Some Info on Signed Goudey Past Sales
 

So tonight I had some time and using my Collectable app, I did some back of the envelope math on the number of signed Goudey cards that have been to auction since 2001.

If you don't know the app, it's really good. It aggregates the current sports AH's that sign up, let's you create a wantlist, updates you when an AH has an item that matches, and all in all is an easy way to review the sometimes unwieldy number of auctions. The app also let's you search past sales.

The search I did was for 'Signed Goudey'. I got 441 results going back to a few AH's in 2001. I then scrolled down the pics and kept a written tally of signed 1933-35 Goudeys. I also added in some Diamond Stars and a 38G Feller.

The numbers below are not precise. I pulled them together just so we can get a feel for the number of Goudey/Diamond Stars cards that have been brought to auction over recent history (according to the app). After the year, I list the # of cards.

Here's what it looks like:

2001: 25 (1 lot of 23)
2002: 0
2003: 0
2004: 1
2005: 1
2006: 39
2007: 25
2008: 3
2009: 1
2010: 25
2011: 91
2012: 94
2013: 15
2014: 2
2015: 41
2016: 72
2017: 165
2018: 230 (REA only)


NOTES:

-In 2008 Tommy Thevenow sold for 105.88. In 2016, $358.00. Thevenow died in 1957. (Just a point of reference on what a fairly tough common signature would bring at auction.) (IN 10/18 REA he sold for $168.00)

-In 2011 a gorgeous 34G Greenberg sold for $1912.00. (One of the first really sharp looking signed cards of a HOFer. Were we collectors still thinking sigs ruined sharp cards in 2011?)

-In 2016 a poor condition Jesse Haines card with nice ballpoint signature sold for $244.00. So a forger could buy a $20 card, pay for authentication, shipping, consign it and net roughly $150).

THOUGHTS:
- Overall each year with any quantity of sales, the large chunk seemed to be from a specific collection being sold at one AH. Not a few auction houses having an equal amount.

- A forger seems to have a more slam dunk with t206s than with these 1930s cards. Sure could he do one super tough 33G player and make $10k, but many 33G and certainly other issues, don't sell for very much. T206 common player on the other hand, bring $1k+ across the board.

- Looking at 2015-2017 the number of sales was 41, 72, 165. Jason's collection in 2018 REA was approximately 230 cards. So we do see more and more signed Goudeys at AH's.

-Do TPA's keep archives of their pop reports? I am sure this was touched upon in a t206 thread - but if they don't they really should moving forward because I think seeing bumps in signed cards being slabbed (and of course rejected, track submitters, etc) is important in being able to get a feel if new signed cards are coming into the hobby and so we all should scrutinize them closer.


I know that we collectors are concerned if our specific signed 1930s cards (and others) can be found raw in recent sales -but I started with this overall look just to get a feel for things.

Hope this somehow helps as we move ahead.

peter

One thing to keep in mind is that in 1910, collecting baseball autographs were not a "thing" so every signed T206 card would had to have been signed fifty years after it was made or later. With Goudey cards, collecting baseball autographs had become a pretty big and wide spread hobby among kids so collecting them was not only a possibility, it WAS happening. I have seen probably a couple hundred signed Goudey and Play Ball cards over the years from vintage collections, glued in scrapbooks etc. that I know are legit. I am sure some are forged with the money that is out there, but it is not like the T206 thing where probably 10 or less are real and they are all guys who lived until the 1960's at least.

Absolutely Rhys. I was just poking around the app to see what kind of increases there's been in signed 1930s cards. But yes, fully agree with you, t206s are much scarcer.