OT: Revisiting the D302 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread Release Date

[CharleyBrown]

Disclaimer: This is a rather lengthy and slightly OT post, but it was approved by Leon for this section as it is very significant information, and we’d like to get the most eyes possible.

For the past few weeks, Mike (net54baseball member: 71buc) and I have been researching the release date and distribution methods of the D302 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set of 13.

It has been assumed for more than 30+ years that this set was released in 1947, and that the cards were distributed through packages of bread. The sole exception would be the Portrait – Facsimile Signature version, which is believed to have been a promotional card given out in 1947.

In our research, we have focused our efforts on photo-matching the images on the card to dated/wire/original photos and their slugs.

As a result, we believe we have found definitive evidence that not only challenges the release date attributed to the set, but also the means in which it was distributed.

The significance of this find/information is rather large, as Jackie Robinson’s deal with Bond Bread may have been his first endorsement deal, and the cards are often considered to be his rookie cards (pre-dating the Leaf and Bowman issues).

So what did we find in our research?

Well, Mike had approached me a few weeks ago asking me if I had concrete evidence that the set was released in 1947 because he thought he had proof that the set was not released in 1947. Now I have read the Trader Speaks articles, and just about everything I have been able to find on the set, and as such, I have always attributed the set to 1947. His comment piqued my curiosity, though, and I started tracking down the photos used for the set.

In my quest, I stumbled upon the same evidence that Mike had in his possession – this photo:



The photo was used for this card:



This photo was taken on July 2, 1949 – two years AFTER the supposed release date of the D302 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set. The box score of the game can be found here:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...94907020.shtml

Here is the slug on the back of the wire photo



Knowing this information, one would think that the set was not released in 1947, but rather late 1949 – early 1950. However, there have been stories during which original owners of the card attribute at least one card from the set to 1947. See this lot from REA last year:

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2012/497.html

With the knowledge that the Portrait – Facsimile card was distributed in 1947, and the Sliding card having been distributed no earlier than late 1949, we believe that the set was released over a few years, changing the actual date of the set to 1947-1949 or 1947-1950.

With that in mind, we set out to track down more photos. As of now, we have found the original photos for the following cards:

Portrait Glove in Air – Few days prior to opening day - April, 1947

Photo:



Card:



Batting – White Sleeves – 1946 – photo was taken when Jackie was with the Montreal Royals

Photo:



Card:



Fielding – Ball in Glove – Opening day - April, 1947

Photo:



Card (slightly different angle than the photo - I believe the card photo was edited, as Jackie's face looks like it was copy-pasted)



Sliding – July 2, 1949

Knowing that the set was released over a period of a few years, we considered various theories as to when and how the cards were actually distributed. After some researching of the newspaper archives, we found that the official announcement of Jackie Robinson signing his deal with Bond Bread took place early October, 1947. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he actually signed the deal then, but it was when it was officially made public.

A newspaper article with the announcement can be found here:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...robinson&hl=en

The date, though, would make sense, as Jackie would have just finished his first season with great success.

The next thing we thought of was the actual advertisements on the back. There are 3 different backs for the D302 cards. I have posted the images of the 3 backs in a reply to this post for reference.

We think it is fair to say that the Sliding variation may have been the last card in the set issued. The back of that card has the advertisement “My favorite at ‘home plate’”, and features Jackie’s head shot.

5 other cards have that same advertisement. They are:

- Leaping, Scoreboard in Back



- Running Down the Baseline



- Throwing



- Running to Catch the Ball



- Batting, No Sleeves



The Throwing and Running to Catch the Ball card both show him playing what looks to be second base. Jackie Robinson played second base from 1948-1952. He is definitely not playing first base in those cards, which means the photos were either taken while he was with the Royals, or at some point after the 1947 season. Almost all of these photos have a stadium background, which leads us to believe that the photos were taken after the 1947 season.

