R308 Tattoo Orbit set (self-developing) issued in 1934, not 1933
 

This post on the September Pick-up thread of a Mickey Cochrane R308 card motivated me (it doesn't take much) to look into this less popular set:

The Detroit Collector
Eric

New Pickup, Curious if anyone knows why these are considered 1933. Mickey Cochrane wasn't a Tiger until 1934.


Mickey Cochrane, who happens to be the only player featured twice in the set (card #155, a number also seen featuring Charles Grimm, and #186). Both cards identify Cochrane as being a Detroit Tiger. Mickey was traded to the Tigers on 12/12/1933.

So I checked the rest of the players careers and card images on the internet (several of which I was not able to locate, so there might be more examples worthy of consideration), and this is what else I found that is relevant:

#169 George Earnshaw (identified on card as a White Sox) - traded to White Sox on 12/12/1933

#173 Goose Goslin (identified on card as a Tiger) - traded to Tigers on 12/20/1933

#182 Lefty Grove (identified on card as a Red Sox) - traded to Red Sox on 12/12/1933

#187 Max Bishop (identified on card as a Red Sox) - traded to Red Sox on 12/12/1933. I was unable to locate an image of this card on the internet. If consistent with the other December 1933 traded players, the team identified on this card would be the Red Sox. - confirmed Red Sox designation by Net54 member spec.

#191 Burleigh Grimes (identified on card as a Cardinal) - signed with Cardinals on 7/31/1933


So for the players that switched teams in 1933, only Burleigh Grimes was acquired mid-season of 1933. The other players switched teams at the tail end of 1933, with most having been dealt on 12/12/1933, and Goose Goslin being the latest on 12/20/1933.

Thus, this set appears to have been issued in 1934, not 1933. Thanks again Eric for posing the question on the other thread.

Although not positive, I do not believe this set was issued at separate times. However, the set numbers run from #151 to 207, and 7 numbers starting with #196 have not been identified, so there is that little mystery to unravel.

Just so you know what the cards look like and what in the heck I am talking about, here is an example of a R308 Tattoo Orbit (the small example on the upper left, along with the very rare 4x larger version, and the much more popular R305 Tattoo Orbit color set...note that the same image was used in the creation of each set).


Brian

Brian,
I have 187 Bishop and it lists his team as Red Sox. Too faint to scan but discernable under magnification.

Thanks spec, I will edit the original post with this information. I too had to break out the magnifying glass and used it for some of the card images on the computer screen...has anyone else done the same thing in the past?

Thanks again,

Brian

I think there is a possibilty they could be 1933-1934.
Nice write up and question, Brian...

Always a fan of your large R308 Martin. I've never seen another. And I think I have seen 2-3? of these large Foxx's, maybe.
These pictured are proportianate to their correct sizes, though the raw one might be a bit larger in this scan.

Brian, this is really great stuff. Thank you for looking into it and sharing.

You have a nice pair of Foxx's Leon. According to the Old Cardboard website, the size for the more commonly seen smaller cards is 1-1/4" x 1-7/8". The larger is identified as 2-3/8" x 3-3/4", almost exactly 4 times larger, so I believe your scan for the little one is proportionally a little bit larger than it should be in comparison to your large Foxx. The 3 Pepper Martin cards shown are just one scan, so the proportions seen in it are accurate.

It is possible that this is both a 1933 and 1934 release. In my mind at least, when an issue is fairly tough to come by, as are the R308 Tattoo Orbit cards, it seems unlikely that it was issued over an extended period of time. Without looking too much further into it, I believe all the other players not previously noted were playing with the teams designated on their card in both 1932 and 1933, except for a couple exceptions:

#167 Jimmy Dykes (identified on card as a White Sox) - purchased by White Sox 9/28/1932

# 179 Lefty Stewart (identified on card as a Senator) - traded to Senators 12/15/1932

So in my opinion this set was not also issued in 1932. If I remember correctly, there was some legal ruling about issuing cards with gum/candy early in 1933 that opened the floodgates and spurred manufacturers to produce cards in all the sets we see as having a 1933 issuance.

It is fun to revisit some of these less common sets and see if the accepted issue date is up to snuff. At least it is fun and interesting to me.

Brian

Thanks Eric...you forced my hand and made it happen!


Brian

Hi Spec,

If you're interested in selling that Bishop, please let me know. I'm working on a set and he's one of the 7 that I'm short.