Posted By:
Tom L.Bob,
I picked up a PSA-5 T212 Obak Weaver (undergraded by PSA and the nicest Kevin Struss had seen) for just over 1K in a Mastro auction last fall. I've seen ungraded VG, possibly GD, examples go for over $600 on EBay. I thought the Mastro Weaver was a steal.
The stuff that I think tends to go out of control are the unique 19th century pieces, both memorabilia and cards. All of the 1890s Baltimore memorabilia from the Bosley collection went for 2-5x more than anyone expected (some more than 10x their low minimum bids). I thought I could pick up a couple of pieces, but in the end I couldn't even afford a single item in that group.
But I think early 20th cards can still occasionally be had at reasonable prices.
Take care,
Tom