pstewart@kmob.com

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Posted By: What's the Deal w/ Joseph Hall Cabinets?

On one of the other threads, Hankron mentioned that Joseph Hall cabinets are not true cards, just photos. I was surprised to hear this. I had always assumed that they were publicly distributed cards, just like the Old Judge cabinets.

So, what exactly are they? I know some cabinet cards are simply photos that the player asked a photographer to take for himself or his family. But that doesn't seem very likely with team pictures like the Joseph Halls. Were they photos taken by the team and given just to the players or team officials?

Just curious. Thanks.

Paul

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Posted By: Hankron

I didn't say that the Joseph Hall Cabinets were not sold commercially (I also didn't say they were). I merely said that it was arbitrary that these were picked for a baseball card price guide over the many similar cabinet cards and cartes de visite made by other photographers.

Though trading card collectors have a bias towards and need for definive answers (is it a trading card or isn't it?), it is often impossible to determine whether or not a particular cabinet card or cartes de visite was sold commercially or not. In some cases, there are enough copies of a particular Abe Lincoln CDV to reasonably judge that it was sold commercially. But in many cases there is no answer and never will be.

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Posted By: Paul

Thanks. Maybe next time I'll put my email address and the title in the right places!