Hall of Famer Cards
 

Does every Hall of Famer have a card?

It depends how you define a card. If you define it as being cardboard, part of a set, and only featuring that one person--definitely no. The first cards fitting that definition didn't appear until 1886 with N167s and Tomlinson cabinets. As you expand the definition of a card more HOFers get included. Actually, you might include the 1863 Grand Match tickets as fitting the first definition.

If you expand your definition to include non-contemporary cards, then yes, every HOFer has at least one card. There are quite a few HOFers (particularly negro leaguers and executives) with no known contemporary individual cards. I (and many others) have expanded the definition of card to postcards (teams, usually), photos, and other memorabilia with contemporary images of a HoFer in order to fill those tough gaps in our HOF collections. When all else fails and you need a filler, a post playing-career card exists for every HOFer.

It also depends on how you define a Hall-of-Famer:

Do you include managers? (I usually do since they are, along with players, 'uniformed') Umpires ? Owners ? Executives ?

Writers and Broadcasters are also technically Hall-of-Famers.

Even though Negro League records are not nearly as complete as those of the Majors, no one could rightfully not include all of those greats.

...and there are Negro League owners in the Hall as well.

What about scouts and coaches?

...and I would be remiss if I did not include one of the great ambassadors for the sport, Buck O'Neil.

how 'bout Max Patkin?

Where do you draw the line?

I would include Postcards in there at some point. I know there's not one individual card of every HoFer, and I worded the OP incorrectly.

Very true. And I guess that's part of my curiosity - if you include all of the non-players, do they at some point have some sort of postcard/card/etc. that can be collected?

I don't think Effa Manley has any official issues at all.

The other thing to remember is that new material is constantly being discovered. The 1896-97 Whitehead and Hoag pin rookie of Frank Selee was only just found. I think by the strictest definition of a card the Tomlinson and N167s (and maybe the Grand Match tix) are the first cards and thus the earliest source of rookies. However, I fully understand expanding the definition, when necessary, to find a contemporary image of the HOFer.

She has this one, although it's just a commemorative.

Cool never saw that one.

My Humble HOF Collection
 

You can see a card of each Hall of Famer -- excluding Schuerholz :mad: through the link below, although many are not contemporary issues.
It's a constant work-in-process. I'm always upgrading / downgrading and searching for contemporaries that I'm missing.

Scott

Here is the full pic and some info I found as I was looking, wondering, if a movie had ever been made about her.
http://www.chicagonow.com/token-fema...vie-about-her/

Effa Manley
 

Here's my 1930's Type I Press Photo of Manley:

http://photos.imageevent.com/derekgr...0%20Manley.jpg

The 1996 Legends of the Negro Leagues Playing cards Q of Hearts that Paul shared is a very tough card to find. There are always the Yellow HOF Plaque postcards to fill any gaps in a HOF collection.

I am not really a fan of collecting post-career cards of a given HOF player because I simply think of a "card" of a player as being issued when that player was active. For those of us who collect HOF players, at least from my perspective, that is obviously problematic since not everyone has a period card. I have no problem at all with period postcards because I'm not all that worried about whether or not its regional, national, or whatever. If exhibit cards are considered to be cards, then I'm good with other postcards being cards as well.

If the player doesn't have a period card or they are so few that I can never hope to achieve one (Frank Selee, Pete Hill, Al Spalding, and Willie Foster come to mind), for collecting purposes I vastly prefer period photos, etc., to post-career cards because I personally believe that is more authentic and more faithful to at least my collecting goals. For Spalding, I go to baseball currency. I am not a huge fan of team photos for my HOF collection (although I love them otherwise), even if period, unless I can't find anything else. Then I am, lol. There is certainly room for lots of debate on this issue and, as has been said several times before, you collect what suits you and what makes you happy. There is no right or wrong. Best,

Kenny

Post career cards don't do anything for me. If you're okay with those, just find a picture on the internet, some cardstock, and print your own.

As for where to draw the line: wherever​ you want. My collecting goal is one of everyone in the hof as a player (in practice restricted to MLB players since I can't afford negro league cards). The reason is simple and idiosyncratic to me. I'm not interested in managers, umpires, or executives. If you think managers are interesting, add them to the list.

