Your Toughest Card
 

Hey Everyone,

Got some time to kill on my flight.... thank god you can get internet on planes now. :)

wondering what is the toughest card that was on your want list.. that you ended up finding!... it can be a card which you no longer own... as long as you had it at one point in time :)

I need to think about mine.. Whats yours?

Jamie

1922 William Paterson - Travis Jackson, picked up right before the National this year.

Thanks, Chris!


Toughest one to find that I let go of, 1946 Sears St. Louis Cardinals Postcards - Red Schoendienst. REALLY wish I had that one back.

No doubt my E107 Cy Young!

Post pics if you have them so we can see the gems that go with the story:cool:

1953 topps mantle psa 9oc.....only mantle graded psa 9 with a qualifier, why pay $100k for a straight 9??

Probably the E107 Kelley.

Closely followed by the E107 Clarke, E107 McGraw, and E107 Wagner.

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...20SGC%2010.jpg

I'm a T206 collector, so ALL cards are common and easy.

hahahahahaha....hahaha...ha.............:confused:

Probably this one......................
 

I think my W521 Ruth was my toughest find for the cards that I actually have. And I still need one with the maroon background (and perhaps blue also). This card is often mislabeled with the more common (but still tough) W519-1. There are plenty of other cards on my want list, but most of them are easy to find, but just too expensive for me.

Not as tough some of the others posted, but fairly tough as a trio.

Nice Ju Ju.

http://photos.imageevent.com/mhgt/ho...ers-Chance.jpg

For baseball, the 1935 Pebble Beach Clothiers Lefty O'Doul. I'd been collecting O'Doul pieces for years, and it took me until the 2006 National to find one of these. Mark Macrae, one of our members, had 2 of them at the show. Interesting story on this one. The back has a handwritten name ___ Dempsey. Turns out this card was once owned by Con Dempsey, a SF native who ended up playing in the PCL and in MLB. He has a card in the 1952 Topps set.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...quDoul%202.jpg

And for a boxer, this 1904 Jeffries-Munroe 2-sided Sporting Life cabinet card. Only one specimen is known. I'd seen it years ago in the Dreier collection and as a Jeffries collector [he is from Burbank] when it came up for auction I had to have it:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...20cabinet.jpeg

Pretty tough Greenberg issue from Cuba. Condition-wise these cards are a nightmare. Often these cards were affected by humidity, water damage, and even bugs eating through the cards.

Mine is pretty clean, but the back is pretty torn up, but does not take away from the eye appeal of the card.

http://i317.photobucket.com/albums/m...scan0002-1.jpg

Searched at least ten years for a Mansfield Old Judge. Only made one year and only one player is shown on that team. Finally got it in the last REA. Only other time it came up for sale over that time span, it sold for $3200 in a PSA4, so while I would've liked to ended my search with that example, my high bid fell well short.

great card Johnny
 

:)

wow johnny !!

great thread jamie....i gotta thinks bout dis one:eek:

T215 pirates cigarette
 

Here is my toughest

My humble contribution. Lots of Goudeys but you hardly ever see the World Wide Gums.

http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m...djams/ruth.jpg

Toughest to find which I found- Tie between 3 set-completers, 1911 Zeenut Fullerton, M116 Joe Wood and 1910 Obak Series of 150 Wolverton. They were all 3 killers.
Toughest to find now to complete set- E98 red Lajoie.

Me too...
 

I too would like get one of the Old Judge Alcott's from Mansfield. My family is from there so it's more sentimental than anything. Nice card. Thanks for sharing!

rsst206
 

:eek:

wow!!!!!!!!!!!

Worked long and hard to finally nab Torriente (2012 REA). And my Coveleski was much harder than I thought it would be.