The Portrait-Facsimile card features Jackie Robinson’s bio on the back. It is the only card with that back. We believe that it was the first card in the set issued, and it may have been used to gauge what the public’s reaction would be to such cards – perhaps to determine where they would be most effective as a means to promote their bread.

The remaining 6 cards have the back "Homogenized Bread Makes a Hit with Me Everytime".

Those cards are:

- Leaping, No scoreboard



- Fielding, Ball in Glove (See above for visual)

- Batting White Sleeves (See above for visual)

- Portrait Glove in Air (See above for visual)

- Fielding No Ball in Glove



- Awaiting the Pitch



We have already identified the dates associated with 3 of the cards. In the Fielding, No Ball in Glove, Jackie is again shown playing first base. That means that the photo was taken in during the 1947 season. The Leaping, No Scoreboard does not have any kind of background to it – though it looks like he is wearing a first basemen’s mitt. That again would attribute the photo to 1947. I have not been able to identify what stadium Jackie is in for the Awaiting the Pitch photo.

Knowing this information, we believe that the Portrait – Facsimile card was the first released in 1947.

We believe that the remaining 12 cards were released between 1947 and 1950, perhaps 3 or 6 at a time. That would make sense from a marketing perspective, as Bond Bread would want to maximize the impact of these cards to promote their product.

As a result, we speculate that cards in the 2nd group of 6 mentioned were released between 1947 and 1948, and the cards in the 1st group of 6 mentioned were released between 1949 and 1950.

At this point, though, we have run into a stumbling block, and would like your help to identify any other photos that may have been used for the set. We believe that that would help us to pinpoint the exact time period in which the set was released.

Now that brings us to how the cards were distributed, and where they were distributed.

It is believed that the Portrait – Facsimile card was given out in stores as a promotional item in 1947, and that is why there are so many more copies of that card in comparison to the others.

We do not have enough information to determine how the other cards were distributed, though I have tracked down one card with the name of a small grocery store written on it. I am not sure if the writing was done by the store owner, or by the recipient of the card as a means to identify where he/she got it from. If the writing was done by a store owner, it is possible that the card was also given away as a promotional item, and it was not actually packaged in the bread itself.

Perhaps the card was given away with the purchase of bread, though not actually inserted in the packaging? It is hard to tell without any other cards featuring similar writing or stamping.

Regarding where it was distributed – it has always been believed that these cards were used to promote Bond Bread in African-American neighborhoods in certain parts of the country. I have found newspaper articles that make reference to Bond Bread having to prematurely stop the promotion due to the backlash of the American people. However, the cards were definitely released over a period of a few years, so I do not believe that to be the case.

We think that that Portrait – Facsimile card may have hit the most markets to gauge an interest as to how effective the cards would be in each market.

It is possible that that card was met with resistance in some areas of the country, and perhaps the company decided to stop using the cards as promotion in predominantly white neighborhoods. However, that is all speculation.

Mike made a good point when he said to me that Robinson was very much aware of the economic power that African Americans could wield, and that he was never shy about that. White children would have been all over these cards, and Robinson and the Bond Bread executives had to know that. Did they limit the release on these cards so as to not alienate their establish clientele, and instead, use them strictly to expand their customer base to African-American neighborhoods? That kind of agreement seems out of character when one thinks of Robinson.

In scouring the archives, the majority of Bond Bread advertisements using Jackie Robinson that I could find were, in fact, from newspapers that targeted the African-American community.

I think it is also important to show these images of Bond Bread advertisements, which indicate that Jackie had a multi-year deal with Bond Bread. In the image below, Jackie is seen with Jackie Jr., who was born at the end of 1946. There is no way that the photo used was from 1947, but rather from 1948 or 1949.



At this point, we are hoping that this find encourages discussion about this set, in hopes that we can pinpoint how these cards were released, and exactly when they were released. We invite those of you with large wire / type 1 / original photo collections to come forward and help us identify the images of the remaining cards.

