Baseball cards had been issued since the 1860s but starting in 1909, things sort of went haywire. While there were a number of sets issued in the early 1900s, 1909 is the year when the card collecting craze of the 20th century really took off. Numerous sets were printed that year and those issues still remain popular today. 1909 really sort of kicked off a new era in collecting … [Read more...] about Welcome to the Card Collecting Craze of 1909 (Part III)
1900s Baseball Cards
Welcome to the Card Collecting Craze of 1909 (Part II)
Baseball cards had been issued since the 1860s but starting in 1909, things sort of went haywire. While there were a number of sets issued in the early 1900s, 1909 is the year when the card collecting craze of the 20th century really took off. Numerous sets were printed that year and those issues still remain popular today. 1909 really sort of kicked off a new era in collecting … [Read more...] about Welcome to the Card Collecting Craze of 1909 (Part II)
Welcome to the Card Collecting Craze of 1909 (Part I)
Baseball cards had been issued since the 1860s but starting in 1909, things sort of went haywire. While there were a number of sets issued in the early 1900s, 1909 is the year when the card collecting craze of the 20th century really took off. Numerous sets were printed that year and those issues still remain popular today. 1909 kicked off a new era in collecting and helped to … [Read more...] about Welcome to the Card Collecting Craze of 1909 (Part I)
Strike A Pose: The Famous Honus Wagner Portrait Image is Not Hard to Find
The Honus Wagner T206 issue is the most popular baseball card of all time. With all due respect to the Mike Trout Superfractor that recently sold for a record amount, the tale of the Wagner card has been spun for more than a century and the card is even fairly well known outside of the relatively small circle of baseball card collectors. Of course, as the story goes, Wagner … [Read more...] about Strike A Pose: The Famous Honus Wagner Portrait Image is Not Hard to Find
Key Cards From Baseball’s Second Class of Hall of Famers
Baseball's first Hall of Fame class from 1936 remains its most legendary. Consisting of five true greats of the game in Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and Ty Cobb, it can never be equaled. But the follow-up class that was inducted in 1937 included some special players, too. The Wagner T206 card, Ruth's M101-4/5 rookie cards, Ty Cobb's … [Read more...] about Key Cards From Baseball’s Second Class of Hall of Famers
E90-1 American Caramel Set Beyond Shoeless Joe
Distributed from 1909-11, the E90-1 American Caramel set is one of the more popular early candy releases. With 121 cards and numerous shortprints, it is an incredibly difficult build. But the card that makes ultimate completion tough is the famous rookie card of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Jackson is a cult figure among collectors for his role in the 1919 World Series fix. His … [Read more...] about E90-1 American Caramel Set Beyond Shoeless Joe
5 Key T206 Southern Leaguers
Among the many challenges of completing the T206 set is the subset of nearly 50 players from the Southern Leagues. The majority of these minor league players are not well known by collectors. Despite that, they are not necessarily cheap by comparison. While other low-grade T206 commons can be purchased starting around $20 or so, finding Southern Leaguer cards under $75 or $100 … [Read more...] about 5 Key T206 Southern Leaguers
Ty Cobb Highlights 1908 Brush Automobile Postcard Set
While much of the focus in early 20th century card collecting is often on tobacco and caramel cards, another type of card was all the rage at the same time -- postcards. Many postcard sets (as well as a slew of individual postcards) were produced in the early 1900s. Even though many of those are generic issues not featuring actual players, a good many did include pictures of … [Read more...] about Ty Cobb Highlights 1908 Brush Automobile Postcard Set
What Qualifies as a Vintage Baseball Card?
So, just what is a vintage baseball card, anyway? The idea came to me recently, though it certainly wasn't on my own. See, a baseball card group to which I belong, Old Baseball Cards, debated the topic a week or so ago. As you can imagine, answers were sort of all over the place because getting a consensus on something like that is basically impossible. To find a … [Read more...] about What Qualifies as a Vintage Baseball Card?
Prices for Cards of Baseball’s First Hall of Famers Have Soared
Baseball's first Hall of Fame class is unrivaled and the first induction included only five players. However, the players that were inducted were Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson, making for as star studded a group to be found. Several other years have also had loaded rosters but none will ever top baseball's inaugural class. Prices for … [Read more...] about Prices for Cards of Baseball’s First Hall of Famers Have Soared