Stories about great "Finds" Please Share

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Posted By: rand

the stories behind the finds are fascinating to me. this is the part of the hobby that i really enjoy. Mastro & REA do a great job in their descriptions when "new" cards to the hobby are introduced. Please share some stories about "finds" if you would. regards rand

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Posted By: brian

there was a find in Florida a few years ago. Some old man brought a cigar box full of T206 into a baseball card shop. Later they went to auction and sold for a ton of money. I forget which cards were in the box.

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Posted By: joe brennan

Leon has a great find story called the trucker find. I know he posted it many times before, but for new members, I'm sure he'd post it again. Leon, you can thank me later for volunteering you.

In Rememberance of James W. Brennan Sr. 1924-1982. Dad, thanks for everything you did for me.

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Posted By: leon

Well...there are some new folks so I will cut and paste it again....Probably the biggest "outside the hobby" find I will ever have. The guy I got them from drove an 18 wheeler, therefore I named it the "Trucker Boy" find...His father collected them as a kid....It's been about 3yrs since I got them...and many are still in my collection......




I believe I have seen the last small group of inherited cards from the gentleman in Northern California. It was a very informative situation
in that I got to see a nice PCL collection untainted by modern collectors/dealers. It looks like almost all of the cards have been put into a scrapbook at one time as a majority exhibit strong corners and
back damage, though many backs were spared too....... It was neat to see how they were really collected and in what type of numbers, relative to each other. I believe the only cards I missed out on were all 159 of the Colgans, Red Borders, and Tin Tops (if any), and about 5-7 M101-1/2's....Nothing I could do...they just got sold.......The total for all of the cards I got was about 732'ish. I will probably only sell these through ebay or to a large auction house. I am keeping everything I have an interest in, as utmost and foremost, I am still a collector. Including what I had posted before the grand total breakout is/was (several cards have been sold already to happy board/ebay members):

D310 (12) w/weaver fr....overall gd-vg
D311 (61) all different pr-ex
E90-1 (18) w/Jackson (pr-sold), Joss..overall pr-fr
E90-2 (1) Wagner - nice SGC 20....2 moderate creases
E90-3 (2) common and pr-
E101 (9) w/Evers, Jennings pr-fr....major back damage..
E136 Zeenut '11 (113) w/Weaver in fr...others vg'ish
E136 Zeenut '12 (36) gd-vg+/ex
E136 HR Kisses (2) gd
E136 Zeenut '13 (6) all with coupon
E136 Zeenut '14 (23) 6 with coupon 17 without coupon
E137 Zeenut '15 (67) 24 with coupon w/McMullen 43 w/o coup.w/Risberg, Lefty Williams
E137 Zeenut '16 (1) with coupon
E224 Texas Tommy (5) w/Marsans, w/uncatalogued
E-Unc Big Eater (3) w/ horizontal ex, 1 in gd-vg, 1 pr
H-unc Western Playground (40) complete set vg+
T4 Obak- (2) still unidentified but not Weaver.
T206 Old Mill- (23) w/Cobb, Evers, Chance, Willis.pr-fr
T206 Sweet Caporal ?(1) Cobb 350-460 series...pr.
T212-1 Obak (47) nice mix of framed/frameless
T212-2 Obak (116) about 25 different slogans.. pr-ex-mt
T212-3 Obak (131) w/Weaver pr-nrmt/mt
T217 Mono (8) 3 that don't have back damage......pr-gd
T222 Fatima- (7) all common, 1 high number in fr, 2 cut in half, pr....

wish I could find more of these "finds"...but will just go back to
whittling away like I have been for the past several years......
regards all

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Posted By: MVSNYC

well, my "great find" involves one card.

10 years ago, i bought a few common T206's from a small BBC shop in PA. in the bunch was a Snodgrass, batting with almost all of the "S" missing, i had heard about the variation before, but wasn't sure if this was it...after doing some research and comparing scans of authentic versions, i decided to send it in to PSA...it was the real deal, and they were pleased to inform me that it was the very first one they slabbed "Nodgrass"...it was a PSA 3. i sold it thru Leland's about 8 years ago for about $3500...cost me $40.

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Posted By: RC

I may have shared this on Net54 already but this is a good story I think and fits the thread.

I have taken guitar lessons for a number of years and was talking about cards with my instructor when he said his dad had some old cards and would show them to me sometime. I figured early 50's Topps, Bowmans, etc... One day his dad called me into his living room to check out his collection. In the proverbial cigar box were 145 '33 Goudeys, including a Ruth, Gehrig, Hubbell, Dean, etc... There were also a couple "Heads Up" cards, some "Lou Gehrig says" cards, about 25 or so Diamond Stars and 40+ wide and thin pens.
He had these cards for at least 40 years.