If anybody has direct contact with Rachel Robinson, and would be kind enough to put one of us in touch with her, we would greatly appreciate that, as perhaps she could help shine some more light on this set.

-
Shaun and Mike (71buc)

[CharleyBrown]

Bond Bread Backs for Reference Purposes:

Back 1:



Back 2:



Back 3:

[brewing]

Brilliant!!!!
I love history and research, this is an awesome post.

[tedzan]

Some really great research Charlie Brown and Mike.

But, as you probably know, the Jackie Robinson card shown here (with the Berra, Hodges, Kiner, Musial, and Thomson) was indeed inserted in 1947 BOND BREAD packages.

I never thought (as your research indicates) that any of the 13 cards in the Jackie Robinson BOND BREAD set were inserted in the bread packages. And, I say this because
I remember very well that in the Summer of '47....my sister and I carefully opened up Homogenized Bond Bread packages, for the regular BOND BREAD cards (48-card set).
Our Mom could not buy enough of the Bond Bread loafs. So, we convinced our Dad to buy Bond Bread for his restaurant, so we could get more of these B/W cards of BB
players (and the 4 cards of the Boxing Champions) for our collection.

Neither did I see, nor heard from my cousins, friends, etc. who also collected these 1947 BOND BREAD cards ever getting any of the 13 - Jackie Robinson cards in his set.


1st or "Rookie" cards in the regular 1947 BOND BREAD (48-card) set










TED Z

[batsballsbases]

Guys,
Great read and great information!

[Jay Wolt]

Fantastic thread Thanks for posting

[botn]

Shaun,

You and Mike did an amazing job. Thank you for sharing. By OT you must mean that this thread is not about T206s, correct? As someone who is attempting to complete the set (for the 2nd time) I wish I had something to offer to further your research.

Have you or Mike attempted to contact Rachel through The Jackie Robinson Foundation?

Greg

[bcbgcbrcb]

Great job, Shaun & Mike!

[DaveW]

Wow, great post! This is the kind of thread I really enjoy - some original research and ideas, not just the same old stuff. Great work guys!

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by DaveW

Wow, great post! This is the kind of thread I really enjoy - some original research and ideas, not just the same old stuff. Great work guys!

+1, great stuff.. and very interesting and well explained. I wish I had something to add to the research, but am definitely very interested to see any further information as it comes in. Regardless, I will probably take a more targeted approach if/when I pick up a Bond Bread Robinson.

[CharleyBrown]

Thanks all - I will be contacting the Jackie Robinson Foundation this week to see if I can get in contact with Rachel Robinson. Thanks for the tip Greg!

Shaun

[Rickyy]

Fascinating stuff! It's not just about the card set and its background, but also interesting from a historical context too... african american history, american culture as well as about history of marketing... love it.

Ricky Y

[Leon]

Great stuff CharleyBrown. I think I still owe you a bit of help too. Thanks for sharing and helping the hobby...

[Taxman]

[QUOTE=CharleyBrown;1150051]Disclaimer: This is a rather lengthy and slightly OT post, but it was approved by Leon for this section as it is very significant information, and we’d like to get the most eyes possible.

For the past few weeks, Mike (net54baseball member: 71buc) and I have been researching the release date and distribution methods of the D302 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set of 13.

It has been assumed for more than 30+ years that this set was released in 1947, and that the cards were distributed through packages of bread. The sole exception would be the Portrait – Facsimile Signature version, which is believed to have been a promotional card given out in 1947.

In our research, we have focused our efforts on photo-matching the images on the card to dated/wire/original photos and their slugs.

As a result, we believe we have found definitive evidence that not only challenges the release date attributed to the set, but also the means in which it was distributed.

The significance of this find/information is rather large, as Jackie Robinson’s deal with Bond Bread may have been his first endorsement deal, and the cards are often considered to be his rookie cards (pre-dating the Leaf and Bowman issues).

So what did we find in our research?

