newbie to T202 any advice

[1952boyntoncollector]

I noticed the T202 triple folders literally a few weeks ago and really liked the design. I notiiced there was even reproductions made i am assuming because of the desirable design.

I am working on cards that are sgc/psa 3-5 at the moment. Any keys to look for besides pop reports etc. I know i dont want cards with the crease in the middle. I have been collecting topps 1952s for about 6 months and learned that high numbers regularly sell for more than SMR and certain uncommon commons like #80 , the Maxwell and some other cards are fund to get and certain cards are real hard to get centered like the Lowes..

now onto t202..any suggestions on what makes a card in the same tier better than the other? like a sgc 4 versus a SGC4!.. or key condition differences to look for between 3-5 levels.....seems like a fun set to build and probably cost under 10k for a complete graded set of about a level 4 etc.

[HercDriver]

It is a great set to collect, and it's still pretty much under the radar. If you're a Chief Meyers fan, it's a really good set, as it seems like he's on half the cards. There a handful of Cobbs to get, but they aren't unreasonable. There are a few tough "commons" that you'll find as you build. If you want to get really crazy, you could try for a red and black back of each card, doubling your fun. And if you're a severe lunatic, you could try for all three backs on each card…although I'm not sure they all exist with each of the the three backs (the Black Fact 30) being the tough one to find).

Have fun!
Geno

[Leon]

I moved this from a BST section to the front page to solicit more responses...

[peterb69]

It is a nice set. I completed a set of all the different center photos, meaning my set does not have every end card combination. Maybe someday I'll try to get every combination (except backs).

[Econteachert205]

I like the T202 set but have the same issues in terms of the multitude of ways to collect it. Since so much overlap occurs with the portraits in the 05 set I decided on my own 4 card pursuit: Baker/Collins (just got it)!!, Speaker/Wood, Cobb/Jennings, and Mcgraw/Bresnahan, so a double HOFER portrait set plus the Speaker/Wood bc Smokey Joe is awesome. So I'd say the set opens itself to designing your own subset based on position, double teams etc. Good luck!


edit: add evers and chance to the list

[bn2cardz]

One that has caught a lot of traction in the past few years is the Lord Catches His Man due to this classic thread. The thread garnered 703 posts so you may want to make sure you have the time if you plan to read it.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=124045

Here is a follow up poll Leon did on the subject:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=124211

[itjclarke]

T202's are the best! I hope you have fun with them Boyntoncollector. I really think they're the whole package. Great period photos (many action shots), great players, 2 HOF combos (even 3 with Tinker Evers Chance), and great back write ups.

As you look at them more and more, you'll see many lower grade examples that look EXMT with nice white borders and sharp corners. Whether they're downgraded due to small creases, or litte patches of paper loss, there seem to be an abnormally high % of low grade gems. 3-5 is a nice range to go after, and prices remain pretty modest accross the board.. but there are some great 2's (even 1's) out there if you're willing to consider. Regardless, enjoy the hunt!

Here are some of my lower grade examples. Only the Cobb (sits in a 2 holder) has what I'd consider a noticeable crease, but the others are all pretty sharp.

T202 Baker Berry sliding.jpg
T202 Baker Collins- bought N54.jpg
T202 Cobb O'Leary.jpgT202 Evers Chance PSA-2 .jpg

[1952boyntoncollector]

nice cards. yeah i really like the eye appeal

as far as HOFs...to me HOFs not a big deal when they are involved in 50% or more of the set..its like an all star set for its day so to me they are more the same versus a 700 card set with 20 HOFs..

[the 'stache]

It's one of my absolute favorite sets, easily in my top 5 for pre-war, and it may be #2 behind the T206 set. I only have 5 of them thus far, but will be working on the set more after the start of the new year.

Here's my Lord Catches his Man. It was a real pita to get, no doubt because of the Joe Jackson discussion.




Have to thank Ian again for thi beauty below.


And finally, my very first pre-war card, thanks to Pete Sycks.

[1952boyntoncollector]

also i think if paying under 100 dollars for many of the cards in sgc 3-4....i don think you will lose that much moeny if have to sell them down the line

there are other cards out there even 1952 topps commons i can see 80 dollar cards now be worthless 20 years from now...

[Centauri]

I read that entire Lord thread. Holy crap, but that was one of the coolest things I have read. The detective work was unbelieveable.

I am convinced enough that I would buy the card, and pay a bit of premium, just to say I had a Joe Jackson. Post #266, along with the newspaper photo clinch it for me.

I am from Cleveland, and have been to the microfilm room at that library. I will definitely make that trip when I am next in town, and pull up that very page.

[itjclarke]

Figured I'd bump a T202 thread to post this. OT to the original post, but emblematic of how good low grade T202's can look. I've been watching T202 sales for a few years, and though prices have cooled a bit, don't think that trend can explain these drastic differences.

I just picked up this beauty in a 2 holder on eBay (pics not too sharp)--
T202 Cobb O'Leary PSA.jpg
T202 Cobb O'Leary PSA back.jpg

I have seen this specific card sell several times before, starting as a raw listing in 2013, believe stating condition as "NM". I wouldn't really consider "NM" as being misleading, since aside from a small stain on the back, it's got super sharp corners/edges and is totally creaseless.

It has been interesting to see this card's price decrease as it's perceived potential condition/grade has gone down. That said, all flaws were clearly seen in the first scans when it sold raw for about 5x what I paid, and it's still the very same card now, just resides in a low grade holder.

Neither phenomena (super clean low/mid grade, and higher price for raw "potential" high grade card) is unique to T202, but the ultra clean low grade examples seem very common with T202s. I also thought it an interesting and extreme example of just how much the value of a raw card can be inflated by the potential of getting a high grade (even 2nd raw sale was more than twice current price level), but so undercut once viewed in its holdered grade. This is like model that Battlefield seems to have perfected--- more valuable to hype, hype, hype the possibility of a high numeric grade, than to sell in a modestly graded holder.

Sold raw in May, 2013- $1676 (sharp scans)
T202 Cobb 76.jpg
T202 Cobb 76 back.jpg

Sold raw shortly after, July, 2013- $810 (back scan a little more pixelated)
T202 Cobb 0.jpg
T202 Cobb 0 back.jpg

Sold in current PSA2 holder a year after raw sales, Dec, 2014- $415
T202 Cobb 5 was underbidder.jpg

[mechanicalman]

Ian:
Great case study. Thank you for posting. I think you nailed it about the couple sellers who sell the hype of a potential high grade. Also, beautiful card. If I can get a good deal because of a back blemish, I'm all for it, personally.

[itjclarke]

Thanks Sam. I did not intentionally track, but I keep lots of pics/scans of sales on cards in my watch list. Over the years I have amassed quite a folder. It's my poor man's version of VCP. Simply open the folder, search "T202 cobb" and bam, 100+ old sales pop up.

Some cards in that bunch, like the Cobb just stand out to me as they pop up again and again for sale. It was one of the more extreme examples I'd seen, and aside from something that ends up in an "A" holder, seemed an incredible price drop as a result of grading.

Funny, just noticed the T202 Baker Berry I'd posted earlier in the thread is this Cobb's brother (notice sequential s/n). I watched both of these sell raw as NM, then come back in low grade holders via a Probstein consignment. Unlike Cobby, looks like I snagged the PSA-2 Baker the first time it came available.

Sold raw in May, 2013 for $276-
T202 Baker Berry 6.jpg
T202 Baker Berry 6 back.jpg

Purchased graded Sept, 2013 for $96-
T202 Baker Berry sliding.jpg
T202 Baker Berry sliding back.jpg