Long story short, the gentleman passed away a couple years ago and his son and I worked out an agreement on the cards and I now own them. More than that, it totally rejuvenated my interest into cards and especially pre-war which I had never even thought a possibility.

I am now a faithful ebayer, a net54 poster, and am having a fabulous time.
I have even taken the bite and have some T206 cards, the Monster bit!! I am hoping to make a trip to Nationals this year and meet some of the fellow posters on this board.

RC

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

About 2-3 years ago, right after I got back into the hobby, I noticed a public sale advertisement that included "three old baseball cards". I went to the sale, more out of curiosity than any thing else. It turned out that the cards were three Pinkerton postcards. I didn't know what they were and neither did anyone else at the sale. I paid $20.00 each. I got a Tinker, Jennings and Rucker. Board members here quickly identified them for me.

The Tinker "nameplate" shows him as manager of the Cincinatti club. Other versions of the Tinker postcard have him as something else (I forget what). It turns out that my card might be helpful in dating the set.

Frankly, it looks like I had beginner's luck in my "find". I really haven't found anything else in the last several years, despite diligently looking.

Interestingly enough, my find sparked an interest in the Pinkertons and now I pick up more whenever I get the chance.

Jeff Mohler

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Posted By: barrysloate

I 've had dozens of great finds over the years, and wouldn't know where to begin. Most of the biggest ones were in the 1980's and 90's, mostly involving original groups of T205 and T206. And since it is always someone else's family's collection and they have called me, it's unclear exactly how much finding I have actually done. Nevertheless, here is a bunch of them:

* In 1998, I found the only uncancelled 1932 U.S. Caramel Lindy Lindstrom and brought it into the hobby.

* I have a neighbor who lives a few doors away who said he had his father's childhood collection of cigarette cards and that he would one day let me sell them. In this modest group was a very clean Hoblitzell No Stats. Now, while there are rarer cards, what is the chance of finding one a half a block from your front door.

*Three years ago a woman from Pennsylvania called who had an Allen & Ginter N28 Baseball poster, and thought it had little to no value. I was lucky to auction off for her.

*Although not a baseball card, there is a baseball book called Sphere & Ash that was unknown in private hands until the late 1990's. The only known copy was in the Hall of fame and was used to make the Camden reprint. I brought the only other known copy into the hobby in 1999.

* I once auctioned off six Just So's but they were purchased from a family by a fellow board member, so while loosely a find I must give him the credit

*Last year I auctioned an original family T206 collection that included an Eddie Plank and more than 300 Sovereign backs.

Again, the term "find" is used loosely because I didn't actually find these things scouring somebody's attic, but I guess they still qualify.

There are so many others, like the family collection that had dozens of E92 Dockmans in pristine condition (6's and 7's by today's standards) but I think these are enough for now.

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Posted By: leon

My 5 Crofts Candy, red backed cards, came from a late night meeting of an 80 yr old man in a Kroger parking lot...about 20 miles away from me. Not really a "find" but a darn good pick up.....and more than doubled the known pop of them...I sold one duplicate and paid for all of them by 2x....

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Posted By: Mike Ernst

1100 T-205 and T206 cards in a corn flakes box (box was only 50's vintage) in 1971--from a farmer in Max, ND, who had collected them as a kid in New York City. Had to force $20 on him--he wanted to give them away because he had been looking for some years for someone who had an interest in them. No Wagner, several Cobbs, almost all Peidmont and Sweep Cap--must be all they smoked in NYC.

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Posted By: Trae R.

"Had to force $20 on him--he wanted to give them away because he had been looking for some years for someone who had an interest in them..."

Mike, wow, what year was this? That is too cool! I love these stories!

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Posted By: Bryan Long

Not even really a "find" by any means. Had my brother attend an auction for me in Kansas. He manged to pick up about 12 Pinkerton postcards for $5. NOt fine bucks each, but $5 for the whole lot. Had Lajoie, Matty, a couple of Evers and more - they are since gone - but I did make one heck of a nice profit!

.

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Posted By: David Smith

I wish I had known about Pinketon Post Cards in my younger days. Remembering back, I can think of at least 20 I have read about in different auctions. I was always told that they were produced at a much later time and weren't really worth anything.

