Between low supply issues and bulk buying by resellers, card collectors might think they have it difficult today. But collecting today is a breeze compared to the difficulties of buying product in the pre-internet days. And if you think card buying in the 1970s or 1980s was complex, just imagine what the very earliest collectors went through to secure needed cards. Forget … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: For Early Collectors, Finding Sports Cards Was No Small Feat
The Wayback Collector
Near Set of Rare 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards Discovered
Little is known about the unclassified baseball card set dubbed as 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards. But a new discovery of them will certainly reignite some interest in learning more about this interesting set. Calling them strip cards is even a bit misleading. In reality, these are small cards with real pictures of players. However, that is their designation in one of the … [Read more...] about Near Set of Rare 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards Discovered
The Wayback Collector: Ten Observations from a ‘National’ Rookie
Last week, I mentioned that I would be attending my first ever National Sports Collectors Convention show. It'd been a goal of mine to get to one and I safely made the trip to Chicago this week. The highlight of my trip was picking up a T207 Louis Lowdermilk card. Known as one of the toughest cards in the set, it helped me complete the standard 200-card set and that alone … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Ten Observations from a ‘National’ Rookie
The Wayback Collector: Early Sports Card Documents Pre-War Autograph Seeking
Autograph collecting is quite popular among collectors these days. And the activity is so common that it's even been depicted on cards themselves through the years. That's right, start back in the 1970s and you can find plenty of cards picturing players signing autographs. The topic's even been covered before online. Here's the thing, though. Baseball card photography has … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Early Sports Card Documents Pre-War Autograph Seeking
The Wayback Collector: Pre-War Card Bargains Can Still Be Found
The sports card craze of 2020-21 isn't one that's going to be soon forgotten. Collectors have seen prices soar and the values of their collections rise -- in many cases, dramatically. That's good news, right? In a way, sure. Some collectors have cashed out, pocketing big profits. And while others have held onto their stuff, the value of what they possess is now in most cases … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Pre-War Card Bargains Can Still Be Found
The Wayback Collector: There’s Low-Grade — and Then There’s Low-Grade
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...] about The Wayback Collector: There’s Low-Grade — and Then There’s Low-Grade
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...] about The Wayback Collector: International Babe Ruth Cards Climbing in Value
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...] about The Wayback Collector: A Look at an Ivy Andrews Gum Card Rarity
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...] about The Wayback Collector: Early Old Judge Trade Card Advertised N173 Baseball Cabinets
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...] about The Wayback Collector: Pre-War E98 Gems Discovered in Repacked Boxes