“the Wagner” of postcards
 

Which do you consider to be “the Wagner” of postcards? (excluding autographs and Negro League)

Interesting supposition! I do not seek out postcards...but I look forward to hearing some responses.

You'd perhaps get more responses if there were linked images for those of us who haven't seen all the examples referenced -- I can imagine 3-4 of them w/o a second thought, but not so much on the others

Make me work for it huh? Ok, images coming... :)

Rose Co Chase :rolleyes:

Damn.

1907 Seamless Steel Tubes Ty Cobb
http://mar10.hugginsandscott.com/f10...b_postcard.jpg

1908 Rose Co. Ty Cobb
http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Ite...23781a_lg.jpeg

1908 Rose Co. Honus Wagner
http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Ite...a-copy_lg.jpeg

c1908 Greenville Joe Jackson
http://catalog.scpauctions.com/ItemI...1159-a_lg.jpeg

c1909 Weiser Wonder Walter Johnson
http://www.goodwinandco.com/ItemImag...ot15a_med.jpeg

1915 RPPC Boston Red Sox w/ Ruth
http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/...em_24544_1.jpg

Are you going for issued "sets" or do possibly unique RPPC count? I really like those early circa 1915-16 Ruths.

That steel tube cobb is an incredible image. Intimidation!

Good question, was thinking sets or at least widely distributed, but whatever you feel qualifies.

I don't know how widely distributed that Greenville Jackson postcard was, but that thing is amazing.

My personal favorite is Joe D's 1903 PC of the New York Giants.

Unfortunately I couldn't find my scan.

yes...that joe jackson postcard is amazing! i would surmise that most listed postcards are known to exist in numbers barely approaching double digits at best.

And that the "honus wagner" of postcards will vary from pc collector to pc collector depending on what they need.

That's a good one too Steve...

(not Joe's but another copy...)

http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Ite...10674a_lg.jpeg

The Babe, Shonen.

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...1&d=1413234525

No.

I have long believed that Joe Jackson to be a fantasy piece and not authentic so not that one for sure!

if the jj is not real I want my vote back!!!!

I'll vote with an image of one of the candidates and another toughie

My vote:

This Joe Jackson postcard.

Tony

I voted for the Ruth w/the Red Sox pstcard. It still kinda surprises me how "cheap" the 1912 Jim Thorpe postcards that predate his M101-5 are. I know they are not bigger than the Ruth postcard, but I think Thorpe at the 1912 Olympics is an iconic postcard.

I'll be in the minority, but a Bregstone Waddell, without hesitation, makes my top-5.

I hear that. Wish it was a real photo postcard.

Though I am very unfamiliar with this terrain, and probably influenced by my current reading choice, I had to go with 'The Weiser Wonder'!
(speaking of t-r-ains!)

Why exclude the Negro Leagues? I understand excluding an autographed item but not the NL.

FWIW, I'd most like to own a 1915 Ruth RPPC.

You forgot the Duke and the Man of Steel:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ku_%20Duke.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ising%20PC.jpg

I'd be happy just to see a high res scan. :(

Maybe a bit outside the question in context, but this one paralells the Wagner in a few ways. Withdrawn from sale, probably due to poor printing quality, but the other story is that McKinleys widow didn't like it. Only one box of 500 was shipped by mistake, to a company that operated garbage barges for NYC, so an iffy link to 52Topps High numbers too. All were printed with an address and info for the tugboat operator to fill out. Unaddressed ones were actually specimens that got out. Not quite as expensive, but still pretty pricy for a plain postcard. (Sorry for the long link)

Steve B

https://www.siegelauctions.com/lot_g...calledfrom=lkp

Holy $hit, that Duke PC is awesome, Adam.

Thank you for sharing.

My favorite. ...
 

But not my card

That's a great one too Tony! Interesting responses so far.

selfish reasons, I don't collect them.

Anyone have a scan of the 1908 Rose Company Tris Speaker? I've never seen one. That might top my list if you are only looking for ACC designated postcards.

Otherwise, I'd concur with the vote for the 1907 Team PC w/ Joe Jax!