As far as finds, I once found (mid 1990's) about 1,100 N cards in a small town. I didn't buy them because I didn't have the money. The seller kept about 100 Indian cards and sold the rest for $3,500. Included in the cards WERE N 28s of Clarkson, Keefe and Caruthers, along with Annie Oakley, Wild Bill Hickok and some other sports cards. I found out later there were a couple of complete sets of Fish and also Birds series cards. There were a bunch of actresses and some hold-to-light playing cards.

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Posted By: Mike

When I was about 10 years old or so, a neighborhood kid who just had his 16th birthday, Took "large" ( a couple thousand cards I am sure) boxes of baseball cards, he had collected, and dumped them into a swamp, which was located across the street from where I lived. His reasoning " I am a man now, so I don't have a use for these anymore". Then flung them into the water. Luckily the wind blew some of them on to dry land. He knew I loved cards, and why he didn't just give them to me, is beyond me. That was in 1964. I still have some of the water stained cards. They were all early to mid 50's I am sure. or most anyway. All in great shape. So I begain running around trying to grab all I could. I recall a couple Mantle cards floating among the cat tails.

Now if he became a man at 16, and no longer had a need for baseball cards, what does that say about all of us ? Are we not men ?

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Posted By: David Smith

No, Mike, we are DEVO D E V O


David

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Posted By: Anonymous

1998- 5 1912 Boston Garters for 50 dollars= Mathewson, Johnson, Walsh, Rucker, Laporte

Same deal was 300 tobacco cards T206, T205 including Cobb, Plank, Young, Johnson etc for $600.00

This deal stemmed from the 66 uncut 1931 W517 strips found in Orrstown, PA that I purchased. Man came up to me and said he had some that he wanted to sell. BEST FIND IN HISTORY OF COLLECTING hands down. 10 dollars a piece for Boston Garters??? I said I will take them ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted By: Jim Clarke

Are we talking about FINDS or STEALS? It seems like all finds are noramlly steals. I would like to here about a find where somethng close to market price was paid....

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Posted By: Mark

Back in 1992 i was at a flea market in CT. I was walking out and noticed a guy selling about 200-300 T206 cards. They were all in a big box lined up. I don't remember the players but they all in EX shape. He wanted $5 a piece for them. I was with my girlfriend and she was rushing to get out of there. Needless to say, i just glanced at a few and walked out with NO cards. That will teach me to be rushed by her again.

P.S. She is my wife now and i have been happily married with 2 great kids for 10 years.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

A few years ago a famous foreign photographer skipped the country (USA) leaving much of his personal belongings behind. To pay for unpaid bills, his landlord auctioned off his belongings and I obtained a large portion of his photograph archives. I posted and described one of the photos on my website and was contacted by a movie producer producing a small movie on the photographer's life. He asked if I would provide some images for the documentary, which I did. Tipped by the producer, I was subsequently contacted by the photographer, living in a foreign country, who asked for scans of the photos I owned. I him sent a CD of the images. He never asked for the photos themselves, and I still own most of them.

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Posted By: peter chao

Barry,

Since your great finds were in the '80s and '90s, do you think the age of great finds is over. If not, where would you look today for a great find.

Peter

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Posted By: barrysloate

You can't actually look for finds. I have always been contacted by the people who have them. And it is harder today, but there is still stuff out there.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

Jeff: the Pinkerton I have shows Tinker as mgr. of the Chicago Federals (#208).

I've had some nice finds over the years, but nothing earth-shattering. The most fun one I ever had with one was shortly after I moved to CA. I was 12 at the time. My parents took me over to some friends' home with grown sons. The parents found out I was a card collector and asked me if I wanted to look through their sons' old card box in the attic. I of course did, and they handed me a box that was easily 2' x 2' filled with cards and told me to take what I wanted. I spent the whole afternoon going through it and at the end of the day had a stack of HOFers from all sports a good 6" high. Since I thought I was supposed to take only what I wanted, I left the rest of the box. They then asked me if I wanted to rest, and I took the box home. I dumped it out on the bedroom floor and spent the whole evening sorting through it. Around 11:00 I pulled a 1955 Topps Ted Williams out of the stack and you could have peeled me off the ceiling I was so happy.

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

I know you like to rehash the past but how about the future. Look at it this way, if everybody was fully informed about the prices there would be no finds.

Why would anybody sell cards for less if they were fully informed of the value of cards they were holding. Also, with the advent of the internet, almost anybody can sell to a mass audience. Why would somebody bother to give a discount to an individual.