Well, Mike had approached me a few weeks ago asking me if I had concrete evidence that the set was released in 1947 because he thought he had proof that the set was not released in 1947. Now I have read the Trader Speaks articles, and just about everything I have been able to find on the set, and as such, I have always attributed the set to 1947. His comment piqued my curiosity, though, and I started tracking down the photos used for the set.

In my quest, I stumbled upon the same evidence that Mike had in his possession – this photo:



The photo was used for this card:



This photo was taken on July 2, 1949 – two years AFTER the supposed release date of the D302 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set. The box score of the game can be found here:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...94907020.shtml






Question about the picture used for the card. Notice Robinson's hat is in a different position and between the umpires legs and beside his left ear appear to be someone/something?

[71buc]

[QUOTE=Taxman;1151234]

Question about the picture used for the card. Notice Robinson's hat is in a different position and between the umpires legs and beside his left ear appear to be someone/something?

Taxman you are correct. This was discussed on the memorabilia side as well. In comments 3-6.


http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=171173

[oddball]

LOVE the info in this post!

[toppcat]

Awesome thread and impressive research!

[cw35t13]

Amazing post CB! I've been on the hunt for these for awhile.

[HRBAKER]

Good stuff here!
Thank you for the time invested and sharing this scholarship with the board.

Happy New Year!


Jeff

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by cw35t13

Amazing post CB! I've been on the hunt for these for awhile.

Nice grouping!! It's one helluva tough set, but the history behind it is absolutely incredible.

Bond Bread was Jackie's first endorsement deal (Branch Rickey forbid him from securing endorsements during his first year, as he didn't want even more pressure to be on him during that time period. It was only after the World Series that Rickey loosened up - 4 days later, Jackie's deal with Bond Bread was announced).

I'll soon be posting more information that I've gathered in the coming weeks, along with some new photos with my newly completed set

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Good stuff here!
Thank you for the time invested and sharing this scholarship with the board.

Happy New Year!


Jeff

Thanks Jeff! Happy New Year to you as well.

More information on this set to come soon!

[cdn_collector]

Originally Posted by CharleyBrown

... along with some new photos with my newly completed set

Wow, awesome. Congrats! Looking forward to seeing some pics (and yet more new info!)

Cheers,

Richard.

[Exhibitman]

Now this sort of post is why I read N54; nice work.

[BlueBlood]

Is there some sort of list that shows the chronological order of when all his cards were released..Like the swell, blue tint, '47-66' exhibits, leaf, bowman and the rest..Thanks for any info..

[toppcat]

I wonder if researching the larger circulation African American newspapers of the time would yield clues about the Bond Bread set's distribution. They certainly shed light on vintage Blues releases to that hobby's researchers just from advertisements of the day.

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by toppcat

I wonder if researching the larger circulation African American newspapers of the time would yield clues about the Bond Bread set's distribution. They certainly shed light on vintage Blues releases to that hobby's researchers just from advertisements of the day.

Most certainly. That's how I was able to pin-point the initial date that the Jackie Robinson-Bond Bread deal was announced.

I will definitely keep looking though, as you're right, that would be a great way to see if it'd be possible to pinpoint the exact release dates of each grouping of cards (as well as add more cities to the expand the distribution area).

[Bicem]

Thanks for sharing guys, fascinating read.

[CharleyBrown]

Just an update on this set...

I now have confirmation that the distribution of this set was NOT limited to Brooklyn, and I believe that it should no longer be classified as a regional set.

The cards were distributed in cities and surrounding towns (big and small) with large African-American populations as far west as Detroit (confirmed). I also have strong reason to believe the cards were distributed in Chicago and St. Louis (confirmation pending). That would indicate that the distribution area of the cards spanned (at the very least) every region / city with a Major League ball club between the years of 1947 and 1950.

I am still gathering the remaining details I need to finalize an article / research paper, but I hope to have it done come January.

