then made his Major League debut less than 2 weeks from the time he left Weiser's team. And he only delayed his debut so that he could finish the season with Weiser. Since Weiser wasn't even considered a professional team, it would have been a huge to-do that one of its players was on his way to the majors.

[paul]

I can't believe no one else has noticed that this postcard was addressed to fellow Washington Senator Frank Howard.

[packs]

Also former Rookie of the Year.

[rjackson44]

very pretty p.c enjoy leon