Don't want to seem indecisive, but each of these was really tough (with 5 or fewer graded examples of each...):

hard to say
 

Since I get the disappointment when many of my collections rare cards have more discovered I still have a few that I would consider really tough....

http://luckeycards.com/pd304cobb.jpg
http://luckeycards.com/pdunc1928greinersbread.jpg
http://luckeycards.com/pe100comparisonx4.jpg
http://luckeycards.com/pe137homerunkissesshinn.jpg
http://luckeycards.com/ptunc1930stob...thandcobb2.jpg
http://luckeycards.com/pe100type2weaver2.jpg

Attachment 72026


^^ I may be completely off base, but from what I understand the only other person that owns the e104-3 Doolan is K. Olbermann... His is much nicer (obviously).


BTW that's a beautiful D304 Cobb, Leon. Very nice for the grade.

Took me a couple of years to nail these down after I learned of their existence in other collections...

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zVZtUgKvYNgjQWK8PNLz3DiJm_Z5QsNdec5_I7WHZRE?feat=e mbedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oeCWC2P6mAA/T7wz-iODO7I/AAAAAAAAKyY/MVkZIoZ99gc/s800/Johnson_SGC_A.jpg" height="800" width="499" /></a>

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/swNQV2bixh6GcZAeoJci_jiJm_Z5QsNdec5_I7WHZRE?feat=e mbedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OhVpYz1aRys/TAAOGsOSADI/AAAAAAAAH20/uGEZ9SoRNa8/s800/image0-2.jpg" height="800" width="501" /></a>

Good luck finding it. The bad thing for your quest is that collectors who already have the card won't let another get by them because they know it's good trade bait. So you're not just competing against people who need the card, you're going against people who see it as a way to possibly get a different tough card away from another OJ collector

Here's Mine
 

e125 American Caramels

Really enjoy these threads because of all the beautiful cards of various board members. Have to say in this tread those E 125`s are THE hottest of all ! WOW

my eddie plank !

http://i32.servimg.com/u/f32/11/52/54/64/ma_pla10.jpg

those are great!

My Toughest Card
 

Blair- like a walk down memory lane, I think I was under bidder on all 3 of those cards. Great cards!
tbob

Thanks, I still want more :D

My endless pursuit of this then-raw card ended when the auction ended.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/calvindog/3084954078/" title="1908 Detroit Free Press PC 773-4 by calvindog65, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3015/3084954078_91616db3e7_o.jpg" width="475" height="882" alt="1908 Detroit Free Press PC 773-4"></a>

T210 Series 6 Fred Toney
 

Here is a scan of my T210 series 6 fred toney. Took my five years to find but it is a major league star on my home town minor league team. The one card I will never sell. This card has its lower left corner it is just whited out in the scan. I also have a beat up sgc 10 reed winchester also. Now if I could just get the rest of the winchester players. I also have a great rppc of the winchester team a fellow board member gave me for free!

Tony

Greg,

I found Honus's long lost twin brother...

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/r...25Throwing.jpg

Jumbo Tigers Postcard (measures approx 7" x 9")

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/r...igersPCMJP.jpg

A tough type that took me a few years to locate an example to purchase...

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/r...zJKSchulte.jpg

Had wanted a PM1 for a long time, being outbid on Matty and others along the way. Happy to have a Wags as my PM1 type.

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/r...PM1WagnerA.jpg

Love that Kelley.



http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...sMathewson.png

Thanks Bob...for the nice words, and for letting me win! :D

I think mine at this point would be the Seymour Lenox back.. I looked for a couple years for one....and another board member had one (thanks Adam)

Ive been looking for the seymour Drum back for about 3 years now... just missed it in the card target auction... and its disappeared since... if I ever pick up that it will surely be my toughest find.
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...lenoxfront.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...noxSeymour.jpg

That's a cool card....

Nice Toney.I stumbled across his stats the other day and he was quite a good pitcher.

It's always nice to trot this one out once in a while.

Henry Johnson Confectioners back. I'm only aware of two, though I'm certain there are more.

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...&pictureid=893

-Al

Thanks!!

For now...1 of 1...and my toughest card:

Sweet, Pete!

Here are a couple. Didn't know the Ainsmith even existed until I saw it.

Bill

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Mogridge-F.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...nsmithfelt.jpg

Tough to track down and even tougher to acquire.

http://i.imgur.com/RHqJ4.jpg

Thanks jason...chris...i wont tell u what i paid for that exact hofman in 93'.