BTW, if anyone could put me in direct contact with Rachel Robinson, I would be eternally grateful.

[DeanH3]

Kudos to you Shaun for your outstanding work and willingness to share it with us. Thank you!

[mzm55]

Hi Shaun,

I am just now seeing this thread and went through everything – fantastic research. I’ve done some research into the Jackie Robinson Bond Bread cards and found some information that you may have found since your post, but if not, it may help.

The Jackie Robinson portrait card was issued beginning in the summer of 1947 in Harlem through a campaign that spread to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Detroit.. A Bond Bread canvassing crew handed out these cards with a small package containing two slices of Bond Bread, the portrait card and coupons. Additionally, the General Baking Company sent this card to kids who wrote in and requested one.

Further, you are correct about the erroneous date on the “At Home with Jackie Robinson” poster. This advertisement first appears in the late summer of 1948.

Best,

Zach

Brilliant! Great research CharleyBrown and Mike.

[pawpawdiv9]

Cool read guys-
Question- I noticed there is square and rounded corners. As TedZ pointed out his rounded Jackie portrait...i ran across a 'square' version of it.

[CharleyBrown]

Over the past year, I've done quite a bit of research that has answered many of the questions about this set.

Much of my research findings can be seen in this incredible lot in the upcoming November auction from Goldin Auctions:

https://goldinauctions.com/Extremely...-LOT27398.aspx

I don't wish to copy / paste, as seeing all the cards together as one set is quite amazing, but here's a summary of the write up:

The first card was the Portrait-Facsimile card with the bio back. This card was first seen in Harlem in June / July of 1947, and was distributed by grocery store owners, and also in promotional packages with two slices of bread and coupons.

It should be noted that, as early as June of 1947, African-American newspapers in all major baseball U.S. cities began running advertisements promoting Jackie's endorsement deal with Bond Bread, and also the availability of the promotional card. This is quite interesting, as it was initially believed that Branch Rickey would not allow Jackie to sign an endorsement deal until the season was over, as he didn't want it to be a distraction.

Come September of 1947, the card's distribution expanded to every major city from Montreal to St. Louis. This Bond Bread set should no longer be considered a regional set for that very reason. As such, the Bond Bread facsimile-signature card should be considered Jackie's true rookie card / first nationally distributed rookie card.

In the summer of 1948, the next batch of 6 cards were distributed to all major baseball cities (targeting black communities). These cards included: Glove in Air, Leaping No Scoreboard, Fielding No Ball in Glove, Fielding Ball in Glove, Awaiting Pitch and Batting White Sleeves. The Glove in Air and Leaping No Scoreboard were limited in their distribution, which is why they are far scarcer than any other card in the set.

In the summer of 1949, the remaining 6 cards were released. These cards included: Sliding (photo taken during the July 2, 1949 game against the Giants), Leaping Scoreboard, Batting No Sleeves, Throwing, Running Down Baseline and Running to Catch Ball. The Throwing and Batting No Sleeves cards were also limited in distribution, which makes sense given their scarcity.

As such, it is now known that the Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set was not a regional issue, but instead, was distributed to all major baseball cities (Montreal, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, etc. etc.), and it's official release date should be 1947-1949, with the bio card being the lone 1947 release and his first nationally distributed baseball card, and the other 2 groups of 6 being released in 1948 and 1949 respectively.

The number of portrait-facsimile cards distributed by Bond Bread is staggering given the pop numbers today. Bond Bread's records indicate that 2 million portrait cards were distributed in September 1947 across all major cities from Montreal to St. Louis. Why so few are known to still exist is unknown. I am still hunting down population numbers from the 2 groups of 6 cards.

On another note... in my research, I have also discovered that the 1948 date assigned to the Old Gold cigarette cards of Jackie Robinson is incorrect. Both cards were released in 1947. The Kneeling in Dugout card was actually released in September of 1947, and the Leaping card was released in October of 1947. As such, neither card was released in 1948 as was previously believed.

