As a pre-war collector, I've bought my share of ugly cards. I'm not enamored with them, really. And, like most, I'd like to have cards in the best condition possible. But unless you've got unlimited resources, if you're a collector of early cards, sacrificing a little on condition sort of goes with the territory. After all, these cards are, in some cases, 100 years old or … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: International Babe Ruth Cards Climbing in Value
The majority of Babe Ruth's baseball cards are American made. But for many years, collectors have been able to find relative bargains in the slugger's international cards. If you've been paying attention to prices lately, though, those low-priced cards are starting to disappear. Ruth's early candy and gum cards have long been expensive. But prices for those cards, along with … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: A Look at an Ivy Andrews Gum Card Rarity
While Goudey was the undisputed king of 1930s baseball gum cards, numerous other sets popped up throughout the decade. One of those was the 1933 George C. Miller Candy set and the set contains a rarity that is not known to all collectors. The player in question was Paul 'Ivy' Andrews and one variation of the card in particular is a difficult find. Let's take a closer look at … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Early Old Judge Trade Card Advertised N173 Baseball Cabinets
In the 1880s, Goodwin created a massive set of baseball cards for distribution in its Old Judge cigarette packages. The cards are among the more popular pre-war issues and comprised one of the very first baseball card sets in collecting history. The company also issued a larger, lesser known but more attractive set of baseball cabinet photographs. These photographs featured … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Pre-War E98 Gems Discovered in Repacked Boxes
Most of the time when collectors want a taste of pre-war cards, they head to eBay or another online site, a local card shop, or perhaps a card show. But finding pre-war cards isn't limited to those options. Some card companies and distributors have taken to offering pre-war cards as inserts in unopened boxes. And while finding something of substance might be difficult, some … [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...]
While Helpful, Population Reports Have Limitations
Among the services third party grading companies provide to collectors are the free population reports maintained by each entity. A population report is essentially an accounting of the cards the companies have graded. It allows you to see how many, say, T205 Cy Young cards one of them has graded. Even beyond that, pop reports also detail how many cards in a particular … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 5 Unique Pre-War Cards of Baseball Veterans
Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember those that have served this country in the military. And as baseball card collectors, most of us know that some of the game's earliest heroes on the diamond also were veterans. Some players had only brief stints during wartime while others missed several years of their careers. Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson suffered the … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Large Find of 19th Century Tobacco Cards Enters Hobby
Finding even a small 19th century tobacco collection is a notable discovery. But when that collection includes hundreds of cards, it's a haul rarely seen. That was the case, however, with a collection recently acquired by Dave Hobson of BaseballCardBuyer.com, who was approached by the owner of approximately 800 19th century cards including both sports and non-sports … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh Show Offers Plenty of Vintage Cards, Autograph Signers
The annual Pittsburgh Card Show was held this weekend and I managed to attend on Saturday. What I found was the usual solid mix of dealers with another good selection of vintage cards at Main Line Autographs' latest showcase. In all, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-80 dealers from all over the country. That is nothing new for the popular show, which has gained … [Read more...]