• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Memorabilia News / Pros And Cons Of Collecting Strip Cards

Pros And Cons Of Collecting Strip Cards

October 14, 2016 By Anson Whaley

When it comes to pre-war baseball card collecting, it’s no secret that it can be an expensive endeavor. For that reason, one type of card that budget-conscious collectors will turn to is the strip card.

Is it right for you? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of collecting them.

Benefits Of Collecting Strip Cards

By far and away, the most obvious reason to collect strip cards is their wajocobbaffordability. Despite the earliest ones being more than 100 years old, these can usually be found at very reasonable prices – especially in raw lower-grade condition. It isn’t unusual to see commruthons $25 or sometimes even less.

But unless you’re a team, set, or type collector, commons might don’t interest you that much. Many turn to strip cards to obtain affordable cards of Hall of Famers and big name players. At auction, Babe Ruth strip cards from his playing days can be purchased for only a few hundred dollars – a fraction of what many of his other cards from that era will cost. Other Hall of Famers are easily found at under $100.

Babe Ruth 1920 strip cardWhile cost is one reason to collect strip cards, another is that they filled a significant gap in history when few card sets were being created. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte from the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox team is a well-known player but has only a few dozen cards from his playing days. However, several of those are striBabe Ruth 1919-1921 W514p card releases, including the W-514, W-516, and W-555 sets. For collectors searching for as many cards of a particular pre-war player, strip cards are essential pieces.

Strip cards can also be helpful when securing cards of little-known players. Former Giants/Phillies third baseman Goldie Rapp, for example, played only briefly in the early 1920s. Because of that, he has only a handful of known cards. Three of them, however, are strip cards.

Another check in the ‘positive’ column is that they are rare and there is a solid market for them. The prices strip cards command aren’t as much as other issues, but collectors are still eager to add them to their collection at the right price. And given the rarity factor and those low prices, an increase in future value seems entirely possible.

Several Negatives To Strip Cards

Unfortunately, there are several reasons some collectors have decided they aren’t worth the trouble.

FStrip-card-findrom an aesthetics standpoint, some are downright ugly. The artwork on many is very crude and they lack the detail provided in other mainstream releases, such as the American Tobacco Company cards or caramel cards. Some of the pictorials are certainly passable. However, strip cards as a whole rank near the bottom of the pile when it comes to quality of the artwork.

Strip cards are also very delicate – even more so than tobacco and caramel cards from the same era. They were generally printed on thinner paper stock, which can make damaging raw cards entirely too easy. Even if you are not a fan of slabbed cards, third-party graders offer good protection on these fragile issues. Along those lines, since these were sold or given away by merchants with assorted purchases, they were often hastily cut or ripped presenting uneven, crooked, and tattered borders. It isn’t uncommon to see them with terrible edges.

dazzyIn addition, almost all strip cards are entirely blank-backed. If you’re a fan of the elaborate advertising backs found on T-206 cards, player biographies introduced on T-205 cards, or checklists, such as those found on some E-card and N-card issues, you may be disappointed with the empty backs. Many issues are blank-backed, so it isn’t the worst thing in the world. However, those empty backs also add to the aesthetics problem.

Finally, as with any number of card issues, there are plenty of fakes of the big-name players. And given that many collectors are unaware of how they look/feel, it is even easier to pass these off as the real deal. Third-party graders aren’t perfect, but they can be helpful here when buying Hall of Famers or other desired players that could be the target of fakes. If purchasing raw cards of star players, however, caution should be taken.

At the end of the day, all collectors must decide on their own what they want to collect. Strip cards are not for everyone but they are also a good way to fill voids in collections.

You can see hundreds of strip cards for sale on eBay here.

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

The Roaring 20s: A Look at Baseball Collecting 100 Years Ago The Rarity of W514 Strip Cards with Advertising Backs W513 Strip Card Set Followed Star-Heavy W512 Release W512 Strip Card Set Anchored By Baseball Stars 1915 E106 American Caramel Set A Throwback To E90-1 and E92 Issues E94 Close Candy Set Includes Legends, Unique Back Ads E93 Standard Caramel Cards A Unique Issue 10 Top T207 Cards to Test Your Tenacity

About Anson Whaley

Anson Whaley is a contributor to Sports Collectors Daily and has been an avid pre-war and vintage card collector for more than 20 years. He manages a pre-war sports card blog and database at www.prewarcards.com . You can email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter @PreWarCards.

Filed Under: Old Baseball Card Sets, Sports Card News, Sports Memorabilia News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: Eddie Cicotte, pre-War baseball cards, pre-War cards, strip cards

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball & Football Card Auction Ending October 3, 2023
  • REA September 2023 Encore Auction Brings in $1.7 Million in Sales
  • PWCC September 2023 Premier Auction Recap

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window