1910 Tip Top Bread (D322) Baseball Forum

Here is a question that has me stumped, and I can't seem to find any definitive answers on the internet.

Why is "Pittsburgh" on the jerseys not spelled P I T T S B U R G for the Tip Top Bread cards supposedly released in 1910?

Let me explain.

From 1891 - 1911, it was ruled that the city of Pittsburgh was to be spelled "Pittsburg," with no "H" at the end. This is apparent on signage around the city, newspapers and articles from that time period, and on all Pirates baseball cards in the 1909-1911 T206 series, 1910 E90, 1910 E93, 1911 T3 Turkey, and the 1911 T205 Gold Border series, just to name a few. But, for some reason, the 1910 Tip Top Bread set, has the city name on the jersey spelled with the "H" at the end.

Was this because the owner of Tip Top Bread was formerly from Pittsburg(h) and had an interest in spelling his former hometown the way he felt was proper? Could he have been tipped off that the city was in the process of changing the spelling, and therefore, wanted to make the card more relevant? Was it the Pirates who were tipped off that their name was going to change and wanted the cards printed with the "H" at the end?

I have found out that these cards were sent to fans who redeemed 50 labels from Tip Top Bread packages. The set contained 25 cards celebrating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1909 championship. I'm thinking that the promotion could have possibly been run during the 1910 season, and the cards then sent out at the end of the promotion, which could have carried the production well into 1911, but was called the "1910 set" because it was meant for the season following their championship. That's all I got :-) 

Any insight into this matter is very much appreciated. Especially any links to specific information regarding how the Ward Bakery/Tip Top Bread company released these cards to the public.

Thanks a bunch!  

I would prefer that it wasn't spelled that way on this site.  Beijing used to be called Peking, but we call it Beijing now.  The same goes for Chechoslovakia, which split into two.  I wouldn't want to anyone to go searching for Pittsburgh Pirates cards from that era, and being unable to find Honus Wagner because they searched Pittsburgh, and not Pittsburg.  I guess that doesn't really answer your question, but it's what came to mind. 

The change in spelling was something many citizens were pushing for, it wasn't a secretive process made by the city.  So as long as the guy payed attention to what was going on in his hometown, he probably could see the writing on the wall that the spelling would be changed soon.  I know many people there were trying to get the spelling changed as early as the turn of the century, maybe even in the 1800's.

Interesting thoughts. I have definitely run into issues finding old news articles by spelling the city with the "H." Take the "H" away and you get a treasure trove of results.

It also seems some people, even newspapers, kept spelling it with the "H" even during the "Pittsburg" time period. And vice-versa, some didn't revert back to the "H" after the 1911 change until much later. One newspaper even kept using the "Pittsburg" spelling for 20 years following the change.

Here's a link to some info on the spelling history of the city if you're intersted:

http://popularpittsburgh.com/whatsinanh/  

It's an interesting piece of US history that goes beyond just Pittsburgh. In 1891 the US government forced all -burgh cities to change to -burg.  I grew up in Middleburgh, New York. Even in the late 1960's I kept seeing both spellings, very confusing to a kid.

The "burgh" was pronounced as it would of as Edinburgh in Scotland and Aldeburgh in Suffolk.  So the "H" was dropped so it was easier to spell by sounding it out. But towns and cities fought this and many were able to add the "H" back but still pronouced "BURG"

I am sure it was your tipical Yinzer thing! lol. We throughout history have had some saying or spelling things differently. It's is inherited!