Interesting thread I had not seen the first time around. In reading through it, I noted that some speculation was being made as to the significance of the terms "series" and "subjects" and how there was some commentary on the possibility that the "400 subjects" mentioned on T205 backs may have included more than just all baseball players. In other words, the theory of what many commonly think of as entirely different sets of cards, such as the T80 military personnel, were actually intended to be part of this "400 subject" master set. This theory was relying on and bolstered by the fact that the T80 cards, and other sets being released about the same time, were also using the same gold border printing and similar front designs as the T205s. I recollect at least one respondent in the thread mentioning that in no instance did there ever seem to be the term "series" applied to more than one kind of card at a time. In other words, a "series" referred to either all baseball players, or all birds, or all military personnel, etc. This was then inferred to possibly mean that when talking about the baseball player "series" of T205 cards and the 400 different "subjects" that is was very plausible that the baseball players were only a part of the 400 total expected subjects and that there was no intention to print additional baseball player T205 cards after those we already know of.
Well to throw something else into the fire to think about, it was already mentioned that most of the the T205 images (none of the 12 minor league players though) were also used on the end panels of the T202 Hassan Triple Folder cards issued in 1912, after or about the same time the T205 print run supposedly had ended. What no one had mentioned though is that some of those same T205 images were also used to create the S74 silks, which were issued as two distinct sets. The S74-1 "white" silks were all printed on the same, somewhat white, satin colored material and had a paper backing attached to them. These were supposedly first issued in 1910, which would mean they were precursors of the T205 and T202 cards. The S74-2 "colored" silks were printed on various satin colored materials, not just the single white color used for the S74-1 silks. What is interesting, and germane to this thread, is that on the S74-1 silks with the paper backing attached, the title printed on the backs clearly stated that these were from the "Baseball-Actress Series on Satin", and indeed, there were both baseball players and current period actresses issued in this release. What is also interesting is that if you look at one of the related actress silks, the design and images on the front are entirely different than the images of the ballplayers, and nothing at all like any other of the gold bordered card issues from around that time. And yet, the actresses and ballplayers are clearly listed as being part of the same "series" and set.
This goes directly against the earlier suppositions that a "series", as issued back then, was only meant to include one distinct type of image (ballplayer, bird, military person, etc.) and that even though such card sets were issued with these very different images/subject matter, the fact that they were created with such similar designs/gold borders was what was indicative of them being intended as all part of one entire set.
Still not a definitive answer, just more info to cloud the issue. The same people who were responsible for printing the T205s and T80s were also likely the same ones responsible for decisions regarding the S74s. I feel you have to consider this information in any theories being made regarding all this.
BobC
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