What are the rare, nearly impossible or impossible sets to complete

[markf31]

In the past month or so we’ve had some pretty exciting news regarding some very difficult and rare sets. The E98 discovery with the Black Swamp find and Chris Sullivan’s E107 collection coming up for private sale. As I’m still pretty new to the vintage scene, this got me wondering, what are some of the most difficult, impossible or nearly impossible sets to complete.

Obviously we can start with:
E98
E107

[Bicem]

e98?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Bicem

e98?

Sure. If you had the money it would take well over a week or two.


I will start with a master set (all variations) of N172.

[bobbyw8469]

N172

Is that the old Goudey Indian set Leon?

[tiger8mush]

E98 - Getting one example of each player is relatively easy, but if you are going for a master set with all four color variations then yes its a little tougher & expensive. A few members on the board have been trying to put the master set together for the past year or two. A master set is a great accomplishment, but certainly not impossible.

1914 CJ is similar. One board member recently finished it (he had relatively deep pockets and it still took him some time) and I know btkpath is nearing his complete set that he's been working on for a while. Again, not impossible but there are some toughies (like peckinpaugh) that could take you a couple years to even come across an example let alone being able to afford it.

IMPOSSIBLE or nearly impossible sets were discussed here:
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=149534

And I know we had a thread where we ranked popular sets according to difficulty but I couldn't find that thread, maybe someone else can help? I went back 6 months but must've overlooked it.

Rob

[Leon]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Is that the old Goudey Indian set Leon?

I think that is R72 (not positive), N172 is Old Judge.

I will throw in another since I am not sure it got mentioned last time, E221. To the best of my knowledge there is only 1 known of one of the cards. And the person with 5 different doesn't own it.

[Al C.risafulli]

There are so many - N172, like Leon said, is the obvious one.

I've been working on the E121 (sorry Leon) Henry Johnson Confectioners set for a few years now. It's a silly set, nobody cares about it, but I also think that nobody even realized what cards were in it - and I don't think anyone truly knows. Nobody knows how many there really are. I think there are between 80 and 90, and I have fewer than 60. They're really tough to find. I'm sure there are people out there that have more than me, but I can't imagine there are that many.

-Al

[markf31]

Thanks for the link to the previous thread Rob. I did a search before starting this thread and nothing came up, else I would not have started this one!

[bobbyw8469]

Oh ok....well, now that I mentioned it, I will say the Goudey Indian Master Set. While the set is indeed obtainable and not unaffordable like a complete T206 set, it is still a bear to complete. Alot of variations - different numbered series, different colored backs, different colored borders, etc.

[Brian Van Horn]

1911 Sporting News.
1932 US Caramel simply because of the Lindstrom, otherwise the set is not too difficult.

[Bicem]

complete master w600 set would be impressive.

a bunch of postcard sets if we are counting those.

[npa589]

Complete set of T210 Series 1-8 has to be up there!

.

[philliesphan]

Whether you consider it as a series, or even many of the individual years of sets, Zee-Nuts ranks right up there as impossible or nearly impossible. 1911 Zeenut Bohen is profoundly rare, for example.

[E93]

Nobody has completed an N167 Old Judge set.
JimB

[smtjoy]

Agree on the Zeenut sets and would think a 1918 set would be the toughest, has anyone ever finished it?

I also think these sets are on the extremely hard to complete side (regardless of the amount of money you have to spend)- N167, N172, E107, E270 (Tin Tops and Red Borders), T4, T209-2, 1926 Exhibit, M101-4/5 (any back other than Blank, Sporting News and Famous & Barr).

[barrysloate]

Virtually all of the 19th century photographic sets are impossible to complete. The only one remotely possible is N370 Lone Jack, since it contains only 13 cards. But I've only heard of a single complete one and don't know if it's still intact.

Kalamazoo Bats, G & B's, and Yum Yums are so difficult that it's possible we don't even have an entirely accurate checklist. Some of the cards are unique or only two known so the most somebody could hope for is to acquire most of it.

Among the smaller sets are Four Base Hits and Large Gypsy Queens. Nobody has come remotely close with FBH, but since the large N175 set is only 9 or 10 cards, I wonder if there are any complete ones known.

[bcbgcbrcb]

1922 William Paterson
1924 Diaz Cigarettes
1936 Overland Candy
1928 Star Player Candy
1927 Middy Bread Die-Cuts (Browns & Cardinals)

[barrysloate]

Has anybody completed the Buchner Gold Coin set? While there are no impossible cards it seems like it would be quite an undertaking. I imagine there are at least one or two out there.

[Jewish-collector]

Would the Baltimore News set be one ? Is that an "M" series ?

[dstudeba]

Leon is the lone example E221 example you are referring to the Sacramento card, or the Los Angeles team variation? I would love to see a scan of the Sacramento card.

[dstudeba]

T5 Pinkerton Cabinets need to be mentioned.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by dstudeba

Leon is the lone example E221 example you are referring to the Sacramento card, or the Los Angeles team variation? I would love to see a scan of the Sacramento card.

I am speaking of the LA variation with a different number of players on it. I am not sure a Sacramento card has been found yet. If it hasn't been found then I don't think we can assume it was even made though it is on the card checklists as being one. I would have to check with Mark M on that one...

[Matthew H]

Old Mill Cabinets would be impossible i think.

[sgbernard]

Good luck trying to find "all" of the E222 A.W.H. caramels. Seems like every one is like a snowflake to begin with.

[dstudeba]

I haven't heard of the Sacramento card either, that is why I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.

[glynparson]

Impossible to complete even if Bill Gates gave it a try.

[Runscott]

For the average collector, it's probably any set other than E95, E96 (or similar), or N162, unless you're talking about a fair- T206 set that doesn't include Wagner or Doyle. Finishing off a rare collection doesn't impress me nearly so much as when a passionate collector on a $20-30K/year income completes a T202 or T206 set after toiling for 10+ years. It's doable, but it's gotta be tough to drop a month's pay on a Demmitt or O'Hara St.L.

[oldjudge]

Barry-Lew sold a complete, albeit trimmed, Large Gypsy Queen set about ten years ago. There is a Kalamazoo Bats set that is two cards short of being complete as we currently know it. N167 is also a small set which could be completed if you are strictly talking about the baseball cards. Like many sets from that era, N167s are really mixed subject sets with actors, boxers, etc., and as such completion is probably very unlikely.

[barrysloate]

Jay- I remember the trimmed set of N175, but was it sold intact or individually? And I knew one collector was very close to completing the K-Bats, but I assumed he was missing a few cards. To be within two of completion is quite an accomplishment.

[sycks22]

Maple crispette set with the tough Stengel to find.

[rainier2004]

T200 of premiums? Not sure how many of these are out there........

[AndrewJerome]

There certainly are several Zeenut sets that are nearly impossible to complete.

1911, 1915, 1918, 1926, 33-36, and 37-38 are all nearly impossible to finish.

However, there is at least one complete 1918 set known.

Andrew

[skelly]

The Boston Garter sets are very tough.

[oldjudge]

Barry--the large GQ lot that Lew sold was the complete set.

[uffda51]

Darby Chocolates would be tough.

Newsboy cabinets would be tough. 500-600 total cards. The 14 baseball were tough enough.

[ValKehl]

A few more - T214, T215-1, T215-2, T216 Mino, T216 Va. Extra, E123, 1910 Orange Borders, 1911 Baseball Bats, and 1925 Holland Creameries.