C46 Imperial Tobacco - Question

[ChrisStufflestreet]

I usually point out when something hits my blog that might interest folks here...but I'm going to do this a little bit differently today.

Today's blog entry (link below) is an answer to a question posed to me through my website:

A "non-computerized" elderly friend has an early card 1 1/2" x 2 5/8" depicting "Wells" with "Jersey City" on his shirt---a history of this player is on the back, some of which is missing because the card was poorly removed from a scrap book and "Baseball Series No. 56" along the bottom. I can find nothing about this series but suspect it is pre-WW I. It is not among the sets you show that I checked up to the 1930's nor is a Wells listed. Are you aware of this set of cards?---any help you can give would be appreciated.

As many here might guess fairly easily, the card in question is a C46. While I give a basic explanation in my answer along with the picture of a Wells card and a link to Old Cardboard's set description, I'm thinking it may be time to add some pre-WW1 sets to my web page as there are some that are sorely missing (No OJ, no Obaks, no A&G). I think C46 should be added as the only major pre-WW1 Canadian baseball set.

As a way of generating hobby discussion, anybody here have any info about the set? Any rarities? Back variations? Any reason there wasn't an ad for the cigarette brand on the back? Interesting players aside from the Hall of Famers (as well as Chick Gandil and Jack Dunn)? I know that some of the International League players in C46 were also in T206 but some also never made the majors. If you have anything to share with the group, please post it here.