While it is difficult today to imagine a world without card collecting, it is worth noting that not all believed the hobby would be around for the long haul. An early newspaper article demonstrates that belief. In the early 1900s, tobacco card collecting was getting to become quite popular. An article appearing in the September 15, 1910 Pottsville Republican newspaper made … [Read more...]
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The Wayback Collector: More Than a Century Later, Tobacco Cards Remain Popular
When collectors think about the earliest baseball cards, tobacco cards are often the first ones cited. While some trade cards technically existed before tobacco issues, many of them did not feature real, professional players. That is part of the reason why collectors have gravitated more towards tobacco sets as a sort of 'go to' in terms of pre-war issues. Tobacco cards are, … [Read more...]
Did This Guy Once Buy a T206 Wagner for a Buck?
There were no top loaders. No plastic pages. Certainly no plastic slabs. Then again, baseball cards weren't really thought of as a "valuable" collectible in 1950. They were, though, occasionally worth writing about. In June of 1950, a newspaper in Newport News, VA took a photo of Norman B. Good, a local collector who had just acquired the last card … [Read more...]
Bargain Hall of Fame Baseball Cards of the 1910s (Part II of IV)
Many collectors don't realize how affordable some vintage baseball cards truly are. Collectors don't even have to settle for cards of lesser known players, either. While many issues depicting Hall of Famers are pricey, plenty of bargains exist, too. Over a four-part series, I wanted to take a look at some of the more affordable pre-war Hall of Fame cards available to … [Read more...]
5 Underrated T207 Baseball Cards
The T207 set is one of my personal favorites. Known for its drab look compared to the more colorful tobacco card sets out there, it is one of the more distinctive pre-war T-Card issues. Many stars are missing from this set, including the likes of Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, and others. Still, despite the lack of big names, some of the cards in it are a little underrated by … [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...]
5 Collectible Combinations from the T202 Hassan Triple Folders Set
The 1912 T202 Hassan Triple Folders set is a unique pre-war issue. The cards featured three separate panels with two color cards on the ends and a black and white action shot in the middle. Many believe they're among the most beautiful baseball card sets of all-time. The cards on the end are usually of the most interest. They are sometimes collected … [Read more...]
Collectors Showing Interest in Individual T202 Hassan Triple Folder Panels
The 1912 Hassan Triple Folders set (T202, for you American Card Catalog buffs) is one of the more interesting pre-war issues out there in terms of design. The cards are long and narrow but fold in two places. The two end panels feature individual pictures of players that were used in the 1911 T205 set and the middle includes a black and white action image. But while the … [Read more...]
1888 G&B Gum Release Cited as Earliest Known Gum Set
The height of the gum card era was the 1930s with Goudey, Play Ball, National Chicle, and others pumping out sets. But gum cards actually began much earlier, making their first appearance in the 19th Century. The 1888 G&B Gum card set is often cited as the earliest such release. 1888 G&B Gum Basics The 1888 G&B Gum cards didn't look like the later gum issues. … [Read more...]
Distinguishing Album Cuts From True 19th Century Cards
In the 1880s and 1890s, the earliest tobacco sports card sets were hitting the market. Along with the creation of these cards, tobacco companies wanted to reward their best customers. One of the ways they did that was through the distribution of premium albums. These albums usually included pictures of all of the cards in the set, often against some sort of decorative backdrop. … [Read more...]
