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...]
Pre-War Card Games Were Popular Player Endorsements
Athletes continue to do endorse all sorts of products, just as they have for the past 100 years. These products have covered nearly everything under the sun, including professional services, food/beverages, apparel, vehicles, tobacco, and nearly everything you can imagine. As games of amusement started to emerge in the late 1800s, baseball-themed card games became yet another … [Read more...]
Diving into Population Reports of T206 Hall of Famers
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...]
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...]