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...]
5 Missing Stars from the 1933 DeLong Set
The 1933 DeLong set is one of the more popular issues for pre-war gum card collectors. The 1930s set features a really cool look with mostly black and white pictures of players against colorful backgrounds. If nothing else, they stand apart from other issues because of the aesthetics of the cards. While the Goudey sets were unmistakably king in the 1930s, sets like the 1933 … [Read more...]
New Find of 1921 Tip Top Orioles Includes Grove, 3 Previously Unknown Cards
The population of one of the hobby’s rarest and pre-War minor league sets has grown by one—but the set itself is bigger than previously thought after the additional discovery of three previously unknown players. The fresh find of 1921 White’s Bakery Tip-Top Baltimore Orioles cards is among the highlights in Memory Lane’s newly-launched catalog. The set, collected by … [Read more...]
Pre-War Cards for $10 or Less? It’s Not as Far-Fetched as it Sounds
Many collectors avoid pre-war cards because of the perceived high costs. While tobacco and caramel cards of stars are often pricey, plenty of bargains are there for the taking. In fact, some of these cards can be bought for as little as $10 or less. Here's a look at some of the more popular affordable pre-war cards that feature real players as opposed to generic … [Read more...]
Five Missing Cards from the Popular 1930s Diamond Stars Set
Goudey ruled baseball cards in the 1930s but plenty of other sets made their mark and remain popular even today. One of those is the Diamond Stars set. These cards had an art deco feel and were issued from 1934 through 1936. After the Goudey sets of the 1930s, these cards are some of the more popular ones from the 1930s. Minus variations, the set includes a healthy 108 … [Read more...]
Family’s Long Search for Rare Card of Great Grandfather Ends Happily
One Oregon family’s history includes a relative that played big league baseball more than 100 years ago. William “Klondike” Douglass had a baseball card, too. The trouble is, it was part of one of the rarest, most desirable pre-War sets ever made. In fact, you can count the known number of 1903 Breisch-Williams cards of the Philadelphia Phillies catcher on … [Read more...]
Rare W553 Set is Full of Stars
Strip cards often are tagged with the undesirable label and can be inexpensive ways to collect early baseball stars. But not all strip cards are expensive or easy to find. One of the more elusive and expensive sets is the W553 release. Here's a closer look at this unique series that has been identified as a strip card set. W553 Basics The W553 set is not your typical strip … [Read more...]
19th Century Baseball Currency is Worth Big Bucks
As baseball grew in popularity in the 19th century, the types of collectibles offered for the sport grew as well. Collectors of early baseball cards know about tobacco cards and trade cards, but one of the more unique items found in the late 1800s was baseball currency. As we'll see in a bit, this wasn't actual currency to be used anywhere. But it was able to be used as money … [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...]
1923 German Transfers Sets Features Ruth, Cobb, and More
Pre-war sets come in all shapes and sizes. Among the more unique issues are transfers sets and one of the more popular ones is called the 1923 German Transfers set. Transfers are often called stamps and that's for good reason. They basically look like stamps and often have perforated stamp-like edges to them. But they're a little different in that they have reverse print. … [Read more...]