For me there is nothing that even comes close to the seamless steel tubes Cobb (my personal holy grail), but the 1910 Sepia Cobb/Wagner is easily my #2 and worth mentioning in this discussion.

Or Novelty Cutlery Cobb- Wagner.

Yes! The image is amazing, both sets did it justice for sure!

Even though Tris Speaker has been on the checklist for years, I have never known anyone to have ever seen one. I believe that I have an image of every other HOFer except for him.

Then again, up until recently, I had only seen one Rose Walter Johnson in the last 25 year (Ron Mechine's, which seems to have mysteriously disappeared) and now two more have popped up in the last two months! Hopefully the same will happen with Speaker. :)

?? It is postmarked from Greenville, SC in 1909...what makes you think this is a fantasy piece?

Duke!

im not familiar with any post cards, but after looking at the scans, id take the Jackson. If its real - and not a FP

Like the idea for this thread, Jeff. Here's an old favorite from my collection, wish I still had it (especially given what it sold for at auction a few years ago, could get 4X that amount today)............

If I recall correctly, the Jackson postcard came from a newspaper/magazine clipping or baseball guide.

Hans Lobert.

http://www.net54baseball.com/attachm...1&d=1413289426

No.

Cobb w/bat, smiling in uniform......
 

agree.....nice postcard but not in the top 1000 in the hobby, to me. This one is neat, I am biased, but probably too rare for it's own good and probably still wouldn't make the cut. It's pretty much the only MLB postcard I own as I don't collect them (you are welcome pc collectors).

http://luckeycards.com/ppcunc1912cobbwithbat2.jpg

I'm not a big fan of the Greenville Jackson as it looks like it was cut out of a newspaper; also I can't rank a RPPC as a top one as they're just too varied and don't have the history of a regular postcard. That being said I WISH there was such a thing as a Wagner-type PC, especially since I own two of the ones on the list.

As someone who owns many rare Cobb PCs, I think my favorite two (which encompasses looks and rarity) are the Rose PC and this one:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3015/...616db3e7_o.jpg

Jeff I love that one. I love cards that show players teeth!

This.
 

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That Free Press PC of Cobb is beautiful, Jeff. Great image on that.

I like the Pebble Beach Joe Di Maggio - like that it's signed (as all Pebble Beach PCs are). Picture from Old Cardboard website:

Attachment 164368

Interesting, and great to see these wonderful postcards, but I don't get the analogy. IMO, there's not such thing as a "Wagner of postcards," since the circumstances of issue and collecting between T-206s and postcards are so different. To me it's like saying, "What's the Wagner of pennants, or pins, etc." There is no Wagner of those, or of postcards, either. But maybe this is just the contrarian in me.

I think the OP surely recognizes that but simply asks what is the holy grail of postcard collecting?

Exactly, To say the Wagner is the holy grail of card collecting is equally as dubious given that the Wagner does not give eternal life, clearly exists and never appeared in an Indiana Jones Movie.

"I told him we already got one!"


FWIW, my vote would be for the Ruth team shot with Boston.

Yeah, those Pebble Beach cards are pretty wicked too. I've only seen one DiMaggio in person in 30+ years of collecting. I have seen two O'Douls, and got one for myself at the 2006 National in Anaheim:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...quDoul%202.jpg

Mona Lisa of postcards?

Plus, I had to reference t206 in some capacity to even get people to look at the thread.

Meh
Great thread but I don't like the choices,
Any Rose pc: No! Big green with tiny head shot. fugly. Rather have a W600 with a better photo any day of the week
Any Joe Jackson: No! If he doesn't get banned he's basically George Sisler WITHOUT the 2 batting crowns
Ruth Redsox postcard: great card but a team shot. Unfortunately the Babe doesn't have great individual pc's like Cobb
Cobb probably has the best pc's and my grails are the Seamless Steel, The Detroit Free Press Cobb that Jeff showed, The Hubel Cobb which Jeff didn't show, the American League Publishing Cobb which Jeff didn't show, and your Underwood Matty. Could add the American League pub Wagner for good measure.

