Let's see some postcards

[DHogan]

Thanks for information.

[GeoPoto]

From Walter's SABR Biography: Walter Perry Johnson traveled a circuitous and improbable route to his major-league debut and subsequent stardom. He was born November 6, 1887, on a farm in Allen County, Kansas, the second of six children of Minnie (Perry) and Frank Edwin Johnson. As a child, he helped his parents scratch out a living on their 160-acre farm and found time for hunting and fishing, which became his lifelong passions. Other than occasional schoolyard pickup games, baseball had no place in his early life.

At the turn of the century, Frank Johnson was forced to give up his farm as a result of the persistent Kansas droughts. The family moved into the town of Humboldt, where Frank worked at odd jobs and Walter attended the eighth grade. At this time, Minnie’s parents and siblings were all moving to the oil fields of Southern California, attracted by the good weather and plentiful jobs. After years of poverty in Kansas, a move to the Golden State seemed very appealing to Frank and Minnie. They joined the migration in April 1902, settling in Olinda where Frank found work with the Santa Fe Oil Company as a teamster.

Working on the Kansas farm and in the oil fields, Walter developed a strong, muscular, 6-feet’1 frame which eventually filled out to 200 pounds. At 16, he gained his first baseball experience with a sandlot team. Shortly afterward he started his first game against adults, pitching for a semipro team sponsored by the local oil company. Soon he was a permanent member of the oil company team, and was so impressive that a reporter commented, “Johnson was presented as a high school kid, but he is certainly a graduate in the science of delivering the ball.”

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1618680038

[rickalaska]

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[rickalaska]

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[rainier2004]

Your 805s are unreal Rich. I hope you can finish it out, you know of anyone with a complete set of those? Yours are all so nice. Did you get that nc pc on the bst last night?

I scored a couple more upgardes to my set, not as cool as the 805s but I like 'em...

[rickalaska]

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[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by rickalaska

Steve - thanks. I missed the BST auction - I was on REA. You are building a really nice set. Do you have the Speaker? I like 796 version much better because it has the background - compared to the blank background of the same Novelty Cutlery card.

Of course I do! Putting out the feelers, the Speaker is pretty sought after for the moment...Id trade mine for yours though!

[rickalaska]

Steve,

I like the composition of your Speaker card - too bad that's not Cy Young or Ed Cicotte in the background. I wonder why your Plank card has that big bottom border - compared to the cut of other cards? Also interesting how the Speaker card has those decorative dots just to the left of the name - I don't believe any of the other cards have that. Would be interesting to know more about the 796 set - I think the set is a real diamond in the rough.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by rickalaska

Steve,

I like the composition of your Speaker card - too bad that's not Cy Young or Ed Cicotte in the background. I wonder why your Plank card has that big bottom border - compared to the cut of other cards? Also interesting how the Speaker card has those decorative dots just to the left of the name - I don't believe any of the other cards have that. Would be interesting to know more about the 796 set - I think the set is a real diamond in the rough.

So my question on the background, what in the world in that player holding behind his back? Its white and looks like he is purposely hiding behind him, looks odd to me?

No idea on the symbol, only card in the set that has it. And the Plank border, again, the only card in the set that has it. It looks like the image was cropped too short and they just said screw it.

I posted this on the 805 thread last night, but the 796s look like a "rough" draft of sorts for the 805s. The company moved in 1910 and found themselves next to the photo business. The 796s have so many fonts including multiples within the same card, names on the top and bottom, weird symbol in front of Tris, weird border on Plank and then that all was cleaned up on the 805s and the NC Co. was added as well. The only non-uniformity on the 805s is the names, having some players with front and last but most with just last. 805s didnt correct the spelling of Honas either for some reason.

Plus the postmark on a 796 in 1910 while 805 is 1911...even though there is just 4 of them. IDK, 796s just seem like a rushed rough draft of what the 805s became with the nice border applied and uniformity, wonder why they blurred out some of the backgrounds though?

[rickalaska]

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[Michael B]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

So my question on the background, what in the world in that player holding behind his back? Its white and looks like he is purposely hiding behind him, looks odd to me?

I do not think he is hiding anything behind his back. It is some sort of canvas or cloth pouch. You can the the leather strap slung over to his right shoulder and under the bat.