My question above regarding E97 Briggs is something I am truly curious about. In most cases, the black and whites have a few copies of the same player, and I can't see any change from one to the other, like you would expect with proofs. They look to me like black and white versions of E97s with a blank back, not "proofs." Are they really proofs, and if not, why are they called proofs?

Proof is in the puddle mud
 

I think the black and white E97's were identified long ago as proofs because they were a mystery issue with obvious ties to the E97's. I imagine they were seldom seen in the hobby, so multiple copies of the same player in a sense didn't seem to exist. You have to remember before the internet information just didn't percolate to the surface as quickly as it does now. The square E254 Colgan 'proofs' have also long been labelled as such, and they share the same images as the E254 set and have blank backs, thus sharing these common denominators with the E97's.

So if nothing else, tradition holds strong. I have been trying to debunk the 'generic' label for the majority of the cards in the E91 sets for years, but sometimes old labels have a way of clinging, just like a joey inside Momma Kangaroo's pouch.

Brian

The Brits have tried with something called the World Tobacco Index. Beckett and COMC are in the midst of creating large databases of cards electronically.

How do you...
 

What do you type in the search box to keep any T206s from coming up on ebay? I'm done with the set (minus the Big 4) and I'd like to not have to scroll through a zillion t206s constantly.
How do you keep a card seller who puts his entire inventory on ebay, every week, every year, with prices so high that no one buys them, from showing up in your search? What do you type in?

Thanks, I know this was covered in the past but I missed it.

type in what you want to search for, then a space, then "-t206" or the minus sign and what ever you don't want to search for.

Brian, that is a great answer. At least I know they aren't really proofs, just called that. I can live with that.

Great thread. Ok, I think I have figured out all the BST abbreviations correctly identified.

FS - for sale
WTB - wanted to buy
WTTF - wanted to trade for
FT - for trade

Are there others that I am missing?

OK, dumb question for the day (posed to me many times over the years by non-believers):

Why do grown men collect baseball cards?

Space considerations.
 

.....

...they're easier to hide from the wife , unlike my 1950's run of Playboy.

...

Because we grown men:
- Love the game basebal,
- Have the "collector" gene in our body,
- Enjoy reliving the good times of our youth, and
- Need/want a healthy escape from the trials & tribulations of everyday life.

What is the exact reasoning behind something being considered an XRC (or even an unofficial RC) vs a regular RC? I understand that a regional issue might not qualify, but I also see national issues that don't qualify as well. For example, Pee Wee Reese is in both the 1941 Play Ball and 1941 Double Play sets. The Play Ball is considered the only "official" rookie, while the Double Play is an "extra" rookie card. As far as I know, both sets were nationally available, and the Double Play set is a bigger set by number of cards.

You can take that a step further with parentheses. For example, enter -(t206,t-206,"t 206"). That way you can filter out the guys who use the dash or for some weird reason put a space between the t and 206.

Because it's cheaper and more enjoyable than collecting wives.

Thanks Ed, so easy and yet effective.

tbob

LF = looking for

More stupid than helpful
 

WTF? = What The Fadoodle?

Brian