Henry Johnson Confectioner Backs

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Posted By: Mark Macrae

Rhys, Rhett & others, While it is true that I have found quite a few of the (otherwise) blank back E-121's stamped 'Henry Johnson' mixed in with 'outside the hobby' finds of 1920's cards native to Northern California, there is ONLY ONE FONT of Henry Johnson cards that I have ever been comfortable recognizing as coming from the 1920's. The top illustration in this post is the one with the purple / blue rubberstamp. That being said, there are also a very few examples which are found with a SPECIFIC PRODUCT rubber stamped on the backs. I will not name the product at this time, but it is known by a few advanced collectors and is linked to Henry Johnson in Alameda, California. Don McPherson shared it with me and others back in the 70's. Bill Heitman's post above should be taken serious as well. He was around back in the day when many otherwise blank back (original) cards had 'advertising' stamped on them, 50-60 years after the fact. A third element, which no poster has yet commented on, is the existance of the notorious "Janet Hellein" cards from 1972. There were a number of sets affected by this fraud, one of the earliest frauds in hobby history. The sets include E-121/E-135 style cards, Old Judges and Home Run Kisses, amongst others. The cards were created in the 70's using an earlier stock of paper and some were rubber stamped with "Henry Johnson" in a different font on the backs. Several advanced collectors (of the time) were victims of this fraud. It is more than safe to assume that many other examples of these "bad" cards were either sandbagged, marketed elsewhere to the unsuspecting or otherwise migrated into advanced collections over the next three decades. As a surfer of Ebay, I see these OUTRIGHT COUNTERFEITS being offered about twice a year (That I catch). It is important to remember that these "cards" are now over thirty years old and are starting to exhibit the normal aging and patination that comes natural. That said, it is always possible that new sets or new discoveries, which are legitimate can always happen. Just be aware that if you overextend your confidence on a specific product, that is later proven otherwise, it is your judgement, reputation and integrity that is at stake.