In fact, the Kneeling card that I own features a hand-written date of Sept 30th, 1947 written in pencil on the front of the card.



The MK surely detracts from the PSA grade, but I think it adds tremendous value to the card as it confirms the dating that I found in my research.

[Exhibitman]

That is really interesting information. Thanks for posting it.

[DeanH3]

Shaun,

I applaud all your efforts in researching this under-appreciated set. Kudos to you and thank you for sharing it with our community.

[Exhibitman]

Got me to pull the trigger on a Jackie portrait card. I'd been looking for a while but the answers here convinced me to add one to the collection.

[71buc]

Great work!

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by 71buc

Great work!

Thanks Mike. You were the one to get the ball rolling on this, and I thank you 100000x for it!

[vintagerookies51]

Great read! I love this set. It's taken a lot of patience so far and I'm not even halfway yet

[Leon]

Great info....thanks for sharing!!

Originally Posted by CharleyBrown

Over the past year, I've done quite a bit of research that has answered many of the questions about this set.

Much of my research findings can be seen in this incredible lot in the upcoming November auction from Goldin Auctions:
....
I don't wish to copy / paste, as seeing all the cards together as one set is quite amazing, but here's a summary of the write up:

The first card was the Portrait-Facsimile card with the bio back. This card was first seen in Harlem in June / July of 1947, and was distributed by grocery store owners, and also in promotional packages with two slices of bread and coupons.

It should be noted that, as early as June of 1947, African-American newspapers in all major baseball U.S. cities began running advertisements promoting Jackie's endorsement deal with Bond Bread, and also the availability of the promotional card. This is quite interesting, as it was initially believed that Branch Rickey would not allow Jackie to sign an endorsement deal until the season was over, as he didn't want it to be a distraction.

Come September of 1947, the card's distribution expanded to every major city from Montreal to St. Louis. This Bond Bread set should no longer be considered a regional set for that very reason. As such, the Bond Bread facsimile-signature card should be considered Jackie's true rookie card / first nationally distributed rookie card.

In the summer of 1948, the next batch of 6 cards were distributed to all major baseball cities (targeting black communities). These cards included: Glove in Air, Leaping No Scoreboard, Fielding No Ball in Glove, Fielding Ball in Glove, Awaiting Pitch and Batting White Sleeves. The Glove in Air and Leaping No Scoreboard were limited in their distribution, which is why they are far scarcer than any other card in the set.

In the summer of 1949, the remaining 6 cards were released. These cards included: Sliding (photo taken during the July 2, 1949 game against the Giants), Leaping Scoreboard, Batting No Sleeves, Throwing, Running Down Baseline and Running to Catch Ball. The Throwing and Batting No Sleeves cards were also limited in distribution, which makes sense given their scarcity.

As such, it is now known that the Jackie Robinson Bond Bread set was not a regional issue, but instead, was distributed to all major baseball cities (Montreal, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, etc. etc.), and it's official release date should be 1947-1949, with the bio card being the lone 1947 release and his first nationally distributed baseball card, and the other 2 groups of 6 being released in 1948 and 1949 respectively.

The number of portrait-facsimile cards distributed by Bond Bread is staggering given the pop numbers today. Bond Bread's records indicate that 2 million portrait cards were distributed in September 1947 across all major cities from Montreal to St. Louis. Why so few are known to still exist is unknown. I am still hunting down population numbers from the 2 groups of 6 cards.

On another note... in my research, I have also discovered that the 1948 date assigned to the Old Gold cigarette cards of Jackie Robinson is incorrect. Both cards were released in 1947. The Kneeling in Dugout card was actually released in September of 1947, and the Leaping card was released in October of 1947. As such, neither card was released in 1948 as was previously believed.

In fact, the Kneeling card that I own features a hand-written date of Sept 30th, 1947 written in pencil on the front of the card.



