Your Information Resource for Vintage Baseball Cards
eNews Issue #56 (December 2008)      www.oldcardboard.com

Please Note: If images are not loading in this email, click here. Welcome to Old Cardboard, the most complete reference resource for information about collecting vintage baseball cards and related memorabilia.  More information about this eNewsletter and its companion website and magazine are found at the bottom of this page. Contents: 1. Updated Auction and Show Calendar 2. Featured Set: 1906 Columbus Dispatch Postcards 3. Latest Updates to the OldCardboard.com Website 4. Rob Dewolf Wins Old Cardboard Hold'em Championship for 2008 5. News Briefs (A Digest of Recent Hobby Happenings) 1. Updated Auction and Show Calendar The following is a summary of vintage card events coming up in the next 30-45 days. For the most current listings on additional vintage card shows and auctions, see the Show and Auction Calendar on the Old Cardboard website.

OC eNewsletter Sponsor

December 2008
8	New York City	Mastro Legends Live Auction (see website for details).
11	Phone/Internet	Historic Auctions Winter Auction (see website for details).
13	Phone/Internet	Memory Lane Auction (see website for details).
17-18	Phone/Internet	Mastro Sports & Americana Premier Catalog Auction (see website for details).
January 2009
8	Phone/Internet	Collectible Classics Auction (see website for details).
29	Phone/Internet	SCP Auctions (see website for details).
29	Phone/Internet	Goodwin & Co. Auction (see website for details).

