T206 PIEDMONT 460 Factory 42....update & survey

[Archive]

Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

The Kleinow and Smith not found with Sweet Caporal 460 Factory 30 (New York) backs indeed tell us
that these two Subjects are really 350/460 cards. All 55 subjects in the 350/460 series are not found
with the SC460/30 back.
However, these 57 cards were initially printed with the Sweet Cap 460/30 (NY) backs. But, they were
never issued.....instead, this NY factory designation was overprinted with a scroll and the "Factory 42
4th Dist, N.C." was added to the bottom of the back by American Litho.
These modified cards were sent to the L&M plant in Durham, NC (Factory 42) to be inserted in the post-
divestiture American Tobacco Co. (ATC) production of the Sweet Cap. brand. My guess is this occurred
in 1911 when ATC was forced to transfer production of the American Beauty, Piedmont, and Sweet Cap-
oral brands to the L&M tobacco plant.

Furthermore, all New York ATC production was shut down. Besides Sweet Caporal, this included LENOX,
UZIT (all Factory 30, NY) and Red HINDU (Fac. 649, NY). I believe we can attribute the scarcity of the
cards advertising these three 460 series T-brands to the break-up of ATC.

In addition, the ATC break-up also gave the Lorillard Tobacco Co. full rights to several other ATC brands,
including POLAR BEAR (PB). The Ohio plant (Factory 6) then increased the production of their PB tobacco
as is evident by the fact that considerably more 350/460 series cards have survived with PB backs than
any other series of T206's.

This fact is substantiated by the population data of both Cobb's (red & bat off); and, Kleinow (Boston)
and Smith (Chi & Bos). All four of which are 350/460 series Subjects.

The 460-only Series cards are also found more often with PB backs; but, they are not as plentiful as the
350/460 cards.

Therefore, it is my belief that many (if not all) of the 460 (back) versions of the 350/460 cards were
printed and issued in 1911.....subsequent to the 460-only cards.



TED Z