The MK surely detracts from the PSA grade, but I think it adds tremendous value to the card as it confirms the dating that I found in my research.

[tedzan]

Really great research, Charley Brown.

My very first BB cards I collected were the 48 cards in the 1947 Bond Bread issue. In 1947, my sister and I were pulling them from Bond Bread packages.
My recollection of this is very clear. Between the kids in our neighborhood, we had 100's of them and we were able to determine that 48 cards comprised
a complete set. These cards were available in the Spring/Summer of 1947 thru 1948.

However, I never saw any of the Jackie Robinson cards in our area. We grew up in Hillside (NJ) which was only 25 miles from NYC. So, as you stated, the
initial release of the Jackie Robinson card(s) must have been strictly limited to NYC.


TED Z
.

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Really great research, Charley Brown.

My very first BB cards I collected were the 48 cards in the 1947 Bond Bread issue. In 1947, my sister and I were pulling them from Bond Bread packages.
My recollection of this is very clear. Between the kids in our neighborhood, we had 100's of them and we were able to determine that 48 cards comprised
a complete set. These cards were available in the Spring/Summer of 1947 thru 1948.

However, I never saw any of the Jackie Robinson cards in our area. We grew up in Hillside (NJ) which was only 25 miles from NYC. So, as you stated, the
initial release of the Jackie Robinson card(s) must have been strictly limited to NYC.


TED Z
.

Thanks Ted! I believe that the distribution of the Jackie Robinson cards were limited to predominantly black neighborhoods.

Out of curiosity, did markets ever sell prepackaged bread by the slice?

This card was listed on eBay tonight: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1947-BOND-BR...16.m2516.l5255

The Cardozo Market stamp is the second I've seen. The address puts Cardozo Market quite close to Howard University, which further verifies the availability of these cards in major cities. The stamp leads me to believe that the 2 groups of 6 were also distributed by the store owners, as was the first. However, what I'm trying to figure out is if the Cardozo Market store owner received the cards direct from Bond Bread to distribute to customers, or if he/she opened packages of bread to sell by the slice, and then stamped the card.

[tedzan]

Hi Shaun

OK, our small town didn't have any black neighborhoods, and that may explain why the Jackie Robinson cards were not available to us.


" Out of curiosity, did markets ever sell prepackaged bread by the slice ? " ..........

Not in our area....the markets in our town only had the full bread loaf packages. I was lucky in that my Father and my Uncle owned restaurants
which bought a lot of Bond bread. Hence, I collected a lot of these cards, and I still have them. Here's an original 1947 BOND BREAD wrapper......











TED Z
.

[CharleyBrown]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hi Shaun

OK, our small town didn't have any black neighborhoods, and that may explain why the Jackie Robinson cards were not available to us.


" Out of curiosity, did markets ever sell prepackaged bread by the slice ? " ..........

Not in our area....the markets in our town only had the full bread loaf packages. I was lucky in that my Father and my Uncle owned restaurants
which bought a lot of Bond bread. Hence, I collected a lot of these cards, and I still have them. Here's an original 1947 BOND BREAD wrapper......











TED Z
.

Incredible pieces Ted. Were the set of 48 cards wrapped in individual plastic packages, or were they loose in the bread packaging? Do you have the full set from the original cards you obtained from your father and uncle?

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by CharleyBrown

Incredible pieces Ted. Were the set of 48 cards wrapped in individual plastic packages, or were they loose in the bread packaging? Do you have the full set from the original cards you obtained from your father and uncle?

Shaun

1st....I'm not sure, but the cards were not loose inside the bread loaf (otherwise they would have had "bread stains" on them). It's almost 70 years ago,
and my recollection is somewhat fuzzy on how these cards were inserted. Perhaps, my sister remembers..

2nd....I have the 44 baseball cards. I must have traded away the 4 boxers years ago.



TED Z
.

