Baseball trip to Cuba

[barrysloate]

I know several people who have made multiple trips there and brought back as many baseball cards as they could find. And this has been going on for many years. Not saying there aren't some left, but most are already in slabs by now.

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I know several people who have made multiple trips there and brought back as many baseball cards as they could find. And this has been going on for many years. Not saying there aren't some left, but most are already in slabs by now.

Well that makes sense now. I still think that a a few guys going down to cuba looking for cards... They couldn't have found them all. If they knew people down there, maybe most have been found. If they just went looking, there has to be many more.

[barrysloate]

Well of course there are some cards left, but the people I've spoken with said there is only a fraction of what there used to be when they first started going to Cuba.

[bbcard1]

I truly love ball cards, but if I get to cuba, I think I would rather just go to a ballgame and drink in the history that way.

[triwak]

I've often wondered about this, whether more Cuban cards might surface as restrictions are lifted? Still mildly hopeful... Perhaps more beaters, tucked away in albums?

[mannybb24]

Cards and memorabilia is still being found on the island but it is getting a tougher to find. I believe the items that were offered on EBAY a few months ago like the Punch Petway, Cobb and also some Billikens and Tomas Gutierrez were from a collection in Cuba.
So there is still hope, though slim to find more hidden and undiscovered gems like the never surfaced Home Run Johnson Punch and others.

[iggyman]

I seriously doubt a bunch of old baseball cards will surface once Cuba ceases to be a prison. Actually, Cuba has its own version of craiglist; called "Revolico.com" (which translates to the word disarray). I browse it every blue moon and I've yet to see any baseball cards (or baseball collectible related). Anything of value has long been exploited. You are talking about a population of people (probably ~95%), which don't even have a pillow to sleep on (because if you think about it, when you have nothing, a pillow is a luxury item).

Lovely Day...

[aljurgela]

From my sources, there is just not a lot there anymore, but this does not mean that there is nothing down there.

A friend of mine recently found a number of interesting items that paid for the trip. But from what I have heard, the vast majority of the island has been picked clean as a few big traders sent kids door to door searching for these items (and paying "finders fees) for years trying to drag the out the cards and photos. They were quite successful, but the result has been less than 10 copies of most issues.

I have never been to Cuban for this purpose, but it certainly sounds fun... if you knew who to meet with. Without connections, I imagine that it would be quite difficult, but who knows....