Post a Stupid Question - Prewar 101

[GoCubsGo32]

Stupid question. T206 set. It says it ran from 1909-1911. Did they just print the same cards from 1909-1911? Did they have different set series each year?

[Tennis13]

There used to be this guy named Orv in Belleair, Fl when I was growing up. I was a Jack's Baseball Shop of Clearwater guy, but Orv had a big following with my Largo buddies. Anyway, Orv was in the newspaper and claimed to have an unopened tobacco can that came from the Honus Wagner T206 time. What ever happened to that can? Was it legit? We are talking like 1996 or 1997-ish on that story. My hunch is Orv was a semi-big player in the industry back then and I would be shocked if some of you didn't know him and the story.

[Jantz]

Originally Posted by GoCubsGo32

Stupid question. T206 set. It says it ran from 1909-1911. Did they just print the same cards from 1909-1911? Did they have different set series each year?

The T206 set print run was from 1909-1911. To compare it to a modern version without going into a lot of detail, it would look like this.

1909 - Series one - known as the "150" series
1910 - Series two - known as the "350" series
1911 - Series three - known as the "350-460" or to some collectors, the "460" series

Not all the same T206s were printed from series to series. Some players did carry over into other series, while new versions of a player's cards were added into the next year's series. This is why some players have multiple cards (portrait or action version) in the three year print run. Other players were cut from production altogether after the first year.

[Yoda]

Who was best man at John McGraw's wedding?

[frankbmd]

How many women have married more than one Heisman Trophy winner?

[edjs]

My question above regarding E97 Briggs is something I am truly curious about. In most cases, the black and whites have a few copies of the same player, and I can't see any change from one to the other, like you would expect with proofs. They look to me like black and white versions of E97s with a blank back, not "proofs." Are they really proofs, and if not, why are they called proofs?

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by edjs

My question above regarding E97 Briggs is something I am truly curious about. In most cases, the black and whites have a few copies of the same player, and I can't see any change from one to the other, like you would expect with proofs. They look to me like black and white versions of E97s with a blank back, not "proofs." Are they really proofs, and if not, why are they called proofs?

I think the black and white E97's were identified long ago as proofs because they were a mystery issue with obvious ties to the E97's. I imagine they were seldom seen in the hobby, so multiple copies of the same player in a sense didn't seem to exist. You have to remember before the internet information just didn't percolate to the surface as quickly as it does now. The square E254 Colgan 'proofs' have also long been labelled as such, and they share the same images as the E254 set and have blank backs, thus sharing these common denominators with the E97's.

So if nothing else, tradition holds strong. I have been trying to debunk the 'generic' label for the majority of the cards in the E91 sets for years, but sometimes old labels have a way of clinging, just like a joey inside Momma Kangaroo's pouch.

Brian

[bxb]

OK, dumb question for the day (posed to me many times over the years by non-believers):

Why do grown men collect baseball cards?

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by bxb

OK, dumb question for the day (posed to me many times over the years by non-believers):

Why do grown men collect baseball cards?

.....

...they're easier to hide from the wife , unlike my 1950's run of Playboy.

...

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by bxb

OK, dumb question for the day (posed to me many times over the years by non-believers):

Why do grown men collect baseball cards?

Because we grown men:
- Love the game basebal,
- Have the "collector" gene in our body,
- Enjoy reliving the good times of our youth, and
- Need/want a healthy escape from the trials & tribulations of everyday life.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by bxb

OK, dumb question for the day (posed to me many times over the years by non-believers):

Why do grown men collect baseball cards?

Because it's cheaper and more enjoyable than collecting wives.