Discussion re E Cards -- Opinions Needed

[Peter_Spaeth]

Nothing wrong with these aesthetics IMO.

[Rhotchkiss]

I love those Red Crofts -- I have seen you post them before and think they are so cool.

In addition to genuinely wondering what those with much more "E"-xperience thought about my questions, I am really also (mostly) interested in what the heck happened, such that E (and D) cards are trading at 50% (often less) than they did 10 years ago, and whether I am throwing money away buying players like Wagner and Cobb with these backs, rather than just loading up on T206s; of course with Wagner, you are stuck with E, D and PCs. I have dabbled in Young and Matty, and luckily I have stayed away from the Collins and Benders and Evers of the world (even held off on Lajoie, Tinker, Keeler), but still, Wagner and Cobb E cards are NOT cheap and I am finding myself looking for the cards more and more -- smart, dumb, neither, dont care, dont know?

I guess the real question -- and please continue to answer the others -- is: are E cards of Wagner, Cobb, Young, and Matty good investments or not? And if so, are the E92-fronts (for a lack of better description) more, less or same as far as desirability as other E-card variations?

[Peter_Spaeth]

I don't think you're going to get very good answers on what is a good investment and what is not. We just don't know, and anyhow everyone is going to tell you something different. For what little to nothing it's worth, my opinion is that T206s and Cracker Jacks are probably the two prewar issues most likely at least to retain value, but that's just my opinion. As to why E and D cards dropped, what can anyone possibly say except that the demand went down, this isn't like a stock where you can analyze why it went up or down by reviewing the company's performance.

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Nothing wrong with these aesthetics IMO.

Exceptions rather than rules, don't you think?

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

Exceptions rather than rules, don't you think?

I think a good chunk of the E90-1 set has its own, bold aesthetic charm. Maybe overall they are not as artistically rendered as the run of the mill T206 subject, but quite often they make up some ground with their vibrant use of color.

Brian

Cracker Jacks say hello

[DeanH3]

I too have pondered the will e-cards come roaring back question. Everything is cyclical and I believe they will eventually. Maybe not roar back, but I do think the T206 back interest will spill over the the scarcer E backs and prices will rise.

I also believe that Cobb and Wagner will always be good investments. Moreso with Wagner and his E cards due to the fact that that's really all a collector has to go after with Wagner.

I would definitely pay a premium on a scarce back for Cobb or Wagner. Even if the demand is not what it once was, they don't grow on trees. Cobb and Wagner will ALWAYS be in demand.

good luck Ryan. There are some great scarce Cobb and Wager e issues out there.

[Peter_Spaeth]

[quote=deanh3;1765943}

i also believe that cobb and wagner will always be good investments. Moreso with wagner and his e cards due to the fact that that's really all a collector has to go after with wagner.
[/quote]

m116.

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

m116.

Also D304, D322, and if you count oversized items, D381, M110 & M101-2

[oldjudge]

Ryan--If you like backs and nice images try the M101-4/5 Wagners. I think you'll find the backs challenging and fun.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

I too have pondered the will e-cards come roaring back question. Everything is cyclical and I believe they will eventually. Maybe not roar back, but I do think the T206 back interest will spill over the the scarcer E backs and prices will rise.

I also believe that Cobb and Wagner will always be good investments. Moreso with Wagner and his E cards due to the fact that that's really all a collector has to go after with Wagner.

I would definitely pay a premium on a scarce back for Cobb or Wagner. Even if the demand is not what it once was, they don't grow on trees. Cobb and Wagner will ALWAYS be in demand.

good luck Ryan. There are some great scarce Cobb and Wager e issues out there.

Not too long ago, a E102 Cobby PSA 5 went at auction (Heritage, I think) for close to $30k. A lot of collectors still feel this is Ty's RC despite REA's opinion otherwise.

[MR RAREBACK]

My favorite E card

[ullmandds]

edited for redundancy

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by MR RAREBACK

My favorite E card

only 14? all e's...no t's?

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by MR RAREBACK

My favorite E card

Just curious, do all of your E92 croft's candy Mathewsons have black backs?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

Exceptions rather than rules, don't you think?

Not necessarily. I can think of a number of E cards that are still on my want list. And the T206s are not all great either, some that don't look much like the player (Johnson pitching, Mathewson portrait, for example) don't do anything for me.

[brianp-beme]

1. How desirable are E cards today compared to (a) T206, (b) other T cards, and (c) compared to their desirability a decade ago?

.....1a. They have their fans, but trail wildly behind T206 (check out my E90-1 thread versus the T206 Monster thread).
.....1b. They also lag behind T205, but overall just slightly behind the other T cards, which for the most part are more for the more serious collector.
.....1c. Their value and interest is way down...back in their heyday on this forum there were almost as many threads and interest in caramel cards as the T206 set (gasp!)


2. It appears that the value of E cards are down substantially since 2006-2008. Is this accurate, and if so (a) why?, and (b) do you feel they have bottomed out (and will rise) or is their fall in value to continue?

.....2a. The cards are definitely down in value since then. I believe this was due to the rise of the internet and ebay specifically and how it revealed relative scarcity in collectibles in general, making this info more easily obtainable and more widely known than it was previously. Collectors at this time seemed to realize that the small e-cards were definitely scarcer, and collecting them became somewhat of a fad.

.....2b. They will rise, but T206 will still be king.



3. Do you care about the various back variations on the cards, or is it all about the front pose; take for example E90, E92, E101, E102, E105 (maybe E106), etc., which all have the same fronts but many different backs, and would you pay up for a scarce front/back combo (like a Wagner blue crofts candy or a crofts cocoa)?

.....3. I collect vintage preWW2 cards and have done so for a long time, so of course I care. Would/do I pay up for front/back combos? I rarely pony up for anything. I am a cheap bastard.


4. Would you agree that the E92/E101 (those listed above) front poses are more desirable than other candy/caramel issues, like E91 E93, E94, E95, E98, etc?

.....4. I would say not necessarily so. I think collectors view the whole group (except for the E91 sets...which, dangit, are not generic!) on a somewhat similar level, with collectors of course having personal favorites.


5. Related to question 4 -- what is the "T206" of E cards?

.....5. In terms of set size and relative scarcity of cards within a set, I believe E90-1 is the closest E-card set comparison to the T206 set. I have always thought that the E95 and E96 cards are extremely attractive, and if they were instead just one set (and perhaps closer to 100 quantity total instead), they would be the most popular E-card set. I believe the smaller set size of the caramel sets has always been a limiting factor in their overall popularity to collectors...sometimes we just like to have something that we can dig in for the long haul.


Brian