Some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the most famous card in the hobby.

[Pat R]

Originally Posted by steve B

To me, and I have no idea how many others even partly agree, leftover sheets would have been used either as press adjustment sheets, or to fill orders when a few cards were needed after the group they were originally intended for was shipped. The best evidence of this is the 150 only card that now has a single P350.

From every indication, fronts were printed, then backs. For Piedmont and SC, that back printing would have been almost continuous. For the brands using far fewer cards it may have been whatever was the current group of fronts at the time the order came in.
It's possible small brands or groups of small brands got their own sheets, but that's still something that's wide open for study.

Those T220 sheet fragments and the added Fullgraff info, is the first indication I've seen that any of the work was farmed out to other print shops. And it opens up a whole range of possibilities.

These are some of the things that I have been working on with the print flaws. I'm pretty sure that the Old Mills and SC350/25's along with the Sovereign and Piedmont 350's were printed together or at the very least printed back to back.
I'm also almost certain that the T206's weren't all printed at the same facility.

[steve B]

If I ever get the chance, I want to go to the Lowell Historical society and see what info they might have on a local printer.
The company that did the orange borders boxes specialized in candy boxes. Those share some images with T206.

The company was in Boston, moved to Lowell with some publicity, printed the orange borders here in their new plant, and promptly went out of business.

I don't really have a solid address for that new plant, I have a guess as to where it was, but it's not making sense compared to the buildings there now, which are both old enough to be it. Unless the plant had to be torn down from a fire or something. and the current buildings are the replacements.


All of it makes me wonder if what I see as three different runs for much of the 150 and 350 series were more an issue of three different printers. Multiple shops being subcontractors makes the need for constant production less pressing.

[Pat R]

Originally Posted by steve B

If I ever get the chance, I want to go to the Lowell Historical society and see what info they might have on a local printer.
The company that did the orange borders boxes specialized in candy boxes. Those share some images with T206.

The company was in Boston, moved to Lowell with some publicity, printed the orange borders here in their new plant, and promptly went out of business.

I don't really have a solid address for that new plant, I have a guess as to where it was, but it's not making sense compared to the buildings there now, which are both old enough to be it. Unless the plant had to be torn down from a fire or something. and the current buildings are the replacements.


All of it makes me wonder if what I see as three different runs for much of the 150 and 350 series were more an issue of three different printers. Multiple shops being subcontractors makes the need for constant production less pressing.

It is strange I can't find anything from 1911-1918 but I found addresses from 1905-1930 minus the 8 year gap in the middle.

1905-1907 463 Commercial street Boston Mass.
1908-1910 Warrensville Lowell Mass.
1911-1918 ?
1919-1930 210 Broadway Everett Mass.

This might have had something to do with the gap

From the Boston Globe August 23 1913
img246.jpg

[Pat R]

I found some more information regarding the 1911-1918 gap. It looks like he filed for bankruptcy in 1910 and then his sons might have started the business back up again in 1919.

December 1910
img247.jpg

May 1927
img248.jpg
img249.jpg

[steve B]

Interesting stuff, a lot more than I had found a while back.

The local historical society is an interesting mix of things, all local newspapers going back essentially to the beginning either hard copy or microfilm.
Tons of pictures from when a city wide architectural survey was done I think as a prelude to establishing the national park downtown.

But most other things are spotty and seldom organized at all.