Question about T206 history

[EvilKing00]

We also need to remember the time and place. These people who made / printed these cards, were working for no money in a job they probably didnt like and had NO CLUE what they were printing that was put in cigarette packs for free would be a collectors item and have historic value.

To them it was just the toy that comes in a happy meal.

[cubsfan-budman]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

We also need to remember the time and place. These people who made / printed these cards, were working for no money in a job they probably didnt like and had NO CLUE what they were printing that was put in cigarette packs for free would be a collectors item and have historic value.

To them it was just the toy that comes in a happy meal.

But what about the guy that chose the players to be represented? This had to have been important to someone at American Litho or at the tobacco companies...

Anyhow, thanks for the responses so far!

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by cubsfan-budman

But what about the guy that chose the players to be represented? This had to have been important to someone at American Litho or at the tobacco companies...

Anyhow, thanks for the responses so far!

Yep, and they also had to get the players to sign an agreement of some sort. Odd how much of the history simply disappeared.

[GasHouseGang]

Companies clean out their files and throw things away. You see it all the time on Antiques Roadshow. Someone will come in with something that was being tossed out where they work, and no one realized these things have any value. I remember reading in SCD years ago, how someone around where Topps printing was done, found the aluminum printing sheets inside of the walls of his house. They apparently had been pulled out of the trash and had been used as building material for parts of the wall.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Yep, and they also had to get the players to sign an agreement of some sort. Odd how much of the history simply disappeared.

It's not lost, just yet to be found.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

It's not lost, just yet to be found.

I wonder. Let us not forget that most homes and businesses were heated with stoves and furnaces at that time. I fear that most of the paperwork may have taking the nip ot of a winter's morn.

[markf31]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Yep, and they also had to get the players to sign an agreement of some sort. Odd how much of the history simply disappeared.

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

It's not lost, just yet to be found.

Let's not forget, it was still almost 50 years after the printing of T206s that Sy Berger supposedly dumped thousands of unsold 1952 Topps cards into the Hudson river because he couldn’t think of anything better to do with them. So even a company, who’s business was baseball cards, saw them as disposal and and almost worthless property 50 years later. I can’t imagine ALC or American Tobacco Company saw much value in retaining anything pertaining to cards.

[T206Collector]

I've often seen it written here that tons of recycled paper and metal were used in the war efforts of WWI and WWII. Nobody would have thought to preserve the card machines or paper related thereto during these time periods.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

I wonder. Let us not forget that most homes and businesses were heated with stoves and furnaces at that time. I fear that most of the paperwork may have taking the nip ot of a winter's morn.

Originally Posted by T206Collector

I've often seen it written here that tons of recycled paper and metal were used in the war efforts of WWI and WWII. Nobody would have thought to preserve the card machines or paper related thereto during these time periods.

If you start adding up all of the possible reasons for stuff to not have survived, the fact that as much Early Twentieth Century tobacco-related stuff exists today is remarkable

[atx840]

I recently spoke with a relative of J.P. Knapp. Here are some printing floor photos from they think the 30-40's after Knapp sold ALC and moved the gravure printing devision to a new building. Oh to see the 1909-12 equivalent.

[cubsfan-budman]

Originally Posted by atx840

I recently spoke with a relative of J.P. Knapp. Here are some printing floor photos from they think the 30-40's after Knapp sold ALC and moved the gravure printing devision to a new building. Oh to see the 1909-12 equivalent.

not sure what Steve B is talking about...that job looks amazing!

[steve B]

Originally Posted by cubsfan-budman

not sure what Steve B is talking about...that job looks amazing!

It is amazing. But when it's something you do every day it's like any other job. I've been lucky to have a number of jobs where I didn't just do the same thing all day.

The pictures shown are a different process. Rotogravure, which printed all those brown photo sections in the newspapers from the 20's into probably the 60's. Lots of great sports content in some of those.

Steve B