1962 Jell-O short prints -- is there a list somewhere???
 

I've acquired 41 cards and while some I find on ebay, others don't show up anywhere and there are very few copies even on Worthpoint. I've searched the internet as well as this site and found only one list of a guess at the 20 toughest cards to find. Is there any kind of list out there showing which might be shortprints? For example, Jerry Kindall with paper loss on the front just sold for $90, Worthpoint shows only 4 or 5 examples ranging from $16 to $49. How the heck am I supposed to figure out values for these?

And on a "rarer" card, how much does added paper from an album on the back hurt if the front is clean and decently cut?

Quite maddening and any direction would be appreciated. Thanks!

The list posted on net 54 baseball of the 21 toughest isn't a guess, it's quite accurate.
There really isn't a price guide that applies to the 1962 Jell-os . As the expression goes, it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If you research actual prices paid for 1962 Jell-os on Worthpoint, that is the closest to a price guide you will get. But you will see there is often quite a wide variance in the actual prices paid.
Once again, the list of 21 toughest is quite accurate, put together by people who really know 1962 Jell-o. That definitely doesn't mean though that there are only 21 tough 62 Jell-os, there are many more.
Also, there are many more on net 54 who know more than me about this, perhaps they will notice your post and add to the discourse.

1962 Jell-o
 

One other thing about this set, which I guess is quite obvious - it's really hot right now.

Thanks for the info. The variance is driving me crazy as I pointed out with the Kindall, where the most recent sale on ebay (at auction) is twice the highest Worthpoint sale. I suppose I'll go the auction route and let the market dictate the values.

Variance
 

Another thing I think the variance in prices shows - don't get too crazy in the bidding wars. Just because this is the price it's selling for today, it may be a whole different story the next time.

jello
 

Now that right there...thats great advise !!

I do think that's probably generally good advice for anything. Just tough to pin down prices with so few data points.

How would you think added paper on the back would impact the price of a card that looks nice from the front?

It depends on supply
 

I am on board with being patient with significantly fluctuating prices IF there is some semblance of continuous supply - if however the card(s) we are talking about is one(s) that only comes up for sale every year or 2, well, my advice would be to go at it strong.

21 toughest SPs
 

If you are bidding on one of the tough SPs, yes, go all in.
Anything else, be patient, because it's probably going to take you a minimum of 10 years to get those SPs, probably a lot more.
If you get in a rush you can probably get all the other cards in a few years, but you've still got years to go on the SPs.

How's your progress ?
 

I was just wondering, have you been able to make much of a dent in your want list ? The rumor is, there are only 10 complete sets out there. That seems like an awfully low number, but it may be true.

1962 Jell-O
 

Just reading this thread and certainly interesting. Thought I would throw a few thoughts which will echo a lot of what has already been said.

First, certainly see some good advise in the thread related to going after these cards and the wild price fluctuations being referenced. The market, as Wayne notes, is very hot for these cards. This is due to the addition of a number of new set collectors, several of who are very aggressive in the pursuing of the 62 Jell-Os cards. As a result prices have risen significantly on perhaps the 50 toughest cards. I too feel the prices will fall some in the future ... back towards more historical norms for most of the cards in this set and patience likely will be rewarded. While this advise is good for most of the cards in the set, the really tough cards appear so infrequently, patience is of no value related to those cards. This would primarily be the cards listed on the 21 toughest list as those cards show so very infrequently and there is so much demand for them. The rest of the cards in the set would be expected to be seen on eBay periodically and at least once every year for a few of the tougher remaining cards. Not so for the super tough 21 cards as you can go years without ever seeing some.

Related to how may complete sets may be in existence, doubt anyone knows for sure. But it is pretty low. Personally I know of only three other people besides myself with a complete set --- and each of us have probably pursued these cards for at least 30 years. There are a number of very serious Post Cereal/Jell-O collectors also that are just a handful of cards away from being complete (the two closest I am aware of is one card missing for one collector, and three cards missing for another -- but they have been that close for a long time). I do believe that there likely are a few other sets salted away by some of the old-time baseball card collectors who have built enormous collections over the years and a 62 Jell-O set may be included in their collection. Would be good to know.

Related to card backs with paper stuck to them, that probably can be lumped into a general condition comment. First of all, finding these cards in nice condition is not that frequent. And if you want a card that will get a PSA number grade -- good luck. I would think that percentage might be something like of all the cards around, maybe 1/4 of 1 percent could get a number grade. This is due to the difficulty to cut the card off the box. Back then cards were squeezed on the back of the box you were trying to cut it off making it a tough cut to do nicely. Plus the PSA standard to get a graded number is very tough to meet. So it kind of comes down to the collector and their preference in terms of condition issues, be it the cut, back of the card issues. or other problems. For me, if it is a card I need, I would grab it especially if I was aware it was one of say the 50 toughest.

The 1962 Jell-O set is my favorite for several reasons. One reason is the difficulty of collecting these cards is significant. Additionally, little historical documentation exists to help collectors fully understand the set and it intricacies, causing all of us to have to work together to figure it out. Not sure there are too many sets that this can be said of. It does seem the set has been slowly beginning to get significant recognition the last few years. Nice.

Thank you for the rich discourse on the 1962 JELL-Os, Ken. Though I'm out of the ball game now, I enjoy learning about certain post-war regional / food issues. It's a pity the hobby did not try to decipher the history and the multitude of nuances of this extremely challenging set 40 years ago. Then again, I can understand why most of those aficionados would keep quiet about them; they were working on their own sets......... It is just as I wrote about in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN.

Well Ken, as you reminded me, at least I got to actually see them at my local JEWEL grocery store in the summer of '62. Though my dear mother refused my pleadings for some, the seed was planted, and in the intervening years my eyes would indeed notice any 1962 JELL-Os that crossed my path. Maybe I never got very far with the set, I still deeply cherish my two complete boxes. Those treasured acquisitions, along with my bittersweet memories of seeing them as an 8-year-old, are why I included the set in my book. I will try to get in touch with you soon to help you with your own book, bro.

I wish those few of you who are pursuing this post-war monster the very best of success.

You'll need every break you can get.

--- Brian Powell