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...]
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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...]
The Wayback Collector: Mount Rushmore of Vintage Cards
Recently on Twitter, PSA posed an interesting question: What would be on your Mount Rushmore of baseball cards? After giving it a bit of thought, I've at least got my own list. As a bit of a disclaimer here, my Mount Rushmore is more about the most popular and prestigious cards, not necessarily the most expensive. These, to me, are the biggest cards in the hobby. While … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Dazzy Vance Family Produces Rare 1919 Zee-Nut Card
Produced from 1911 through 1938, the Zee-Nut baseball sets represented one of the longest-running pre-war series. They were produced on the west coast and the checklists consisted of minor leaguers so many names are not recognizable to even seasoned collectors. However, the Zee-Nuts sets do include several players that ultimately had Hall of Fame careers. One of those is … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 5 Pre-War Issues to Watch in 2019
As collectors, we're always looking for the next big thing. That's true at any time but the start of a new year always brings along all sorts of re-evaluations from collectors. Some will maintain their current course and change little, if nothing. Others will switch gears. And others will start looking for some bargains that may be had. Others still will just watch from afar … [Read more...]
Wayback Collector: Pre-War Autograph Market Not Likely To Be The Same After T206 Forgeries
Arguably the biggest piece of hobby news this week surrounded the discovery of some T206 forgeries. In case it's somehow eluded you, after weeding out a bad Rube Marquard autographed card, members on the Net54 vintage card forum uncovered a string of additional T206 cards that have been proven to be fakes. To date, more than a dozen have been found. Discoveries have included … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: It’s Time to Update the American Card Catalog
The American Card Catalog is the most important book in the history of card collecting. I'll listen to the argument that publications such as price guides really brought collecting to the forefront and helped establish it as a lucrative venture. But for my money, the American Card Catalog is tops in terms of importance for, particularly, older cards. First created in 1939 as … [Read more...]
