Lets talk Tango Eggs...

[irishdenny]

I know that in the past there has been some conflicting stories about "The Find". I'm just hoping to get a little bit better of insight to the actual Number amount of each of the Cards that were part of the original find. The Letter only show Cards in an approximate amount.

I'd like to verify the Cards and their total if possible...

Any help would be Greatly Appreciated...

[Jay Wolt]

I'm sure Anthony will chime in as he knows more about this issue then anyone I know.

Here's the most populated card

http://www.qualitycards.com/pictures/11381674.jpg

[e107collector]

Has anyone actually seen the Honus Wagner Tango eggs?

Or is this just a myth up to this point?

Tony

[4815162342]

Well the Cobb (http://www.goodwinandco.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=18532) showed up, so who knows?

[Griffins]

I have a strong theory that there actually 48 cards in the set, we just haven't seen them all.
Uncataloged is this Rebel Oakes. It has a similar stamp on the back as the Cobb that recently was discovered, and was definitely pre find.
http://photos.imageevent.com/griffins/prewwi/1916tangoeggs/large/Untitled-3.tif.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/griffins/prewwi/1916tangoeggs/large/Untitled-4.tif.jpg

BTW, some of the info in the REA writeup and the letter above is inaccurate. There are at least 2 Morgans, and I can account for 3 Crawfords and 4 Bresnahans in collections that I know of, including my examples. I"m sure there are more.

[Jaybird]

Nice card, Anthony. Love how his glove is reaching out of the frame.

[E93]

Anthony,
That card is a beauty!
JimB

[ethicsprof]

that is one of the most beautiful cards i've seen!!!
I,too, am in awe of that image of the card transcending the frame!
all the best, ole buddy

barry

[Griffins]

Ok, found my notes.
Frank Ward has stated a few times on various boards that Tango Eggs were known to exist before the find. Since I've always found Frank to be a solid source of knowledge and never passing off speculation or fuzzy memory as fact, I took his words as fact and worked backwards to try and prove them.

In my mind, this proof came in the form of the Oakes above, and was corroborated by the Cobb that surfaced last year. Both were obviously in considerably lesser condition than the rest of the find that came up about '91, and seemed to indicate that they were in circulation since '16.
You'll note that the stamp on the back of the Oakes reads " No. 435"
The Cobb that was found last year and sold in Goodwins auction is stamped "No. 552" which leads me to several theories (and I stress it should be taken just as that, speculation)

- Each card that was released was numbered. Perhaps for some sort of redemption, perhaps not. But the fact that Numbers 435 and 552 have been found leads me to believe there were at least 552 issued.

-The set now numbers 19 known. This is fact. 16 in the REA auction, plus the acknowledged (by Rob) Cobb and Schaeffer, plus my Oakes. My speculation is that that is an odd number to print, and doesn't make sense. You don't leave blank space on a printing sheet- it's a waste of money, since you're still paying for paper, ink and press time. Given the parallels between this set and the E106 set it is plausible that the set initially totaled 48 subjects, with a different back (Tango Eggs) printed on that set. Each known Tango card has the exact same front as the corresponding card in the E106 set, just with a different back and in a few cases (Weaver among them) the Tango set has changed the correct name of the player in the E106 set to an incorrect identification when printed for Tango. If this theory is correct then there was (or is) another pose of Cobb, a couple of different Wagners, as well as a Matty, Marquard, Lajoie, Speaker, Bender and McGraw, among others. One prominent collector has always insisted he either has or has owned 2 different Cobbs, but has never produced images.

- Again, there is no reason to have 300 Beschers printed and only 1 Cobb. The same amount was probably printed of each card, but neither Bescher nor Jennings were probably ever distributed, and Cobb and Oakes were. There were a handful of leftovers of Morgan (the letter above and the REA description states there is only one of these, which is incorrect. There are at least 2) and Crawford and Bresnahan, et al, so those were kept in the pile that eventually became "the find".

Like most E cards of the era, Tango Eggs exhibit incredible color and by being hidden away for 75 years has provided an opportunity to obtain examples (most often the relatively common Bescher and Jennings) in near pristine condition for a low price. It will be interesting to see if any more surface.

[fkw]

strange thing about the letter above is it says "1993" the find was discovered before 1993...

some images...


here is an image I saved of that vintage wear Cobb (standing w/bat) that surfaced a while back, same stamp as Anthony's beautiful Oakes card
http://centuryoldcards.com/images/1915tangocobb.jpg


this is an ad Mr Mint put in the SCD about 20 years ago (June 12, 1992) to test the market demand on the "find" cards. From my understanding he never even owned the cards at this time (if ever), but did this just to see how many phone calls he would get (I called him super quick and was told they were all Sold), thus knowing if he should buy the cards outright, to resell.

http://centuryoldcards.com/images/6-12-92tangoad1.jpg http://centuryoldcards.com/images/6-12-92tangoad2.jpg

[atx840]

http://i.imgur.com/a81wO.jpg

[steve B]

That explains a lot. I called too, a bit later since I got SCD from the local shop. Left a message and never heard back.

Besides not liking the boastful flasiness I've held that against him for probably too long.

I did work at a show where the table I worked at was right across from his and got to see the whole "security guards and a casefull of cash" act close up. Good for the show since he actually drew people on his own, less good for the other dealers as most of "his" draw went to his table and left right after.

Steve B

strange thing about the letter above is it says "1993" the find was discovered before 1993...

some images...


here is an image I saved of that vintage wear Cobb (standing w/bat) that surfaced a while back, same stamp as Anthony's beautiful Oakes card
http://centuryoldcards.com/images/1915tangocobb.jpg


this is an ad Mr Mint put in the SCD about 20 years ago (June 12, 1992) to test the market demand on the "find" cards. From my understanding he never even owned the cards at this time (if ever), but did this just to see how many phone calls he would get (I called him super quick and was told they were all Sold), thus knowing if he should buy the cards outright, to resell.

http://centuryoldcards.com/images/6-12-92tangoad1.jpg http://centuryoldcards.com/images/6-12-92tangoad2.jpg

[irishdenny]

Gentleman,

Thank you all for your insight!

Anthony, I see that you've Noticed the "Tango Eggs" cards with great interest.
Might you have some kind of Break down of the amount of each card? Your Best guess thru your experience would be appreciated!

Just thought I'd ask...

Oh Yeah, That "Rebel Oaks" of your's is a Screamer... Would go Mighty fine with my Weaver :)

[ullmandds]

Weaver=Tinker, right?