E98 (more discussion)

[caramelcard]

I don't think any cards were produced in lesser numbers. It's very unlikely since they were probably all printed in equal numbers.

I think it's popularity that makes some cards scarce. And, there are several aspects to this.

Common players like Dahlen, Vaughn, and Tenny might be more scarce because less folks held onto them. We see a ton of Cobbs and Wagners because they were already stars at the time and more people would stash them away.

On the flipside (as marc brings up above), certain player/color combos might've been more popular depending on where these groups of cards were distributed.

Cards like Mack that are semi tough might not have been even close to as interesting to consumers of the day as they are to us.

There are a lot of variables since it's possible this issue was available to retailers all over the region, but this find might shed some light on why certain cards are tough to find.

Barry, I agree that the set is most likely not a candy set. Of course, the only additional info we have is the Old Put stamp which makes it a tobacco set.

I think it's most likely a catch all issue that was used to support different products.

We have seen orange stains on several cards which complicates things a bit. The only reason I can think of that the cards would be stained is if they were enclosed with a candy that got a bit too hot.

For a while, I thought it was possible that only certain colors were sent to certain regions or that one color would be used for one product. (Old Puts support this theory). But, this find changes my thinking on that.


Rob