Request any info on E135 origins
 

I am looking to find anything on the origins of the 1917 sets known as Collins-McCarthy or Boston Store, as well as that year's edition of Weil Baking and Standard Biscuit), all of which we know are the same set with different ad backs. Of course, anything on the scarcer Merchant's Bakery or blank-backed versions would be appreciated also.

Eventually I would like to show that Felix Mendelsohn either had something to do with this set or not. For now, I am hoping that board members here can show me examples of miscut cards that show parts of another card's number on top, so we have a better idea of sheet configuration. My other hope at this point is that someone can provide a much clearer copy of this Mendesohn ad appearing in the Sporting News March 15, 1917 (SABR members?):
http://photos.imageevent.com/imoverh...7m101uncad.jpg
A smaller ad appeared in the 5/24/1917 TSN showing what may be the same pic (my copy is horrible and there is no player name identification). Curiously, the card is supposedly of Pete Baumann, but the Yankee player Paddy Baumann of that year and team was christened Charles John, not Pete. In any event, I wonder if the pic has the washed out background found in the E135-like sets or instead if it has a background.

Hey Todd
I wonder if they're saying that they are larger pictures is in reference to their Sporting News counterparts from a year earlier? I don't recall seeing too many miscut E135s.....although this Lobert I used to own (as well as the rest shown) is miscut, not too much can be discerned from it. (to me)

Thanks Leon
 

You're right, it doesn't look like we'll get too far analyzing that Lobert, other than to say he isn't the farthest card to the left on a sheet. :) It is interesting that the other, partial card on his mis-cut is presumably card #90, which is Joe Judge--one of the few corrected errors in the set. It would be neat to know if your Lobert was on the same sheet as the earlier, error version or instead in the other print run. Oh well, given and as you can see that the way these cards were designed--with the horizon between ground and sky basically the same on most--it seems we'll never know.

With all the poor cuts frequently seen with these cards, such as your Marquard which I have only once seen centered and which is sometimes drastically diamond cut, you'd think that we would find some mis-cut top to bottom enough to make out the numbering. Maybe something will surface showing these were printed in rows of 25 like the m101s Mendelsohn issued the prior year. As for your question, yes I believe he was stating that this year's set would be bigger than the m101s. Unfortunately for me, both the E135s and the mystery m-unc set he had printed are larger, so I do not know with confidence to which of these two sets the ad might be referring.

Hopefully others can offer help or theories.