What Card Has Been Surprisingly Tough For You?
 

I used to love putting Topps baseball sets together back in the 1970s and was always fascinated by which handful of commons seemed to elude me each year. I mean I might have a stack of 15 Mike Schmidt cards but could never seem to get a Juan Beniquez or some other common.

So, what "common" has been surprisingly difficult for you to attain towards your pre-war set or collection that you are putting together? I'm not talking about short print cards, rare variations, or hall of famers, but rather what you thought would be a simple common and it has eluded you.

For me, I have been collecting T206 in SGC50 or better for almost 6 years now.......

My surprisingly tough "common" (actually 2 of them) has been the Red Ames (Hands Above Head) and the Red Ames (Hands At Waist).

I love hearing about what others have struggled to attain.

Surprisingly tough 206's
 

For me, trying to complete the set in PSA 5 or better, the following have proven to be most elusive: Gray, Crandall (portrait), Moran (Chicago), Phelan, Wiltse (portrait, no cap), Howell (portrait), Malarkey, Mowrey and Criger.

Tough P2?
 

In P2 pins, the Milan seems tough. I've been that one away from my Washington subset for years. The couple I remember seeing were really grubby. It doesn't even show up in the big groupings that appear every now and then. Gray, Groom, Street, even Johnson, but no Milan.

Bill

Here's both of them for sale in the condition you're looking for, but they're in PSA slabs: T206 slabbed vgex Ames in action

Tough?
 

D355 Niagara Baking. - Had a lead on one at a coin shop but the guy that brought 4 of them in never came back. Since Egan cataloged quite a few I know there will be one out there for me eventually. For anyone that doesn't know, here is what they look like.

I just re-opened another thread on this, but the 26 Exhibits Ruth (or Gehrig) has been horribly tough for me. I've never even seen one that hasn't been mislabled by PSA or SGC.

e104-1's Amos Strunk and Dan Murphy have been pretty difficult for me to find.

I agree that Ames hands over head has been tough for me (prefer raw T206s) - still looking for one that's reasonbly priced and without a million creases.

Some others that have proved difficult to find raw, in decent condition and not overpriced (and I still need):

Howard with old mill SL back
Shaugnessy w/ old mill SL back
Merkle - both variations
Murray portrait
Milan
Tenney (just picked one up, but a beater)

Feel free to PM me if anyone feels like selling me one or all of the cards above. :D

I've never understood this logic, so please explain. If you can find a reasonably priced one in a holder, and you can tell that it hasn't been trimmed (if you don't trust the slobber), why not crack it out and be happy? If you don't trust your own eyes, or the slobbers, then you're in even worse danger buying raw these days.

+1 I have been doing this for quite some time now. I crack out 90% of my slabbed cards.

I guess the W600 Evers doesn't count, that one's tough for everybody, huh?

I've been looking for a T210-3 Hornsby for quite a while now with no luck. I know most of you have seen the card and some of you have one. It's not that tough, but it has been for me.

I do buy graded now and then when I can't find one raw. I said I *prefer* raw. In this particular case with the Ames card, I simply haven't come across one that appeals to me and is reasonably priced.

Only one surprise "tough" card for me, since I don't pursue any set all that agressively. Somehow in 30 years I just didn't end up with a SC 150 factory overprint. Not that it was all that hard to fix once I realized I didn't have one.:)

The toughest card to actually get has been an 88 topps Canseco. Last one I needed, pre-Ebay and I didn't want to buy a whole set. 2 years of asking around, people had them, but didn't want to bother digging in the back room for a 10 cent card.

Steve B

N172 Buster Hoover
 

I've been looking for this one for a while to put me one step closer to completing my Old Judge New Jersey subset. All indications are that it shouldn't really be that hard.

Actually, I know where one is (or maybe was), but I could not get the owner to trade with me or sell. :(

2 cards same player. 1923 E123 Curtis Ireland card of Elmer Miller and 1921 Koester Bread of Elmer Miller. I have one that PSA had slabbed as a Koester but SGC crossed it over as a w575-1 of Miller. Grade would not matter as long as it is Elmer Miller.

The t200 boston nationals has been a bear for me to find in any condition.

The 1912 Blaine "Kid" Durbin Zeenut was I say was a tough one to get ahold of for some reason. I finally have one due to a kind fellow net54 member.

This is the only card I think the Durbin had and I'm trying to get at least one card of every guy on the 1909 Pirates team.

Trying to complete a T206 Southern Leaguer set of 48 all in PSA 5's. I just need a Charlie Fritz. There's one on e-bay in a partial set, but the seller wants the moon for it. Also a PSA 4 Bill Dahlen Brooklyn variation.

The 1911 Fullerton Zeenut has eluded me for years. He's one where family members have scooped them up, never to get back into the hobby.

That said, it does exist, Two are in the SGC Registry. I just don't have mine. :(

1912 WUNC Tommy Leach


Never seen one and it may not exist. Though, it's in the Krause cat.

E97 Nichols, Phil
 

I've been looking for this card for 15 years now...I've seen a few pop up...usually too dear for my tastes...1 was reasonable on ebay a ways back but I didn't go hard enough. It's a toughie in e97!

Last cards found in putting sets together card by card (therefore IMHO very, very tough):
T207 Pelty (tough back plus Jewish factor)
M116 Wood (tough back plus collectors love Smokey Joe). The ultimate scarcity in this set is McConnell Chicago though.
E90-1 Shean (incredibly tough, scare card)
E94 Bates (toughest to find although Wagners and Youngs don't pop up often)
E97 Nichols, Phil. (very tough variation)
E98 Coombs (in nice shape this card is very tough)
P2 Sweet Caporal pin (not card) Pelty and Abbaticchio (don't know why)
T205 Gray stats
T206 Elberfield Washington
T212-1 Gandil
T212-2 (175) Shaw
T212-2 (150s) Mundorf variation
T212-3 Bues
T200- Boston Nationals team card
1911 Zeenut Fullerton (Bohen is impossible so it doesn't count)
Sweet Cap Domino Discs (not card) Drucke
Also D311- Dailey
C46- Malarkey

D322 Dreyfuss- Been stuck at 24/25 for years. I've seen a few, but there's too much competition for them.

T207 Mogridge- Just haven't been able to find one.

M116 Coveleskie- There's a few out there, just not lately.

1919 Zeenut
 

Alex Mains and at one point Colgan's Tulley Sparks.

Toughest Card
 

Danny,

Yes agreed with the T200 Boston Nationals being one of the toughest cards; I picked up one off of Joes' Vintage and didn't even look at the price. That is probably not a good habit to get in to...

Zach Wheat

m101-2
 

Been looking for a long time without success for a couple of team issues - Philadelphia A's and Chicago Cubs

In 1973 and 1974, Cy Acousta was the last card I needed, old school opening wax packs one at a time.

1980 Charlotte Police Orange Border Ripken. Last one sold at auction in 2006, less than 50 known. This is one on my buckett list.

D322
 

D322 Dreyfuss was a super tuffy for me.

sgc 60 ?

BBCard1- interesting because when I was 13 years old, I could not finish that 1974 set. When I was 20 years old, I started to go to local card shows and fill it in. For me, the last and most difficult was Rick Wise in 1974 Topps. Right now it is a decent amount of Diamond Stars commons. I just picked up 3 this weekend and over paid, just to cross them off. And not the high numbers. I find #4,6,15,23 a pain.

D381 Brad Kocher took forever to hunt one down!! Finally found one thanks to a Net54 member who was willing to sell.

1950 R423 Jackie Robinson

and the

1952 Brooklyn Dodgers Schedule Cards Jackie Robinson

and not so surprisingly...

1955 Topps Hocus Focus Jackie Robinson.

1915 cracker Jack
 

#10 Mc Innis In 4, 5 or 6 Please! Yes I still need it Thanks, Marty