The "Exclusive 12" of the T205 set

[Ease]

Some T42s and T205s backs side by side for comparison. Sorry no scanner

[marcdelpercio]

I would ask those who believe that these comprise one large 400 card series, why they think that the bird cards would state "Bird Series 1 to 100" on the backs? If the logic is that "Base Ball Series 400 Subjects" means that there are 400 TOTAL subjects among baseball/bird/military cards, wouldn't it follow that the bird series would state the same "400 subjects"? And the T80s also, for that matter?

Of course it's all just speculation, so I'm not saying that anybody is right or wrong here. All we have to go by is logic and circumstantial evidence. To me, it feels like these are all different releases, albeit with some obvious similarities.

[T205 GB]

The bird series was the first 100. Then military series and then the great baseball series

I do think if it was all baseball for the 400 then it would say "subjects" and not "series". The word "series" leads me to look elsewhere for the 400 thus the thought about bird and military series being included.

[Wite3]

"subjects" and "series" really does not matter to me...that is just how they designated them on certain cards...t42 is certainly related to the gold borders in that they were issued with certain packages of cigarettes and printed by the same lithographer. But, the t42 bird series is indeed 100 subjects...or a series of 100. I have a feeling that the baseball was to be extended at some point to 400 and that something happened. It could have been anything really...break up of the ATC, problems at the printer...machine issues, ink issues, etc. The gold borders were almost certainly more expensive to produce than t206s...maybe after the ATC breakup the money was not there for such a project and it was abandoned. Who knows?

I would really wish there was more information about how and why certain cards were included with certain brands. Did they feel that people that smoked certain brands would be more apt to buy them because they had baseball cards or fish cards? Was the marketing that sophisticated back then? (I suspect it was). Would love to have been in those meetings.

Joshua

[EvilKing00]

I have no basis for this but I would tend to think that there were Supposed to be 400 baseball cards. Probably the break up of the company derailed the making fot the rest of the cards. Looking at the current set there are many players, that im sure they didnt leave out on purpose.

The T80's really do have the same look to them though

[T205 GB]

Honest Long Cut
Baseball Series
Assorted Designs


You can read that many ways. To me it says it part of something else. I don't think they only half completed the intended set though. They did print for nearly 2 yrs correct. Just lesser amounts.

[Wite3]

Honest Long Cut, Drum, Broadleaf, and Polar Bear all read: Baseball Series Assorted Designs...to me that reads that in the baseball series there are assorted designs (ie national league, american league, minor league designs). I have a feeling if they were talking about different sets they would have led with Assorted Designs Baseball Series.

Cycle, Hassan, American Beauty, Sweet Caporal, Piedmont, and Hindu all read:
Baseball Series 400 Designs. Again...sounds to me like there are 400 baseball designs...otherwise they would have led with 400 designs baseball series.

It is all semantics...and let us not forget that the set designations were completely arbitrary and created nearly 40 years after these sets were produced. Although looking at the other sets produced by the ATC that list the series and number of cards on the back at the time like the birds, fish, military, leaders, etc. nearly all of them if I recall correctly listed the amount of cards or series on the back and were fairly accurate with the number. I do not recall different assorted series being linked across the subjects. Maybe the non-sports guys could comment on this.

Joshua