Saturday Evening Post research
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I think you're spot on here. A few years ago, I wrote an email to the Saturday Evening Post, as follows:
Dear Sir:
I collect tobacco baseball cards from 1909-11. Back in the early days
of collecting, collectors would sometimes stamp their names on the
back of these tobacco cards. I have come into possession of a
baseball tobacco card with the following stamped on the reverse:
John A. Anderson, Agent
The Saturday Evening Post
114 UNION AVENUE
Bath, Penna.
I was wondering if you could provide any insight into this stamp. Is
there any way to check/verify employment records for the Post going
back over the past 100 years? Was 114 Union Avenue in Bath,
Pennsylvania a significant office for the Post? What does the title,
"Agent" mean?
Any information you could provide would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your attention.
And the response was:
In the first half of the 20th century (and maybe the end of the 19th),
magazine subscriptions were sold door-to-door and distributed weekly mostly
by "POST Boys". These were boys between the ages of about 10 to about 14 who
made a little money or earned premiums (toys, sports equipment, bikes, etc.)
for doing the distribution. There were also adults who received the copies
and passed them along to the kids. I think all were called "agents". Since
this is a tobacco card, this may have been one of the adults.
The Curtis Publishing Company (then owner of the magazine) was located in
Philadelphia until the mid-1950's. It then moved corporate to New York and
in the late 1960's to here, in Indianapolis. If the records ever existed,
they are long gone. I assume the address was probably Mr. Anderson's home.
Perhaps, the county clerk for Bath, PA could give you some history of the
address.
There are several books on the history of the Curtis Publishing Company and
The Saturday Evening Post. You should be able to find them at you local
library.
Based on this, I think the agent was a kid and, tobacco product notwithstanding, not an adult.
Love the Howe McCormick pursuit. Reminds me of my autographed T206 card pursuit.....
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