Goodwin "Weiser Wonder" Walter Johnson postcard

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Btw, Jeff, don't you often send out postcards 11 years after you buy them -- instead of immediately?

do people really still buy postcards - save a stamp and just send me a text with a pic if you feel the need to brag about your vacation.

[slidekellyslide]

How does Goodwin know that a Weiser based company produced this postcard? There is nothing on the reverse to suggest that. IMO these Weiser cards were produced well after Johnson was an established Major Leaguer.

[Orioles1954]

Perhaps they were released as a commemorative campaign?

James

[HRBAKER]

Rampant speculation in an auction listing description, ah never!
Close your eyes, click your heels twice, it could be true.

[Bob Lemke]

My write-up in the Standard Catalog gives the "date" as 1909, and concedes the issue date(s) are conjectural. This is based on the fact that the earlier version (sepia) has the undivided postcard back that was current until 1908, while the bluetone version has the post-1908 USPS-mandated divided back.

The intro adds, "It is likely one or both of these cards continued to be produced or at least available after Johnson became a major league star."

[steve B]

I do wonder how they got the date for the description, but the mailing date wouldn't bother me much. It often has little to do with the date the card was made. It's nice if a dated card ws mailed the same year, but not necessary (to me anyway)

When I started collecting in the late 70's I'd sometimes run into stores that had a few linnen postcards of fenway park left. And those hadn't been made since the 50's. Postcards were often sold in boxes of 500, so if it took a store several years to sell them They'd be available for years after.

Steve

[rhettyeakley]

I thought the divided/undivided happened in 1907. Regardless, the back shown above with the undivided back isn't a true undivided back in that it has on the left side "Correspondence" which in and of itself indicated it IS adivided back. The "undivided" back postcards did not allow for any writing on the back of the postcard--you were to write on the front only, the entire back was meant for the address alone. Thus, there would never have been the words "Correspondence" written on the back of one of those. Just because it doesn't have a line seperating the two sides doesn't mean it was an early undivided back postcard.

I also want to clarify that I personally think this postcard is one of the cooler ones ever produced, and having family that live in Idaho I would love to own one one day, I just have a few issues with the dating and whether this card actually belonged to Walter himself.
-Rhett

[barrysloate]

I would make note of all the postally used examples and track the dates, even if only a few examples can be verified. If all the dates are in the 1918 era, then it is almost impossible that they were issued ten years prior.

[Rob D.]

I can't imagine trying to put together a catalog while dealing with the distractions some auction houses can be subject to these days.

Cut Bill Goodwin some slack, please.