Dating 1907 A.C. Dietsche Postcards by Stamp Box

[insidethewrapper]

My Fielding Cobb has the two lines: Foreign
Two Cents

The smaller print is also on my fielding version. Not sure if they come both ways.

Since fielding is supposed to be early, then the above probably was first printing variation.

[Bicem]

That's a good point, the bottom one probably came first but the top is a little tougher.

[sb1]

You would think that the Cobb Fielding back would be the first one produced, but it appears to only come with the lower pic, smaller text back.

So did the Cobb Fielding really come first or was it issued in between the other two print runs???

The large font upper image shown is definitely tougher by number of internet images.

[Baseball Rarities]

Scott - as mentioned, the two different backs are known. Every card in the 1907 set is known with both backs, with the exception of the Cobb fielding which I have only seen with the biography in smaller print, which also has the stamp box that reads:

Foreign, Two
Cents

AFAIK, the Dietsche postcards were first announced on October 1, 1907 in newspaper ads. One of the ads specifically states that there are 15 cards in the full set. There is a photo of a display dated October 05, 1907 picturing a set of 15 with a Cobb fielding, so I have always assumed that that version was issued first.

[sb1]

Thanks Kevin.

The one thing that goes against the fine print coming first is that all of the 1908's and 09's I have found, all have the fine print as well. Which would lead one to believe that the larger print came first?

Could the larger print set have been issued mid summer and then the fine print later in the year, which would perhaps solve why the Fielding is so rare, not because it was issued first, but because it was put near the end of the season.

[insidethewrapper]

Here's a letter from A.C.Dietsche to Hughie Jennings dated October 1st, 1907: