Need quick answer on Gehrig Postcard/Exhibit

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by BeanTown

Bringing an old thread back to life here. So, if there is a blank back card from the “1926-29” postcard series, chances are good that it most likely was printed in 1925? Or can blank back cards be found later in the series?

Yes.

Honestly, for a color version with a blank back, it may just be an error card. Since i posted that exposition 11 years ago (wow, time flies), I've come across a handful of mid-20s blank backed boxing cards in ESCO series that had printed backs with bios and records (including the Salutations boxers) and they look to me to be error cards. The hint on production on the Gehrig may be the "AL" designation on the portrait. Scott has "AM" and the batting Gehrig has "AM L". The portrait has "AL". My gut is that it went to "AL" sometime after the 1925 print run.

[BeanTown]

So, the Cobb listed in the gallery most likely is a 1925 example. So, what year would you guess is the blank back portrait Gehrig? I’m guessing it’s 1925/26 and seeing a pop of 3 compared to the more common postcard back I’m assuming it’s early in the run. Is it common to have different leagues like “A.L.” and “A.M.” all from the same year &series.

[Exhibitman]

I would not definitively state that the blue-green Gehrig is a 1925 printing; still too speculative for my tastes. Woody Scharf was pretty adamant that the 1925 cards were black and white and I think he has that correct. A Detroit Cobb could be 1925 or 1926; he was forced out of Detroit in November 1926. I suspect that it is one of the black and white 1925s if blank backed. The Gehrig portrait itself is a 1925 Conlin image, so that doesn't help.