The way I'm doing my HoF collection...

Pre-War: Any playing-days card (or postcard/etc. if they don't have an actual card)
Post-War: HoFer's last card
Modern: HoFer's RC

Resurrecting this thread as I continue to build the plan for my Hall of Fame collection, and it also might help fellow Hall of Fame collectors formulate their collection goals.

I'm looking to make a list of the damn-near impossible Hall of Famers due to rarity and/or cost ($5k+). Guys like Burkett & Dreyfuss, although rare, are semi-obtainable (I think...). Here is the list I have so far...

Frank Selee
Al Spalding
George Wright
Pete Hill
Pop Lloyd
Oscar Charleston
Biz Mackey
Josh Gibson
Cristobal Torriente
Jose Mendez
Andy Cooper

Does anyone else have anyone they'd like to add to the list? What are some non-mainstream options for some of these guys or any other difficult Hall of Famers? Looking forward to the board's input.

Does Landis appear on anything resembling a card?

Ed Delahanty perhaps?

That's a good question. I have his 1960 Fleer, but I might upgrade to his M114, I believe produced in 1943? I wouldn't consider that a card, but it is catalogued. Otherwise, I've only seen a booklet of his from his involvement days.

Harry Wright appears on several N172 poses and while they can be expensive, so are many other HOFers in that set. But it is a major set and it's not like you need to find an 1860s or 1870s cdv or cabinet like you would for Spalding or George Wright. Harry was not an active player at the time but he was an active manager, which I think should count as being active.

That's very fair. I guess you could remove Harry Wright from the list.

Great thread. Here are a few early cards of Landis:

1910s Indianapolis Star Mounted Cabinet:
https://photos.imageevent.com/derekg...s%20Landis.jpg

1929 Men of America Booklet (I’ve seen/owned a few that are SGC graded):
https://photos.imageevent.com/derekg...9%20Landis.jpg

I’ve also seen a handful of 1920s postcards with Landis. And I once owned a Connecticut team postcard from 1914. But I’m content with these two for my collection.

Landis is very doable. There are plenty of booklets that find their way on eBay each year, if you’re looking for one.

Most of them would be possible through the Billiken set though it's one that's rare and expensive.

Gibson you're out of luck I believe as the only real card of his is his 1950-1951 Toleteros

Even the Toleteros was issued several years after his death, so in a sense is not a real card.

Very true, Peter. I meant "real" in terms of a card issued by a company. I suppose his Harrison Studio's photo could qualify, but we're talking a boatload of money for that.

As if the Toleteros is cheap LOL. STILL after about a decade kicking myself for not manning up on one in a LOTG auction. That ship has sailed, relegating me to a 1974 Laughlin lol.

Haha another true statement. I was looking on PSA's site I saw a PSA 4 went for a little over 9K in 2012, a 3 just sold for 42K in REA's spring auction of this year!

The one I am thinking of was an SGC 5 if I recall correctly, went somewhere in the low teens in LOTG. Sometimes short term cheap is long term stupid. The upside is I learned a lesson and going forward did not sweat overpaying a little for key cards and of course in hindsight they mostly look very cheap.

I’ve only ever seen the signed copy of this PC. Are there multiples on market?

They're technically not. They receive the Frick Award but they're not members.

I've only seen the signed as well. If we count the team PC's to fit the bill, because they feature Gibson, then I think there are three total out there! But Yes as far as we all know the solo is a one of one, but they're all priceless.

It's tragic really. Not only from the sense that he would've made a hell of a Major Leaguer had the color barrier not existed, But also from a collecting standpoint, there's virtually no cards of him. We at least have a couple of Oscar Charleston to work with, because of his time in the Cuban league.

I agree with James. AFAIK, there is one copy (which is signed) of Josh Gibson’s 1931 Harrison Studios solo Real Photo Postcard and three copies of the 1931 Harrison Studio RPPC of the 1931 Homestead Grays which features both Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston.

Here is his 1931 Team RPPC.

Wow that is a great card with a lot of history and love the rarity