Revisiting the T206 Wagner "strip"

[GoSoxBoSox]

I have also examined it with a 10x loupe. The card was holdered so the edges couldn't be examined but I saw no evidence up peeling between cards other than areas with heavy creasing. Furthermore, I have to agree with the camp that says as a pre-production strip it's hard to hold this strip to the rules of normal production. Anything could have been done to this strip. The lines between cards could be lightly printed lines just as they print the hair on a players head? The lines could also have been put there by hand after the fact using a straight edge? The lines themselves do appear to be printed, IMHO. There is heavy creasing between the Young and the Kling along the seperation and I would think there would be more peeling if that edge was glued. The upper edge between the Brown and the Wagner has a bit of peeling that looks consistent to the heavy crease that drops towards the Brown card so it didn't strike me as odd. My last problem with the theory that these were glued together is that I would think there would be a dog ear or something along the top edge or bottom edge of the proof where the card edges meet? I saw nothing like that. If these are glued I'd like to know how because it must be one hell of a glue job after nearly 100 years in "rough" conditions. I believe many of those years were spent folded-up in Honus' old uniform pants pockets in the attic of his Pittsburgh home. The cold and the heat up there in the attic had to hurt the glue somehow, no?

All of that said I obviously have concluded it's all one strip. Either way, it's obviously a unique pre-production piece that was not subject to the same printing rules as the cards that came later during mass production.

I guess I should also mention that I have been collecting continuously since 1975 now. 30 of those years I've been into pre-war cards. Not that it should matter when stating the observations I mentioned above, but it seems to be important to some the we are qualified to have an opinion.

I would also like to say I respect the opinions of those who feel it's a 6 piece card. It's a somewhat fascinating debate because nothing would surprise me in this hobby. I sure wish we could know the truth for sure .......but that just won't happen.

Tom Papa