My T206 Plank theory....New Follow-up info

[Archive]

Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

Some new and interesting notes from doing some research at the Philadelphia Library this past Sat.

1st....I'll reprise my theory....it conjectures that the scarcity of the T206 Plank card can be explained
by the American Caramel Co. (ACC) forcing the American Tobacco Co. (ATC) to stop issuing their Plank
card.....ACC having 1st acquired the exclusive rights to Plank and 1st to issue his BB card .

Here are the series of events.....

Eddie Plank went to Gettysburg (his hometown) College. The Director of this Coll. back then was David
Franklin Lafean.

Milton Hershey started the Lancaster Caramel Co. in 1896 and sold it to David F. Lafean in the early 1900's.
Lafean then established the ACC in Philadelphia in 1905.

During this period, Connie Mack's Phila. A's were winning pennants with a formidable team of players.
Most outstanding and the "hometown" favorite was Eddie Plank, a very deliberate southpaw pitcher.

Lafean....being a sharp businessman, capitalized on this "A's fever" and enhanced the marketing of his
Candy product with BB card premiums; thus, the E90-1 cards were issued in series from 1908 - 1911.

Lafean was also a shrewd politician (in his later life he became a US Congressman). Therefore, it's very likely
that Lafean legally enforced his exclusive rights to his "guy", Eddie Plank; causing ATC to remove their Plank
from the market.

Final proof of this theory will require actual documentation, which I will try to find, next time I am in Philly.
Until then, this circumstantial evidence that I have presented here, is quite plausible....and certainly very
thought-provoking.

Gentleman.... a very similar scenario occurred in 1954, when Sy Berger (of Topps)....an avid Ted Williams
fan....forced the Bowman Gum Co. to cease and desist from issuing their Ted Williams card (#66).

I am very grateful to Frank Wakefield for all the research he presented in support of this theory in the
initial Thread on this subject.

OK....I am open to any and all questions regarding this subject....so, shoot away ?

TED Z

[hpkatz26]

Why not contact the Plank family member(s) that still live in Gettysburg to see if they know anything about one of the most famous baseball cards featuring their relative? Just a thought. Howard

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by hpkatz26

Why not contact the Plank family member(s) that still live in Gettysburg to see if they know anything about one of the most famous baseball cards featuring their relative? Just a thought. Howard

Howard

This thread regarding my original Plank Theory is 14 years old. Since then, I have revised my theory based on more research regarding Plank.

Furthermore, this response of Connie Mack to a Philadelphia sports writer in 1910 clues us in....... " The secret of Plank's pitching is no secret
at all. It is a good strong arm, a powerful constitution to back it, and neither drinks, smokes, chews tobacco, nor swears...... " **

Eddie Plank was certainly an anti-tobacco guy. Most likely, he informed the American Tobacco Co. that he did not want his image portrayed on
Tobacco cards. Being the low-keyed guy that he was, he did not hype it up like Wagner did. Therefore, American Litho. stopped issuing Plank.

**..... Connie Mack, by Norman Macht


.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Howard

This thread regarding my original Plank Theory is 14 years old. Since then, I have revised my theory based on more research regarding Plank.

Furthermore, this response of Connie Mack to a Philadelphia sports writer in 1910 clues us in....... " The secret of Plank's pitching is no secret
at all. It is a good strong arm, a powerful constitution to back it, and neither drinks, smokes, chews tobacco, nor swears...... " **

Eddie Plank was certainly an anti-tobacco guy. Most likely, he informed the American Tobacco Co. that he did not want his image portrayed on
Tobacco cards. Being the low-keyed guy that he was, he did not hype it up like Wagner did. Therefore, American Litho. stopped issuing Plank.

**..... Connie Mack, by Norman Macht


.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Sometimes the explanations that are simplest and right under our noses are easiest to overlook. What Ted is saying here sure makes a lot of sense to me. And it offers a rational explanation why the Plank card appears in both the 150 and 350 series.

Ted, any thoughts if what you are saying is correct might account for the color tones of the 150 series Planks being more vibrant than the 350 series?

I do not profess to be a T206 expert so do not know if such difference in color vibrancy is typical with other T206 subjects or is limited to the Plank. Is it? If so, one would think it has something to do with the discontinuance of the card.

[sb1]

Every 150 series card has better color and a somewhat sharper look due to the stones being new. As they moved into the 350 series they wore down a bit, also the 350 series had a much larger print run and they probably didn't ink them as often as the 150 series.

[Rhotchkiss]

Very few Plank tobacco cards exist. I believe t206, t204, and t216 are the only T cards that Plank is on. Wagner is similarly rare, but worse as he has no t204. Anytime you can get plank (or wagner) on a tobacco card, grab it!

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

Sometimes the explanations that are simplest and right under our noses are easiest to overlook. What Ted is saying here sure makes a lot of sense to me. And it offers a rational explanation why the Plank card appears in both the 150 and 350 series.

Ted, any thoughts if what you are saying is correct might account for the color tones of the 150 series Planks being more vibrant than the 350 series?

I do not profess to be a T206 expert so do not know if such difference in color vibrancy is typical with other T206 subjects or is limited to the Plank. Is it? If so, one would think it has something to do with the discontinuance of the card.

Hi Corey....it's been quite a while since we have last spoken....great hearing from you.

My experience looking over 1000's of T206's these past 40 years is that PIEDMONT 150, SOVEREIGN 150 and SWEET CAPORAL 150 T206's are generally richer in color (especially blue)
than their T206 counterparts with SWEET CAPORAL 350 (Factory #30) backs

For example......

.

.



Regarding ink colors, what has mystified me more so is why the 150 Series ** cards are lacking the rich dark BLUE color seen on numerous subjects in the 350 Series
and 460 Series subjects....such as:


150 Series................................... 350 Series.................................. 460 Series
.

**....Note Waddell (portrait) is the only 150 Series subject printed with dark blue ink.



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Pat R]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hi Corey....it's been quite a while since we have last spoken....great hearing from you.

My experience looking over 1000's of T206's these past 40 years is that PIEDMONT 150, SOVEREIGN 150 and SWEET CAPORAL 150 T206's are generally richer in color (especially blue)
than their T206 counterparts with SWEET CAPORAL 350 (Factory #30) backs

For example......

.

.



Regarding ink colors, what has mystified me more so is why the 150 Series ** cards are lacking the rich dark BLUE color seen on numerous subjects in the 350 Series
and 460 Series subjects....such as:


150 Series................................... 350 Series.................................. 460 Series
.

**....Note Waddell (portrait) is the only 150 Series subject printed with dark blue ink.



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Ted I don't know if some of it has to do with your scanner but the Crandall
Piedmont 150 you posted is an unusually darker blue.

Not to long ago I had 15 Crandall no caps including two with the same
exact plate scratch as yours (the one I have left is the last one one the right)
the blue does vary even in the same backs but yours is the darkest blue I've
seen.

Here are the eight I still have seven are piedmont 150's. Luke has a good description of the difference between some
of the 150 and 350 series when he describes the 350's as having a washed out look compared to the 150's.

img027.jpg

same plate scratch as yours
img027 - Copy.jpg