Fortunate to trade with a Net54 member......wanted this card for ever and a day!

<a href="http://s917.photobucket.com/albums/ad12/flinchfree/?action=view&amp;current=orangebordersWagner.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad12/flinchfree/orangebordersWagner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Pete, I tracked down a few owners since your pickup and I'm sure each has done very well on him ;) Which is great as its all part of the adventure Solly took to get here.

Nice cards everyone, some real beauties.

Nice card Pete.

thanks mike...Jeff...WOW...what an image!!!!!! Chris...you are most likely correct...I sold it back in 2001 or so to buy a leather recliner...that my cat destroyed...I'd rather have the card!!!!

Here are a couple more of my favorite tough ones

The below rank as my personal favorites in my collection as well as some of the absolute toughest cards I have. Many of these weren't really cards I sought out, except maybe the B&W m116, but were rather cards I just stumbled into and had an opportunity to obtain.

The e94 represents not only a unique player with a silver background in the e94 set, but an entire unique variation as a 2nd e94 silverback has never been found.

The d311 bluegrass variation maybe unique to this player but I'm thinking other examples exist that are missing that color pass.

The e95 Cicotte is the only distinct background color variation I've ever seen from the e95 or e96 set.

The m116 is one of only two black and white m116s that I'm aware of.


Attachment 72129

Attachment 72130

Attachment 72131

Attachment 72132

Amazing stuff here!

Pete, that Lowdy is unreal. Jeff, that Matty PC makes me drool.
Is that a JuJu Matty? Wow!

Jeff: That Matty is IMPRESSIVE!

each page in this thread is worthy of a museum. Great cards everyone. I don't think I've ever seen that Juju before.

Jeff, that Matty is so great. Love the writing in the bottom corner as well.

I've never seen the JuJu Matty either, thanks for sharing! It's awesome.

Great cards everyone!

Here is the rarest partial card that I own

<a href="http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i52/rman444/prewar/Other/?action=view&amp;current=1913BostonGarterTyCobbFro nt.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i52/rman444/prewar/Other/1913BostonGarterTyCobbFront.jpg" border="0" alt="1914 Boston Garter Ty Cobb Front"></a>

Wow
 

Wow, Jeff, what a great Mathewson PC!

And can someone tell me more about the T215 Pirates miscut? It's been years since *any* T215 has traded publicly. To see a major miscut like that is absolutely phenomenal -- would love to hear any background on that...!

I really like this thread so I will add another of mine. Would be better if a chip was not missing from the top but never seen another one...............

I ditto what has already been said...brian..great varios...I was eying that cicotte...I love it!!!! And thank god there aren't more of those "silver" e94's or I may need one!

Never seen the JUJU matty either...wowsers...very cool...and that piece of a BG cobb is real nice too!!!!!!

Certainly not the toughest card in the world, but my small contribution to this thread:

http://photos.imageevent.com/vanslyk...dell%20Doc.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/vanslyk...ell%20Back.jpg

Thanks Jason
 

Thanks Jason. Fred Toney was a really good pitcher that time has pretty much forgot. He kind of did it to himself though because he wasted a few years in the Chicago Cubs system not really trying hard because he never really wanted to pitch in the majors. He was content to pitch in the minor leagues. As a result he lost roughly 3-4 seasons of his prime that he could have used at the major league level.

Tony

my contribution
 

My contribution. I looked for a Wright that I liked for well over 10 years. I looked for Charleston for what seemed like quite a while. Mackey I lucked into soon after I learned of its existence, but it is sure hard to find now.

Toughest card (for me) as a function of various sets
 

Pre-WWII


N162 ..... Sharp examples of either Anson or Kelly are tough simply because of the law of "supply vs. demand" for these two cards.

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...ansonkelly.jpg



E90-1 ..... Either one of these two cards in my current set of E90's are the toughest; as, they were when I completed my 1st set (circa 1990's).

