Population reports from grading companies can tell us quite a bit about baseball cards. While they are not perfect, they certainly give us an inside look on things like perceived rarity of certain issues compared to others. T206 is arguably the most famous baseball card set of all time. The set's popularity is such that it is even collected to some degree by those that do … [Read more...]
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Let’s Be Frank: Chance Boston Garter at Auction is Super Scarce
One of only two known graded examples of the 1912 Boston Garter Frank Chance is now up for grabs. Rated “Authentic” by SGC after a long ago collector stuck it to a thin backing of yellow paper, the card is being offered by Heritage Auctions in its current Summer Trading Card catalog. While Heritage has offered a few different Boston Garter cards from two different … [Read more...]
T330 Piedmont Art Stamps are Unique … and Elusive
Believed to have been issued in 1914, the T330 Piedmont Art Stamps are among the more unique tobacco issues. Even though they have are technically classified as a T-Card issue in Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog, they could just as easily be classified as a stamp issue. Here's more on this pre-war set that slips by many collectors. T330 Piedmont Art Stamps … [Read more...]
Missing Stars from the T201 Mecca Double Folders Set
The T201 Mecca Double Folders set was interactive, long before the term came into vogue. Each card featured two players with a long vertical image of one on one side and the top of of a second on the other. The cards had a factory 'fold' and when the top half was folded down, the second player's upper body would be displayed against the same lower body of the player on the … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: Winding Down (Part III of III)
This is the final part of a three-part series covering the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I and Part II of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s as well as tobacco cards produced from the boom of 1909-11. While tobacco cards remained popular internationally for decades to come, American tobacco cards featuring … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: Boom of the 1909-11 Years (Part II of III)
This three-part series will take a look at the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s. Part II will take a look at the height of the tobacco card era. More specifically, we'll cover the sets from the 1909-11 time period. At the turn of the century, it took a while for tobacco … [Read more...]
100 Years After the Black Sox Scandal, Buck Weaver Cards Have Never Been Hotter
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the infamous Chicago Black Sox scandal. In 1919, several members of the White Sox conspired to throw the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The result was the ban of eight players from Major League Baseball by Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the sport's commissioner. Some of the players, like Shoeless Joe Jackson, were stars. Others were … [Read more...]
W555 Cards Are Small in Size But Fetch Big Prices
The W555 cards aren't your typical strip issue. In fact, they are not really a strip card at all. While classified by Jefferson Burdick in his American Card Catalog as a W-Card, the reality is that these are now known as a hand cut candy card of sorts. Collectors familiar with early cards will also note that many of the images are cropped versions of photographs that were … [Read more...]
Babe Ruth Rookie Card Found in Old Piano Now at Auction
Baseball card finds have turned up in all kinds of places over the years. Inside walls. On dusty garage shelves. Under floor boards and in countless old desks and dressers. Add one more to the list. Inside an old piano. It's not a new find, but one you've probably never heard about because it's been under wraps since the 1990s. The 1916 M101-4 Babe Ruth blank back … [Read more...]
Broadleaf/Cycle Shortprints are the Keys to the T207 Set
Issued in 1912, the T207 release is a different kind of tobacco baseball card set. We've written about the set here before and, personally, it's a favorite of mine. From the dark and mysterious aesthetics and somewhat odd player checklist, it's significantly different than most other tobacco sets from the same time period. The set is difficult to complete for any number of … [Read more...]
