Quote:
Originally Posted by tedzan
Yes, most T206 guys realize this now. Although, very recently a Net54 poster posted to the contrary.
Early 2005, when I first checked out this forum, very few had even heard of American Lithographic (ALC); and, their impact on all these Tobacco cards.
Brian Weisner, Scot Reader, and I were the first to inform everyone on this forum of ALC. You can use the Net54 Search function to read all about it.
I did NOT say...."hundreds of millions of t206's".
I said......"The Richmond, VA plant produced many 100's of Millions of cigarettes.".
I would estimate that 10 - 20 Million T206's were printed between Spring/Summer 1909 thru to the Spring of 1911. I base this figure on my (and other's) estimate
that approx. 2 Million T206's are currently in circulation.
OK, let's consider this hypothetical 20 Million number of T206's printed over a period of 2 years.
Approx. 10 Million cards per year divided by 333 working days/year (3 round the clock shifts) = 10,000 cards per day.
My research indicates that T206's essentially were printed on sheets of 100 cards. If true, then that results in 100 such sheets per day. Is this an ambitious estimate ?
Perhaps so, but it certainly was work-able.
I would bet that the NYC firm of American Lithographic was the sole facility that produced all the T206 cards during that 2-year period. What some fail to realize is that
these cardboard gems we love so much were just a relatively small part of ALC's lithographic operation.
Sorry about this lengthy post, but I'll close by noting that there are 52 subjects representing the New York Giants in the T206 set. This amount is far greater than any
other BB team's representation in the T206 set.
In my opinion, this tells us a lot about this New York based Lithographic firm....and, where these cards were printed.
TED Z
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While doing some reading on early T cards and their printing, I found an interesting letter in the Duke University on-line library. The letter was written in 1894 to James "Buck" Duke by his father - after "Buck" had taken over day-to-day control of what would then become the ATC. Hoping to spurn the negative image that came with using images of lascivious women in packs of cigarettes - for moral reasons as well as to prevent further legislative restrictions - father encouraged son to find a different subject matter. This form of advertisement then gave way to using images of baseball players on T cards.
It was the following letter which in part, gave rise to our hobby. The letter reads (emphasis are mine for clarity):
My Dear Son,
I have received the enclosed letter from the Rev. John C. Hocutt, and am very much impressed with the wisdom of his argument against circulating lascivious photographs with cigarettes, and have made up my mind to bring the matter to your attention in the interest of morality, and
in the hope that you can invent a proper substitute for these pictures which will answer your requirements as an advertisement as well as an inducement to purchase. His views are so thoroughly and plainly stated that I do not know how that I can add anything except to state that they accord with my own, and that I have always looked upon the distribution of this character of advertisement as wrong in its pernicious effects upon young man and womanhood and therefore has not jingled with my religious impulses. Outside of the fact that we owe Christianity all the assistance we can lend it in any form, which is paramount to any other consideration,
I am fully convinced that this mode of advertising will be used and greatly strengten (sic) the arguments against cigarettes in the legislative halls of the States. I hope you will consider this carefully and appreciate my side of the question. It will pleasure me much to know that a change had been made.
Affectionately, your father
Just an interesting side note...
Z