A T206 printing question for Bill Heitman, or anyone ?

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Posted By: William Heitman

Ted,

I can relate an interesting story about the Wagner strip. Sunday afternoon at the Troy, Michigan, show at the Hilton in, I believe, 1979. Wayne Varner, an old friend who I was so happy to see at this past National in Anaheim, had the strip. He had been a part of the buying team that got into the old Wagner home and he was awarded the strip(others in the group already had a Wagner), which had that crease right down the middle of Wagner. Wayne now felt he had to get a Plank, but that it had to be in just as sorry condition has his Wagner. I had two awful Planks for sale, the worst of which was an oval. That's the one Wayne bought from me. At the National this past summer, I asked Wayne about the Wagner and he said he had sold it to Halper. The best information that we always had on the printing of T206 was that they were printed in top to bottom strips of the same players. The strip Wayne had was definitely some type of proof. The word that had ciculated for many years was that the American Tobacco Trust had destroyed the Wagner proofs and provided one to Honus as proof. That kind of explains the strip that was found in the old Wagner home's attic. Virtually every set of that era was printed in strip form. Sheets with multiple columns came along in the '30's. The sheet that has been discussed as part of the 8 Wagner discussion cannot be explained when you are talking about T206s that were printed during 1909, 1910 and 1911. Its pedigree needs close examination. And that examination can't go much further back than 1980. T206 has spawned so much that is hard to explain which is why I decided to give it the name "The Monster." I think the best information comes from the people who handled T206 in very large quantities over the years. I was fortunate enough to be one of them and I think it safe to say I have known most who did. By the way, I think the discussion is very appropriate to the Doyle card as well.