2. Featured Set: 1906 Columbus Dispatch Postcards This set of sixteen postcards was issued 1906. The cards and were originally acquired by redeeming a coupon found in the Columbus Dispatch newspaper. The Dispatch was (and still is) the largest newspaper in Columbus, Ohio. Of the sixteen cards in the set, only two are baseball related. The one depicting the Columbus team (see top image at left) is the most common, perhaps because it was used as a promotional card for the full set. The caption at the bottom of this team card reads "Columbus Baseball Team for 1906. Twice Champions of the American Association." The other baseball-themed card from the set depicts an in-progress game (see bottom image at left). The caption on this card reads "16,195 Fans watching the July 1 Base Ball Game between Columbus and Toledo." The other 14 subjects in the series picture landmark buildings around Columbus and are also relatively common for cards from a century-old card set. An example back from the postcard set is shown in the image below. As seen, it was printed just prior to the change in U. S. Postal Service rules that allowed messages to be written on postcard backs, and thus carries the message "This Side for Address Only." However, the USPS rules apparently did allow a brief promotional message to be printed on the back and evident on this example. The message on this card also explains how the cards from the set were originally acquired: "This Series of Columbus Dispatch Post Cards Consists of 16 subjects. A Post Card Coupon cut from The Dispatch gets you one card; 15 coupons get you the entire series. No charge." The set was apparently printed and distributed in late 1906 (clearly, after the American Association championship was determined). However, cards from the set are often seen today with 1907 postmarks. It should also be noted that the team again claimed the Association title in 1907. It is also interesting to note the the player on the top row (furthest to the left) of the team card above was photographically "added" to the original image. Most of the starting nine on the Columbus team were veterans of the major leagues. One of them, outfielder Ollie Pickering, claims the distinction of being the American League’s first batter. On opening day of the circuit’s first major league campaign in 1901, three of the four scheduled games were rained out. The only one played was Cleveland at Chicago and Pickering was the Indians’ leadoff man. Old Cardboard reader Rob Dewolf, who lives in Columbus (and coincidentally works at The Dispatch), reports that he sees these quite often at local antique shows and shops. "If these were at all rare," says Dewolf, "I'd have already snooped around old storage closets, looking for a few unopen cases. But they're not, so I haven't." Even more coincidentally, Rob has just won the 2008 Old Cardboard Texas Hold'em Championship Series (for details, see Item 4 below and visit the Monthly Winners and Leaderboard for the 2008 Trophy page on the Old Cardboard website). The website has also been updated to include a Profile of the Columbus Dispatch postcard premium issue, as well as a long-awaited checklist and comprehensive gallery of the two-card set. OC eNewsletter Sponsor 3. Latest Updates to the OldCardboard.com Website We are continually expanding the Old Cardboard website with more set profiles, checklists and card galleries. Recent (past 30-40 days) additions include: Set Profiles have been added for: 1948   PC797   Gunther Beer "Senators" Postcards Set Checklists have been added for: 1948   PC797   Gunther Beer "Senators" Postcards 1906   Columbus Dispatch Post Cards (baseball only; 2 cards) Set Galleries have been added for: 1906   Columbus Dispatch Post Cards (baseball only; 2 cards) Updating the website with checklists and full set galleries for additional vintage sets is an ongoing project, so check back often to check out the latest additions. There are now many thousands of card images on the Old Cardboard website and the list continues to grow. We welcome and encourage feedback with checklist additions, card images, error corrections and suggestions. Please send all input to editor@oldcardboard.com. 4. Rob Dewolf Wins Old Cardboard Hold'em Championship for 2008 Its now official. Rob Dewolf (wolfie51sb) has clinched the title as this year's Grand Champion of the Old Cardboard Texas Hold'em Series. And there's still one tournament still to play! As the 2008 Grand Champion, Rob will receive a "Roving Trophy" with a panel inscribed showing him as the 2008 winner. The trophy will reside with Rob throughout 2009, then be forwarded to the new winner for 2009. An add-on brass plate inscribed with each new Champion's name will be provided by Old Cardboard. The trophy, as shown here, features a four-inch poker chip atop a black marble base. As 2008 Champion, Rob will hold the Roving Trophy during 2009 as well as other prizes. As of the completion of the November Tournament, Rob has accumulated 23 points, placing him eight points ahead of three other players now tied in second place position (each now totals 15 points). That's more than enough to cinch first place in the 12-tournament 2008 Series. The December tournament which completes the 2008 Series will be played December 16. The next four prize-winning positions (positions 2 through 5) will be determined in that contest. To join the fun, login to PokerStars Private tournament Old Cardboard #12 (PokerStars #121567478; Password to register is t3t4t5). The tournaments are sponsored by Old Cardboard exclusively for vintage card and memorabilia collectors, with all subscribers of Old Cardboard magazine eligible to earn points toward the Trophy and other prizes. A follow-up Series is planned for 2009. Details can will be posted on the Old Cardboard website. 5. News Briefs (A Digest of Recent Hobby Happenings) Auction Activity Continues Despite Economy. Despite the sluggish economy and some reports of the softening of sales of vintage cards, the usual Winter auction activity continues unabated. With several vintage events in December already past, more are scheduled. As the above Events Calendar shows, Mastro Auctions is conducting its "Legends" Live Auction this coming Monday (December 8) at the Sports Museum of America in New York City. The "Legends of the Diamond" session of the auction will feature 80 lots of exceptional vintage baseball cards and memorabilia. The Mastro Legends event is followed by other key vintage auctions organized by Historic Auctions, Memory Lane, and a Sports and Americana Catalog finale for the year by Mastro--all before Christmas. Legacy Sports Rarities Announces Inaugural Catalog Auction. Aside from all of the above auction activity and a couple of new shows and auctioneers that launched in 2008, at least one new vintage card and memorabilia veteran will be throwing his hat into the auctioneer's ring in 2009. Thus, Legacy Sports Rarities recently announced its first auction, scheduled to close on March 28, 2009. Legacy was founded in 2002 by veteran hobbyist and dealer Greg Bussineau. The auction will feature several hundred lots including several high-grade Old Judge Hall-of-Famers; a PSA 3 Gypsy Queen of Tim Keefe; PSA 8 N28’s of Cap Anson and John Clarkson; a PSA 4 E90-1 of Joe Jackson and a large group of high-grade T206s. Lyman and Brett Hardeman Old Cardboard, LLC. Old Cardboard, LLC. was established in December 2003, to help bring information on vintage baseball card collecting to the hobbyist.  Produced by collectors for collectors, this comprehensive resource consists of three components: (1) Old Cardboard Magazine, (2) a companion website at www.oldcardboard.com and (3) this eNewsletter. The Old Cardboard website contains more than 500 pages of descriptive reference information for baseball card sets produced fifty years ago or longer.  Each of these set summaries has a direct set-specific link to auctions and a similar link to 's powerful search engine for further research.  The website also includes a Show and Auction Calendar, an eBay Top 50 Vintage Sellers List, and much more.  As a result, the Old Cardboard website makes a great "Alt-tab" companion for vintage card shoppers and researchers.  Old Cardboard eNews provides current hobby news, upcoming shows and auctions, and updates to the website and the magazine.  It is published around the middle of each month.  For a FREE subscription to the eNewsletter, or for subscription information on Old Cardboard Magazine, please visit the website at www.oldcardboard.com.  If you find this information resource helpful, please tell your friends.  We need your support and your feedback. Thank you.