1907-10 PC805 Novelty Cutlery Postcards Set and Checklist

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	PC805 Novelty Cutlery Postcards
Year	c.1907-10
Size	3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Images	Black and White
Type	Postcards
Number in Set	25

PC805 Novelty Cutlery Postcards Overview

The PC805 Novelty Cutlery postcards set includes various baseball players. Black and white photos are on the fronts inside of a decorative frame with the player’s name printed in a simple capital-letter font at the bottom. The backs include the area for the sender to write his/her message and the recipient address.

The border has a unique design to make it appear as if the card is in some sort of frame. The gray frame combined with the black and white image also makes it look like a single item.

The distributor of these postcards was Novelty Cutlery. Their name can be seen in very small print underneath the picture on each postcard.

Most of the set consists of individual pictures but a few dual shots exist as well. One features Hall of Famer Johnny Evers and Germany Schaefer, but the real prize is the one featuring Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. Both were arguably the top two position players of the early 1900s.

These postcards are somewhat scarce. While SGC has graded at least one of every card in the set, they have only graded about 100 total.

Dating Conundrum

Dating this set to the specific years it was distributed has proven difficult.

The cards are often dated to 1907-09, likely due to some of the imagery on them. However, they are also sometimes listed as a 1910 set. I have tentatively listed this series as a 1907-10 set to satisfy both of those opinions but it should be noted that no conclusive evidence has ever been provided identifying the series to any specific year or years.

Of note is that the Wagner/Cobb postcard depicts the two shaking hands from the 1909 World Series. Thus, that particular card could not have been issued prior to 1909. However, other cards have imagery from earlier years with some collectors believing that production on the set began prior to that and that postcards were released over several years.

Dating is particularly interesting in the case of Cobb’s cards. Since his rookies are generally believed to begin in 1907, this card is sometimes viewed as a rookie issue for the legendary player.

Lots of discussion exists on this topic, including threads such as this. Until more conclusive evidence is provided, however, we are left to consider this as an issue that was likely published sometime during the 1907-10 timeframe.