Peter

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Posted By: Bill Todd

Peter C.:

You asked, "Why would somebody bother to give a discount to an individual." I work for a company that offers products to seniors. The folks in my department are mostly a bunch of over-educated word geeks. One of the hardest things for us to remember is that we're not the typical consumer. And we never assume anything about what people already know. (And not just because they're seniors, either.)

In a perfect world, yes, everyone would have perfect knowledge. But we're far from that state right now, and it doesn't look like we're getting any closer. Just because we on Net54 know about cards, or at least that there are plenty of valuable ones out there, doesn't mean that the world isn't filled with people who don't care about cards, and wouldn't begin to know where to get info about them. (Boy, that's a lot of negatives, but you know what I mean.)

Bill

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Posted By: peter chao

Bill,

However, I'm sure that you would agree that pricing information is nowadays much more readily available now than in the past. So "finds" should occur less often.

Peter

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Posted By: Alan

Many of the "finds" are stories like Michael's story. They'll find something that they buy & resell it for more money thru ebay, private sales, auction house, etc,... - actually that's the definition of a dealer, right ?

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Posted By: RC

I would also add that sometimes, at least in my case, the seller (friend) knows I'm not a heavy hitter with cards financially and made me a good deal. We were both happy but there's no question he could have at least doubled or perhaps tripled his money had he wanted to take the time to advertise or use ebay.

Believe it or not, he's happy that I'm happy! Kind of unusual sometimes in this world.

RC

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Posted By: Bill Todd

Peter,

Yes, I'd agree that just the increased availability of information makes it more likely that someone will come to have that information. But as Pasteur said, "Fortune favors the prepared mind." You pretty much have to be ready to receive information for it to do you much good. Otherwise it just kind of bounces off your brain, soon to be forgotten.

Bill

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Posted By: David Smith

Peter,

In the mid 1990's I was in College and put some ads in small town newspapers asking to buy old baseball items. From one ad, I received two calls. One was about some cloth baseball squares and the other was from a guy who had some cards from both his Father and his Grandfather.

I went to the small town and looked at the cards first. They were Redman cards without the tabs from the 1950's and W502's from 1928. Included in the W502's were some Hall of Fmae players including Ruth and Gehrig.

I told the guy I was interested in the cards, especially the older ones. He asked me how much I would give. I said I didn't know, what do you want. He came back with $400 dollars. I agreed to that figure but then one of his buddies said he would buy the Ruth and Gehrig for $400. I said I would think about this because I had to go and see about some other items, the cloth baseball squares.

Well, the cloth pieces turned out to be B 18's in nice but not great condition. They were commons but reasonably priced, so I bought them. When I telephoned the first guy again, he wasn't home and I left a message. I didn't hear back from him for a while. When he did call back, he wanted $1,000 for the W 502's. I later learned that he had taken the cards to some shows and got some offers from dealers.

The problem with this guy was, he didn't know what he had. He knew the cards were old and that Ruth and Gehrig were in there. He assumed that everyone was trying to rip him off with the lowball offers. I thought $400 was fair considering there were only 15 or 16 W 502's, that they had some damage and wear and that his Grandfather had written team changes in pencil on the cards after the guy was traded.

I think the same thing would happen today and the asking price might be even higher. He could get on the web and look for the cards but W 502's don't come up that often. Because of that, he might look for comparables and not find any. After that, he might just look for ANYTHING with Ruth and Gehrig and that is in the same age range. Obviously, Goudeys would come up. He could then base what people were getting for Goudeys and assume his cards were worth that.

See, the Internet and eBay works both ways. They give people info about what they have so that they will not get ripped off but they also can give people an over-inflated sense of worth as far as their cards go. This might be why their aren't as many finds. People think what they own is worth more than what dealers/collectors are offering and wont sell.

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Posted By: Jim

Well, not baseball cards and not vintage by y'alls standards but last year I bought 11 intact and 4 broken 1955 Big League Stars/Dairy Queen statues (including Mantle - 1 broken and 1 intact)..........all for 25 cents each. They were in a box with other multi-colored baseball cake toppers. I picked one up, read Roy Campanella on the bottom and realized that I had seen these before. And get this, this was in an antique store!

The same store also yielded a 1940's-50's statue of the Habana Leones Cuban team. Roughly a $50 item, it cost $2.

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Posted By: Dave

In 1998 my brother and I saw an ad in the classified section of the paper advertising an auction in Richmond, Indiana. The reason we went was to check out the WWII guns. I ended up being one of two bidders on a Cobb bat off shoulder that was VG/EX. I won the card for $87.