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d.../atrispeak.jpg ...... OR ...... http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...6/e90duffy.jpg



T206 ..... Any card with this back

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...eaf460back.jpg



T207 ..... For me Chet Hoff was the toughest

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d.../achethoff.jpg


Post WWII


1949 LEAF

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...zaz/paige2.jpg ...... OR ...... http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...flarrydoby.jpg



1949 BOWMAN PCL ..... Any one of the 36 cards in this very scarce set

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...bowmanpcl1.jpg



TED Z

There you go - trying to make me throw up again. Any time I see a BL 460 back, or even hear of their existence, I have that reaction, because of the two I sold and the one I failed to buy. Oh well.

Thanks Ted.

That George Wright has got to be one of the coolest cards I've ever seen. Not that the other two you posted are exactly slouches.

My toughest card surfaced ...
 

several years ago in a find from menber of the Griffith family of a small group of 1922 W573-like cards with advertising for the Leader Theatre (in Wash., DC) on the backs, all of which cards I believe are autographed (in pencil) Wash. Senators cards (if my early-Alzheimer's-like memory serves me correctly, which it often doesn't). I think this lot of a dozen or so cards constitutes all or almost all of the Leader Theatre cards of this type (There is also an E121-like card with a Leader Theatre back that I think is even more rare) that are known to exist.

This lot included cards of Walter Johnson and Sam Rice, whose cards I enthusiastically collect. Not too long thereafter, all or most of these cards appeared in eBay auctions, much to my delight. However, as the bidding escalated beyond what I thought I might win these 2 cards for, and seeing that my main competition was someone (another Ner 54 member) with deeper pockets (as I recall, this was before eBay started disguising the bidders' IDs), I regressed into a no-guts-no-glory bidding funk and failed to win either of these cards! Shortly afterwards, the Net54er who won them both, told me that he had placed his max bid for the WaJo, and that if only I had bid a teensy bit more, I would have won the WaJo card! To this day, I still have nightmares about this!!

I should mention at this point that when I was a kid in the late 1940's and early 1950's, my dad would take me to see cowboy movies at theaters in the area of DC where the Leader Theatre was located; hence, I very likely saw a movie or two in this theatre before it closed down!

Continuing my story, I somehow managed to carry on with my life! Fast forward a number of years to March of 2011. By this time, I think this Net 54er was feeling sorry for me, for he let me purchase the the Sam Rice card from him at a reasonable (I guess!) price, and I have attached scans of my pride-and-joy below.

Being as this Net 54er is also partial to WaJo cards, I know that my only chance of ever acquiring this one is by outliving him - and, he is significantly younger than me! But, I want him to know that I am doing everything I can (such as eating healthy, taking my vitamins, etc.) to increase my "slim-and-none" chances! :D

Seriously, Dan, again many thanks for this Rice card, and I'll always wish for the best for you and "Pops."
Val

T206 cycle 460 Germany Schaefer. I have never seen another.

Old Puts
 

Here are a couple of the only ones known...

Not my rarest, but one of my favorite rarities. This one does not get mentioned much (maybe due to its rarity) but to my knowledge there are only four or five known.
JimB

http://photos.imageevent.com/jimblum...ba%20front.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/jimblum...bbb%20back.jpg

Most N167s are tougher than the Mello Mint Cobb.
JimB

http://photos.imageevent.com/jimblum...0Gillespie.JPGhttp://photos.imageevent.com/jimblum...50%20back.jpeg

Rough shape but difficult to find in any condition

[IMG]http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=7695http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=7696

That's my dream card Jim. Beautiful card.

It lives! :eek: Nice to see it in a higher res scan then whats been shown prior. Amazing f/b combo, congrats!

That card is off the charts!!! :eek::eek::eek:
JimB

Mine would have to be this one....

Here are a few...

My toughest card
 

I really enjoy looking at all of the great cards on this thread. Makes me want to concentrate more on the rarity of cards instead of the grade. Here is my humble entry.

I have not seen many of these come up for sale in the last three years. I was pleased when I got it, and even more pleased when I got it placed in an SGC holder.

Best regards,

Joe