T206's only? Please help me understand this 'F. Scott Fitzgerald' Obak

[MULLINS5]

I have been studying Fitzgerald for many years and can tell you, for certain, that he collected t206 cards. I have seen this stamp in some of his childhood books and the outer flap of envelopes (where people use wax to seal it shut). He left his baseball cards behind when he went to college. Throughout his life he moved around a lot, but the cards stayed at home. He got them back when his mother died in the late '30s which must have renewed interest in collecting because he bought some as an adult late in his life, while in California. They did go up for auction and Matthew Bruccoli was the underbidder on the lot.

I can't tell you if the cards pictured are his or not, but the stamps I've seen which ARE his look eerily similar, with an outline around the letter (most noticeably on the bottom). Even though there is no definitive proof that a particular card came from his collection, I would still love to pick-up a couple to add to my Fitzgerald items.

Happy to assist in any way I can. Hope this is OK to post here, but my site is feel free to contact me if you have some for sale or have any questions about Fitz.

Patrick

[unamuzd1]

Originally Posted by MULLINS5

I have been studying Fitzgerald for many years and can tell you, for certain, that he collected t206 cards. I have seen this stamp in some of his childhood books and the outer flap of envelopes (where people use wax to seal it shut).
Patrick

I think that if you can provide pictures of the stamp in items with verifiable FSF provenance, there will be some very happy collectors, myself included. I've not seen anyone make that connection.

Don't misunderstand me - I'm not doubting your word. Why would I? It looks like we're probably kin!

[brianp-beme]

Thanks Patrick for posting. It is the first time that I have heard a little more concrete info pertaining to these stamped cards. The fact that he used this stamp on childhood books and envelopes certainly makes it much more plausible that the stamps seen on cards are indeed legit.

Do you remember where you heard or read about the Fitzgerald and his T206 collection, and his later collecting?

Brian

[MULLINS5]

I first heard it from Matthew Bruccoli my freshman year of college in 2006. I am going to reach out to some of my sources at the F. Scott and Zelda Museum, as well as Sam and Eleanor Lanahan (F. Scott's grandchildren) to see if I can get some more information to share. Some of my college professors likely will be able to provide more info, too, perhaps some pictures of the stamp in his childhood books.

[MULLINS5]

While we're talking Fitzgerald, here's an album he bought for his daughter Scottie while in Paris. I sold this to the F. Scott and Zelda Museum a few years ago. A book that I still have (and I'll get pictures of it soon) is a copy of Crime and Punishment that Fitzgerald gave to Scottie while she was in college. At one time she wanted to be a writer, so her father wrote on the title page a page number to a passage on writing.

[MULLINS5]

...and a custom card I had made with Warner Baxter's auto. He is the first actor to play Jay Gatsby (1926 silent film).

[brianp-beme]

I looked up the Matthew Bruccoli that Patrick mentioned, and evidently he was the preeminent F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar, as well as having published and edited posthumous FSF writings. Even better, he was a noted Fitzgerald memorabilia collector who eventually bequeathed a collection worth 2 million of FSF material.

Great info, and thanks Patrick for really upping the volume in this conversation.

Brian

[MULLINS5]

Happy to help Brian, this is actually pretty exciting. Really looking forward to adding to the conversation.