T202 Hassan Triplefolder Set

[Phil Rosenzweig]

This is a Paid ad.

Finalist for the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of 2025.

One Splendid Season: Baseball and America in 1912, Told with the Words and Images of the Hassan Triplefolder Set, features high resolution scans of all 144 T202 end panels and all 76 center panels from my collection.

The T202 set is supplemented by original photos of center panels, stadium postcards, and other memorabilia. Extensive captions describe one of baseball's greatest seasons, 1912.

Sample pages give an idea of this unique hardback book, already popular among collectors and all who love baseball history.

Please have a look at: pmrbooks.com/t202 or available on Amazon. Thanks for looking!

Attachment 671204Attachment 671205

[Casey2296]

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Very cool concept!

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

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Very cool concept!

Yes indeed, very cool!

[Sterling Sports Auctions]

Congrats Phil, It is always good to have great resource in one place.

My favorite set of all time.

Lee

[HOF_Forever]

I listened to your interview on the Golden Age podcast and have a book on order. Thanks for putting it together!

[Phil Rosenzweig]

Thanks Greg. I am showing the book should be delivered to you today, Monday Sept 8 -- USPS says by 9pm. Hope you enjoy! Phil

[Leon]

Good luck with the book, Phil!
.

[Steve D]

One thing I've always wondered about the T202 set, is why aren't there any center panels showing pitchers? You have cards showing the Philadelphia infielders, and one showing John McGraw shaking the opposing manager's hand, so it can't be simply because the company only wanted action shots with multiple players involved.

So, why no center panels showing Cy Young, Walter Johnson and/or Christy Mathewson in action? Each of them is depicted on an end panel, but no center panels.

Steve

[JimC]

This looks awesome.

[SB805]

Looks amazing, I always wanted to start collecting this set, never started though.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Steve D

One thing I've always wondered about the T202 set, is why aren't there any center panels showing pitchers? You have cards showing the Philadelphia infielders, and one showing John McGraw shaking the opposing manager's hand, so it can't be simply because the company only wanted action shots with multiple players involved.

So, why no center panels showing Cy Young, Walter Johnson and/or Christy Mathewson in action? Each of them is depicted on an end panel, but no center panels.

Steve

Ford putting over a spitter in 2 variations is it. I'd never thought about that before. There are a bunch of pitchers in action poses in T3, in contrast.

[Sterling Sports Auctions]

I did a quick scan through what I still have and of the center panel I have the Ford card is the only one that has a single player. Otherwise they have two or more pictured. It would be tougher to get two pitchers in a photo.

Maybe it was a theme with having to end panels they wanted two or more in the middle.

Lee

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by Mark17

Ford putting over a spitter in 2 variations is it. I'd never thought about that before. There are a bunch of pitchers in action poses in T3, in contrast.

Wow, thanks; I'd never seen that one.

Still, it makes you wonder even more, why they didn't have center panels of guys like Walsh, Marquard, Cicotte, Matty, Johnson, Young, etc.....

Steve

[e6phillips]

I recently got the book. I highly recommend it. Great read!

[Phil Rosenzweig]

The answer is that there were no telephoto lenses in those days, so virtually all the photos of game action were taken at first base, third base, or a few at home plate. There are also some posed shots on the sidelines, and the image of Russ Ford is one of them. Not only are there no photos of pitchers on the mound, there are none of outfielders catching a fly ball or shortstops fielding grounders or second basemen turning a DP. (The one of Jack Knight at second base also appears to be posed, not game action.) Graflex cameras had the virtue of fast-shutter speed, but could not yet accommodate telephoto lenses.

[Phil Rosenzweig]

Thank you Eric! Glad you are enjoying. Phil

[Phil Rosenzweig]

Hi Greg, If you've enjoyed my book, I'd be delighted if you might post a review on Amazon. Thx! Phil

[dbrown]

A relative emailed me this from today, either the Boston Globe or the Globe's Rhode Island version. (Possibly from an email newsletter? I don't have a link, not sure who wrote the piece.)

>>>
It’s Friday and tonight is Game One of the World Series, so let’s end the week on a bright note.

Phil Rosenzweig, a professor, author, and (most importantly) a part-time Block Island resident, recently came out with “One Splendid Season: Baseball and America in 1912.”

It’s about the 1912 season (the year Fenway Park opened), but it’s told using the T202 Hassan Triplefolder Set of baseball cards from that year. It’s truly one of the most creative ideas for a book I’ve ever seen, and the layout is beautiful. Now it has been named a finalist for the 2025 CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year.

You can order a copy by clicking here, and I asked Rosenzweig to tell us more about his book below.

Q: Writing a book using a set of baseball cards is such a unique and creative way to tell a story. What made you choose 1912 and this set of cards?

Rosenzweig: The Hassan Triplefolders are my favorite baseball card set, with colorful end panels and fast-shutter speed photos on the center panel. I began collecting them in the 1970s, while in high school, and gradually assembled the full set. In those days, they were affordable! At first, my goal was to create an annotated presentation of the set, exploring the images and captions. Fortunately, the set was issued in 1912, which was such a memorable year in baseball. So I decided to use that season as a vehicle to showcase the cards.

Q: Any fan of baseball or sports cards is going to find the layout of the book to be truly beautiful. Beyond the research, how much thought did you put into getting the presentation right?

Rosenzweig: I put a lot of care into arranging the cards to tell the story of the 1912 season, from Opening Day to the World Series. I made sure to highlight key events, such as the opening of Fenway Park, the pivotal Fourth of July series between the Red Sox and Athletics, and a clash between the Giants and Cubs in late July. Archival photos, postcards of stadiums, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia added to the richness. As for the visual appeal, credit goes to the graphic designer, Studio A in Alexandria, Virginia, who did a fabulous job with colors, spacing, and fonts.

Q: There has been some fantastic writing about rare cards - I'm thinking of the search for Honus Wagner cards. Do you have a sense of how many cards from the T202 Hassan Triplefolder Set still exist?

Rosenzweig: The famous T206 Honus Wagner card is really the exception – in fact, tobacco cards from that era were issued in abundance and are not hard to find, even today. One of the leading grading companies has documented several thousand T202s. Finding them in excellent condition is harder, of course, since many old cards have creases or corner wear. Although most are not very rare, some T202s are quite valuable, especially those that feature great players like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker, and Napoleon Lajoie.

Q: If you could do this book using a modern set of cards or a modern season - say in the last 25 years - is there one you would pick?

Rosenzweig: I haven’t collected baseball cards for a long time, so I really can’t comment on the last 25 years. But if you let me go a bit further back, one of my favorites is the 1967 Topps set, with its lovely clean design, which I collected avidly at age 12. And of course, that season not only featured a magnificent pennant race, but was unforgettable for any Red Sox fan. That could be a fun project!

Q: Tonight is Game One of the World Series, so I have to ask. Who wins: Dodgers or Blue Jays?

Rosenzweig: I generally cheer for whichever city has suffered the longest drought, so my heart is with the Blue Jays, but if Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Ohtani are on their game, I’d have to say the Dodgers. My favorite player is still Mookie Betts, so I won’t be too sad if the Dodgers prevail.