Need some Exhibit education

[Woundedduck]

I'm a collector on a tight budget. That being said, I usually look for lower conditioned cards or sets that are a little more affordable, especially for HoF superstars.

I've been thinking of picking up exhibits of some of the stars like Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, and Jackie Robinson (I'd be open to suggestions for other superstars ) that I probably wouldn't be able to afford in other sets.

When I search ebay's completed auctions, prices seem to vary considerably. Even when comparing raw copies, prices seem to fluctuate from ~$10 to $50+. Clearly condition will change the price, but are there many variations of these that make some go for more or less? Are there a lot of fakes out there? I'd love to pick one up on the cheap end for $10-$20 even if the quality is a little poor, but still presentable, so long as I know it's not a fake. However, perhaps more experienced collectors are staying away from what are obvious fakes which keeps the price low. Perhaps the low end of the range I'm seeing is not reasonable for authentic examples.

I've done some searches here and looked up the sets in my standard catalog, but figuring it out exactly what I need is tough and probably won't get me the info I'm looking for. I'd appreciate any help. Thanks

[Exhibitman]

http://ImageEvent.com/exhibitman/int...ngexhibitcards

[albrshbr]

Exhibits are great for picking up some great names at very little cost.

Both the Dimaggio and a Ted Williams are available in the 1939-46 Salutations set. I am not aware of any reprints of this set. The Dimaggio (printed into the 1960's?) can be had for $20 in lower, but presentable, grades. Many times there is writing on the back. Once in a while some folks will get into bidding wars on some. This can last for weeks. Just let it pass. There are 2 different Williams', one is cheap and the other is quite tough.

Other big stars (Robinson, Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, etc.) are available in the 1947-66 Exhibit sets. All of these can be found in generally nicer condition for $20 or less. Some of these were reprinted. Usually you can tell by extra printing along the bottom (An Exhibit card 1980 Hall of Fame). Also many of the reprints have a white back.

For older sets, I like some of the larger, exhibit card sized, issues. Sets like the National Chicle fine or wide pens have some big names that sell for quite little.

[drc]

I don't know a lot about the Exhibits and the reprints, but remember someone here saying/showing that the reprints have a distinctly different back tone/color/shade that on the originals. I think the reprints had darker backs. As I recall someone posted comparison photos here on Net54. Do a search and you might find it.

I would assume all the major variations are listed in SCD or Beckett.

I would also expect wider variations in prices in the Exhibits, as they aren't as tightly followed/collected an area as say the T206s. I mean, many T206s buyers have flow charts and computer programs following the set. The Exhibits are more casually and loosely collected by the hobby as a whole.

P.s., I like the Exhibits. Always have.

[fkw]

Just adding to the info..

There are fakes out there of the Ted Williams "no #9", image will be slightly cropped and of lower quality (rescreened) and the back I believe is a gray color, not the offwhite/cream of the originals. Ive seen some cropped so much that the "Made in USA" line is no longer there.

ignore the 1939-46 and the 1947-66 set info if your actually interested in the age of the cards, many years in late 1940-1950s are a mixture of both styles. You can tell the approximate year by the size of the "MADE IN USA", or when they changed it to "Made in USA", "PRINTED IN USA", and "Printed in USA", and also sometimes by the color of the print (ie B&W).

Ted Williams (#9) showing is from 1939-41
Ted Williams (no #9) with a "MADE IN USA" is from 1946-1950
Ted Williams (no #9) with a "Printed in USA" is from 1957-1961
Joe DiMaggio (sepia) is from 1942-1946
Joe DiMaggio (B&W) is from 1952
Jackie Robinson is from 1948

basic info to help date these Exhibits is here (based on a story in the SCD back in the early 1990s)
http://centuryoldcards.com/1930/1939-66ExhibitInfo.html



1952 Exhibits Joe DiMaggio

[novakjr]

On rare occasion, when I do buy and Exhibit, I generally try to avoid the "Printed in" versions when possible. The "MADE IN" versions are the older ones. Also, for any player who's rookie card(depending on your definition of RC) fell into the 1949 Bowman or Leaf, the "AN EXHIBIT CARD" version make a nice alternative that could technically be considered a 1949 issue.

http://keymancollectibles.com/exhibitdatechart.htm

[HRBAKER]

I have been an Exhibit collector for years. They did and still do represent a great way to get a contemporary card of a HOFer at a reasonable cost. They are not quite the bargain they were say 5-10 years ago but with patience you can assemble a nice group at a moderate cost for the most part. There are a few sets ('23-'24, '26 and '33 4in1 come to mind) that will run some coin for HOFers and stars. As for reprints, I can't say that I have seen the Salutations reprinted to a large degree but many of the stars out of the '47-'66 set have been reprinted. Some times they can be id'd by a grayish back. Adam's website (2nd post) has a lot of great info re Exhibits.

[fkw]

best deals IMO
1949 Satchell Paige.... all cards will say "AN EXHIBIT CARD" and were printed in 1949 only.
1948 Jackie Robinson...... the size of the "MADE IN USA" (5/8") indicates it was printed in 1948 only.
1954-56 Al Kaline..... kneeling pose with "straight script at bottom caption"


1954-56 Exhibits Al Kaline

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by drc

I don't know a lot about the Exhibits and the reprints, but remember someone here saying/showing that the reprints have a distinctly different back tone/color/shade that on the originals. I think the reprints had darker backs. As I recall someone posted comparison photos here on Net54. Do a search and you might find it.

I would assume all the major variations are listed in SCD or Beckett.

I would also expect wider variations in prices in the Exhibits, as they aren't as tightly followed/collected an area as say the T206s. I mean, many T206s buyers have flow charts and computer programs following the set. The Exhibits are more casually and loosely collected by the hobby as a whole.

P.s., I like the Exhibits. Always have.

David,

The reprints that you are speaking of have gray backs. Here is the link ro Scott's post:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=117276

Regards,

MWheat

[Woundedduck]

Thanks for all the information everyone. This is exactly what I've been needing

[smtjoy]

Bumping this old thread as I recently ran into a fake Dimaggio. It's the first time I have seen one of his cards reprinted. The front looks close to his sepia cards but is a little lacking on detail but the back is the dead giveaway as its on white paper like the 1947-66 fakes can be found on.

So be careful when buying this card. If the auction/BIN only shows a front beware as thats how I ended up with this one.

[ethicsprof]

thanks for the warning.
I would've been fooled by this one, too.

best,
barry

[Rich Klein]

it's funny - I found a few exhibit cards lying around that a friend sent me years ago and went to my local card shop (Triple Cards, Plano TX) to see if he had any supplies for exhibit cards.

Now understand, Al has been been in business more than 20 years with a shop and he had to look up on Beckett on line (I suggested googling Exhitit Mantle) to see what they were, He actually had no idea what those cards were. I don't know if I were more stunned or suprised he had never dealt with an exhibit card before

Rich