The Prince thinks otherwise :cool:
not my card

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

I'd love to have that 1911 Addie Joss Day All Star Line Up Post Card if I could ever afford it.

Ricky Y

I think Jeff's HC Hubel Cobb is pretty high up there. I'll let Jeff post his copy if he chooses. This is my unlisted contribution.

Mercy

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3195/...ff2c0f8e_o.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4080/...697afb3d_o.jpg

Nice!!!

What is on Ty's suit in the small oval pic?

Duke is my first choice... Cobbzilla is a very close 2nd

Well I think the answer is a cobb postcard! Personally I like the Detroit Free press or the hc hubel...Roses do nothing for me...even the chase!

.
 

the Hubel - & Leon's Cobb w/bat - are insanely cool - 35+ years chasing BB postcards and never seen either until now (as is the case w/ others, of course)...not to downplay the Duke (it's tough but NOT impossible!) as I've owned a few in the past 10 years - plus a RP of the identical view as well as one of the Olympic Thorpe PCs - good stuff nevertheless, same with the Pebble Beach's...however, I'd definitely put the Joss and Jackson (RP) near the top of any "Holy Grail" list, IMO.

postcards
 

For Cobb, the one below would get my vote because it's the only example, is probably the best real photo postcard of him in-action, and was snapped in 1911 during his historic .420 batting average season.

For Jackson, unless I'm forgetting something the one shown below is his rarest postcard from during his professional days.

And for Ruth, there's this unique postcard showing Ruth, Gehrig, and their young admirers during the Yankees important 1927 season.

Wagner's 1908 American League Publishing Co. postcard deserves consideration on the Wagner side of the ledger because so few have surfaced and it shows his T206 image.

For minor league collectors, there's the T210 Kelly mascot postcard.

For more, visit http://www.sportingoregon.com/

Lots of nice Cobb Postcards posted, this is the one I have. Never seen another.

Joe

C.1915 RPPC Ruth
 

My favorite is this 1915 RPPC Ruth. In the pre-stripes era Red Sox uniform, with rip knee to boot!

I'm not an expert by any means (and I'm even less of an expert when it comes to post cards). But I really like the 1907-1909 Dietsche Tigers set. So, I'd pick the Cobb batting. My favorite from the set, though, is the William Coughlin.

I have a vague memory of reading in a Cobb bio that he had received some sort of foreign honor, i.e. with all the trappings of such including the bestowing of medals.

Wow. It looks like Honus just hit a bullet into an outfield gap. Great photo.

Like the Cobbzilla

OK, but that's an entirely different question from the one asked. What's the point of asking to make an analogy if it's assumed one doesn't exist? Obviously, the answers are all to a different question, such as "What's the greatest PC?," or "What's your favorite PC?" or, as you put it, "What's the holy grail of PCs?" And that's fine, I sure like looking at all these great postcards. Don't mind me for pointing out a fallacy in the question, as I said that's just me nitpicking. Please continue on.

Confused... why can't there be a Wagner (most iconic, desirable, valuable, etc) in the postcard collecting world?

Well I think what he's saying is that the Wagner is a rarity because it was a scarcely manufactured card in a larger set that for the most part was manufactured in relatively equal numbers.

So for a true "Wagner" a postcard would need to be a set rarity if we're saying apples to apples.

ah gotcha, jeez so literal.

1915 RPPC Ruth
 

I guess this is one of my favorite cards...and yes, I voted for it.

Well, the way I see it, if you ask for an answer and it doesn't exist, then you're going to get something else. When you say "The Wagner" of something, you're talking about the most iconic, of course, and I think everyone here would agree there is no one iconic PC a la the Wagner in cards. So what, then, are people voting for and putting forth candidates for? The rarest, coolest, favorite, etc, postcard? I honestly don't know, and that's what I was wondering about. But, as I said before, don't stop the fun!

One last thing, and I hope this explains what I'm trying to say. When I looked at the list, and thought about voting, I was confused about what I would be voting for. I suspect most people are voting for their favorite among the group, and that's entirely different from choosing "a Wagner." That's all.