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...]
Mysteries Still Surround the Rare T217 Mono Cigarettes Set
The T217 Mono Cigarettes set is one of the rarest 20th century tobacco baseball card issues. Despite a relatively small checklist, completing this rare tobacco set is extremely difficult . And in the case of assembling a fully complete set, that may be impossible. About the T217 Mono Cigarettes Set If obscure baseball players is your thing, the T217 Mono Cigarettes set has … [Read more...]
Rare Monarch Typewriters Postcards Set Featured Philadelphia Athletics
Postcards are often among the more inexpensive types of pre-war sports cards. Ones with generic subjects, especially, can often be purchased for $10 or even less, depending on condition. Other postcards featuring real players, however, are a different story. And in some cases, the postcards are not only expensive, but rare, as is the case with the Monarch Typewriters Postcards … [Read more...]
1914 Baltimore News Set Home of Babe Ruth’s Minor League Rookie Card
When it comes to pre-war cards there's rare and then there's 'rare.' Consider the 1914 Baltimore News set to be in that latter category. Here's a look at this unique set that is home to one of the most expensive baseball cards in the world. 1914 Baltimore News Set Overview The 1914 Baltimore News set is one of the more obscure issues from the pre-war era that can be found. … [Read more...]
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...]
Philly Find: Stunning M116 Near Set Heading to Auction
Heritage Auctions will offer a nearly complete set of 1910-11 M116 Sporting Life baseball cards in its upcoming November Trading Card Auction. “The Philly Find” is a group of 315 cards that were kept by a Philadelphia family where they had been passed down since the time of issue. The set, which immediately took over first place on the PSA Set Registry after the … [Read more...]
1911 E94 Blome’s Chocolates Cards Remain Elusive
The E94 cards are mostly attributed as George Close Candy cards. While some of the cards have only a checklist back, some of these cards feature an assortment of stamped advertisements for that candymaker from Massachusetts. These are mostly blue-ink back ads with a variety of slogans. Some of the ads are even dotted with a typo, reading, "Your Out" or "Your Safe" that would … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Pop Report Comparisons of Pre-War and Post-War Vintage
Whenever I write about anything involving the population reports from third party grading companies (i.e. PSA, SGC, and Beckett), I like to throw out the standard reminder that they aren't perfect. But what those "pop reports" can do is help give us an idea of the rarity between certain sets. Typically, I've used them in comparing the perceived rarity of sets from the same … [Read more...]
Cards of Troubled Pre-War Star Hal Chase Remain Popular With Collectors
When the topic of betting on baseball is discussed, the most common subjects mentioned are Pete Rose and the 1919 Chicago White Sox team. Their cases are well documented by collectors and, in the case of the White Sox, it has even driven the card values of most of the involved players far beyond what they would be otherwise. The prices for cards of players such as Buck … [Read more...]
Starting a Pre-War Baseball Card Collection for $300
The prices of pre-war cards continue to rise. In particular, Hall of Famers and stars are getting expensive enough that some collectors have been priced out of the market for some sets. Despite that, the hobby continues to see collectors eagerly getting into the market for these decades old issues. That is evident for mainstream sets like T206, which continue to … [Read more...]