Question Re: SGC Registry and E121's
 

Hi All,
Just curious to how the SGC (and PSA for that matter!) handle the different back advertisements available with regard to their registry? Basically I just want to know if a Herpolsheimers(sp?) or another back would be allowed on the series of 80/120 registries? Sorry if this is a simple question but I couldnt find the answer anywhere else!

Brandon

Brandon, only cards with an "American Caramel" back are considered E121 cards. If they are blank they are W575-1, if they have any other advertisement they are considered a seperate entity. For whatever reason this set is catalogued very differently than say the T206 or M101-4/5 sets.

Thanks Rhett!
Secondly, I know the series of 80 are considered to be "tougher" than the
120's, but are both sets "easily" completed, or are there stopper cards like the T206 Wags + the other big 3, or the T205 Hoblitzell no stats? It seems like a really attractive set, with several big name HOF'ers to keep them interesting enough to chase as a set. How popular are they with prewar collectors in general?

Brandon, it's way more complex than that.

It's not completely accurate to say the 120's are easier than the 80's. About half the Series of 80 are fairly easy, as are the majority of the cards in the Series of 120. From there they get pretty tough. There are quite a few Series of 80's that are very hard to find and are only found with rare backs and there are some cards in the Series of 120 that are also extremely tough to find. However, of the two sets the 120 set would be easier to put together because the sheer number of rarities is less. Also, both sets are NOT easily obtained--actually, I don't know if a true E121 Series of 80 complete set is known (it may, I just haven't met anyone claiming to have one)

In the E121-80 there aren't the high dollar cards like the T206 Wagner and the T205 Hoblitzel. You'll pay well for the Ruth(s), Cobb, Johnson, etc... However, there are certain cards in the E121-80 that just aren't seen and are much, much more difficult (in my opinion) than the rarer cards in the T206 or T205 sets. If you check both the SGC and PSA population reports there are some cards that may have less than 10 graded copies. Most of these consist of Giants and Yankees players. If you search back through the E121 threads there's one that tracks some of the scarcities. In the price guides these tougher cards are listed as "commons" but typically sell for much more than the easier group of cards.