How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Margaret</b><p>Hi, I hope someone can offer some advice about this... my sweetie found some old baseball cards and asked me to help figure out how to sell them. So, there are only eight (8) cards altogether, and that doesn't seem worthy of a subscription to Beckett's or another service. Baseball cards aren't a major focus of my life yk?<br /><br />Evidently though, these cards are rare, and I can see why because they are absolutely <i>ancient</i>. These are some really really old baseball cards, I think they were made in 1916. They're from Fleischmann Bakery. Considering how old they are, they seem to be in pretty good shape, I don't think I dare venture a guess at how they'd be graded though, since that would require an expertise beyond anything I'll ever acquire! Seven of the eight cards still have the coupons from the bakery attached to the bottom. Should I rip those off so they all match? (J/K! ha ha)<br /><br />After having spent the last couple of hours surfing around trying to see what they're worth, I'm finally beginning to understand ... nobody wants me to know the value of these cards unless I care so much about baseball cards that I'll pay to subscribe to their service or buy their big fat book listing every baseball card that's ever been made .... am I getting this right? <br /><br />Or am I just completely missing something that should be really obvious? I will readily admit that I'm completely out of touch with the concept of baseball card buying, selling, trading, collecting, loving, wanting, grading, and whatever else may be involved in this hobby..... <br /><br />Would any of you (much more knowledgeable) people care to be so kind as to clue me in? I would really really appreciate it. I looked on what I thought was the obvious (::hrmph::cough:: ebay) and there wasn't really anything much listed that was comparable to these, how weird is that? (I'm not used to things being so obscure that I can't find a few dozen of them about to expire on ebay....) But a bit of googling can go a long way, so I do know these are real cards, and they're really old, and somehow they're desirable to collectors. The question is, who are these collectors and where does one find them? And how do I find out the secret to their "value" without taking on yet another hobby (i.e. becoming obsessed with baseball cards, which is, IMO, a rather uninteresting hobby at that, but that's just me.... I'm sure a lot of people think my hobbies are a waste of time.... that's totally untrue, of course....)<br /><br />Well, TIA to anyone who's willing to steer me in the right direction with these things, I surely do appreciate it!<br /><br />~~Margaret~~ ;*p

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p><a href="http://www.capemaytimes.com/birds/nummy-island.htm" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.capemaytimes.com/birds/nummy-island.htm</a>

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Margaret, can you give us a scan or post some photos? How about the names of the players on the cards you have? The Fleischman cards are highly desirable.

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Jon Canfield</b><p>Margaret,<br /><br />Here is some brief information on your cards:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.oldcardboard.com/d/d381/d381.asp?cardsetID=998" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.oldcardboard.com/d/d381/d381.asp?cardsetID=998</a>

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Jim VB</b><p>Did anybody hear back from Margaret after her initial post? I emailed her yesterday offering to get her the SCD catalog pricing if she gave me players names. No response.

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Margaret</b><p>I apologize for that, I haven't gotten the chance to get online for more than a few minutes, except for work of course. :p <br /><br />I will post photos of the fronts as soon as I get them off the camera, this will probably take a little while b/c it's a new camera & I have to figure out how to set it up on the computer. I won't have any photos of the back sides until probably Sunday, though.<br /><br />Back in a bit!

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Couldn't you just quickly list the names of the players? That would go a long way.

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Margaret</b><p>~Beals Becker (Right Field, Philadelphia National) <br />~Tom Clark (Catcher, Cincinnati National)<br />~Heinie Groh (Third Base, Cincinnati National)<br />~Fred Landfrus (First Base, Philadelphia National)<br />~Fred Mollwitz (First Base, Cincinnati National)<br />~Pete Schneider (Pitcher, Cincinnati National)<br />~Ernie Shore (Pitcher, Boston American)<br />~Joe Wood (Pitcher, Boston American)<br /><br />Pictures to follow....

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Margaret</b><p>I couldn't seem to get the photos to stick to this forum, so here is the link to my flickr.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16466609@N06/sets/72157604069998145/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/16466609@N06/sets/72157604069998145/</a><br /><br />Any questions, just let me know. I'll be online a bit longer tonight and again tomorrow, probably in the late morning to early afternoon.<br /><br />

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Jim VB</b><p>I'll try to send you a copy of the pricing page from the SCD Standard Catalog. <br /><br />Your cards look to be in about VG condition (perhaps only G, hard to tell exactly). But they still have the coupon attached, which is important. Without that coupon they would only be worth $65-$75 each. Having the coupon increases the value 4-6 times that. <br /><br />You might be able to get more than that by having them professionally graded. <br /><br />You have actually posted this question on the board for Vintage Memorabilia. I'm going to post it on the board specifically for Vintage Baseball Cards. That should get you some better answers.

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>Erick Lewin</b><p>Hello Margaret. <br /><br /> I have a large collection of these and have some knowledge about them. I've done quite a bit of research on them. I acquired a big bunch of them from my great grandfather a few years ago. I've been trying very hard to locate a few cards that a need. I'm 7 cards away from a basic set without variations. There are 103 different players in the set. Sadly, you don't have anyone who I don't have already. I think your Landerus is a different spelling variation than mine (Luderus), so I would have some interest in that. All mine are without tabs also. Don't cut them off!<br /><br /> the previous poster is about right with the pricing I'd say. It's hard to get an accurate pricing because the cards are so rare and rarely change hands. fair/good-vg commons with the coupons like yours I would say range between 200-400 dollars a piece, depending on exact condition, player, etc... Without the tabs, he said 65-75 in that condition which may be right, maybe a bit higher?. However, for whatever reason, I hardly ever see any for sale publicly without the tabs, even though there are more without tabs out there. <br /><br /> If you wanted to sell, ebay might not be bad. You could also send them to SGC (card graders) and have them graded first. You might fetch a little more money that way. Also, the Buy/Sell/Trade forum on here is good for selling vintage cards. I'm sure there are a few guys here who would like one and pay a fair market price. Or you could consign them to an Auction House, but then they will take a commision. <br /><br /> You have a few options. If you have any other questions about the set, feel free to email me. (yanksrnice09@yahoo.com)<br /><br />

How on earth do I figure out how much these old cards are worth, anyway???
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>I would try ebay. Since you are not sure of their exact value, if you put them on B/S/T and price them too low, you will be swamped with endless emails. That's how you know you gave them away.<br /><br />On ebay at least the market will tell you what they are worth. But you should get them professionally graded.