Hey Leon and Jerry,
Thanks for the input -- here are some of my thoughts:
- Inclusion in the D303 General Baking set doesn't necessarily mean you'll find a Mothers' Bread version. Several players in the Mothers' Bread set are not in the General Baking set. Those players borrow poses from other players at the same position though.
- My guess is that a Bressler is more likely to exist than a Lajoie. Why? Bressler is an odd mistaken player for a checklist. He doesn't have any other E or D cards, and he was a 19 year-old rookie in 1914 going 10-4 and followed it up by going 4-17 on a last place team in 1915. Hardly reason to include him on a regional issue, but also just as weird of a potential mistake on a checklist.
I'm throwing out a guess here, but if Bressler ever shows up, I'd think that he'd have the same picture/pose as Hooks Wiltse in the General Baking set. Why? Bressler was a lefty, and Wiltse is the only left-handed pitcher in the GB set that isn't a known player in the Mothers' Bread set. Also, Wiltse was on his way out of baseball at that point, leaving the Giants after 1914 to pitch in only 18 games in the Federal League in 1915.
Also, the inclusion of Bressler somewhat makes sense in light of the fact that Billy Meyer was included in the set. Meyer only played two full seasons in the majors -- 1916-17 with Phila. Am. -- and was far from a star. Meyer's only other card from the era is his Tango Eggs. So perhaps both Bressler and Meyer were inserted into the set for the same (unknown) reason.
- I have no real guesses as to whether Lajoie is real or a mistake on the checklist. I'll call it a coin flip...but it would be great if someone reading this (and owns a MB Lajoie) would share with us their great card!
Here's a couple of cards for show and tell. Foster pictures Clyde Engle. Matty and Speaker have my favorite blazing sunset backgrounds. The Matty is the nicest PSA 1 I think I'll ever own.
Cheers,
Steve