[h2oya311]

awesome research and thanks for the follow-up note about the Old Gold cards. I missed this post last year and I am so glad that it has been bumped back to the front page.

This is what Net54 is all about! Oh, and to show off our cool stuff too!

[Leon]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

awesome research and thanks for the follow-up note about the Old Gold cards. I missed this post last year and I am so glad that it has been bumped back to the front page.

This is what Net54 is all about! Oh, and to show off our cool stuff too!

Ted (hey Ted) has done some of the best research on this board of anyone. Showing off cards is a close second.. ......

Timely bump due to discussion regarding the Bond Bread's, particularly the Jackie Robinson RC. Too bad the pictures are all gone as they made the research even more compelling

[CharleyBrown]

It has been a long while since I posted in this thread. I now have access to archives to historical black newspapers, and have already found more evidence related to this issue's timeline and release range:

Here's a newspaper article from July 1947 from New York Amsterdam News (I have a PDF of the original that is much larger and easier to read if anyone wants it. This article shows that the original Facsimile card was distributed for free to the majority of Black families in Harlem, NY prior to July 1947. In July 1947, it was distributed in promo packages with 2 slices of bread. ANYBODY that wrote to General Baking / Bond Bread was given for free a copy of the card. While I am still researching, this article also indicates that other "picture cards", which I now believe to be the other six attributed to 1947 were distributed at newsstands, candy stores, ice cream stands, etc. This makes sense, given that 6 of the photos were taken with Jackie prior to the start of the 1947 season. At the end of the article, it states clearly that this issue was not limited to NY, but rather distributed in other cities with large Black communities, including but not limited to Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore and Detroit. This covers essentially all the MLB cities in 1947, indicating that this issue was not regional as it was once believed to be.

[CharleyBrown]

Will consolidate all my recent findings in a new thread, and I probably should do an official write-up for collecting publications, but here's some tidbits:

Jackie was first approached by Dixie Walker in early May informing him of a nationally-known bread company's desire to secure his endorsement. Jackie turned down that company. It is unclear if it was General Baking / Bond Bread, or Wonder Bread (which had already signed Dixie Walker).

It was reported on May 31 that Jackie had signed a deal for $500 with General Baking / Bond Bread, a nationally known bakery to endorse their bread. This was Jackie's first endorsement deal. He would later sign on with Old Gold Cigarettes later in 1947, after the facsimile Bond Bread card was released.

By July 1947, 2 million copies of the facsimile card were printed. Distribution began in Harlem, but by October, copies were distributed from Montreal to St. Louis. Cities such as Montreal, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Norfolk, Baltimore, Washington D.C., New York, Cleveland and St. Louis were areas of distribution.

General Baking / Bond Bread, along with companies like Phillip Morris, Pepsi-Cola, and Royal Crown Cola (R-C Cola), made a push in 1948 to make more connections to the Black community and reach their market, starting a new trend that featured prominent Black athletes, actors, etc. in various phases of everyday life. This would explain the "At-Home" advertisement featuring Jackie, Rachel and Jackie Jr. in the kitchen, Jackie showing Jackie Jr. how to bat, and Rachel carrying groceries.

Past articles about the issue stated that Bond Bread was succumbed to pressure / backlash for their endorsement agreement with Jackie Robinson. Those articles said that Bond Bread ended their deal with him and pulled all their cards, which is why the issue is so scarce.

I believe that to be incorrect, though I am still looking for concrete proof / evidence to dispute that claim. Given the trend of major companies to make inroads / expand their reach into the Black community / market in 1948, it makes little sense that they would immediately reverse course. Furthermore, Jackie went on to endorse Chesterfield Cigarettes in 1949 and Borden's Evaporated Milk in 1950 (which distributed a facsimile autographed 8x10 photo of Robinson in exchange for 3 labels and 10 cents).

For that reason, I believe Jackie signed onto a 2-3 year deal with General Baking / Bond Bread and at the completion of that deal's terms, the agreement was not renewed.