W600 Purchase of a lifetime (for me)! Would you restore?
 

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That is a nice lot, congratulations! I would take one of the lesser players and have it restored to see the improvement and then decide based on that. Also keep in mind that because of the bias against restoration in baseball cards at this time you may be paying for work to reduce the value of the card. (however if you like them better and plan to keep them that might not be an important consideration)

I'm only potentially interested in removing the staining, not repairing mounts or anything like that. Do you think even just that would reduce their values?

Do what makes you happy as a collector, not as a reseller or investor.
Plenty of collectibles out there that allow for restoration and it’s always noted. Cars, comics, and art to name just a few.
Congrats and do what you need to do with your collection.

Incredible find!
 

Tough call on the restoration - I'd probably start with an exploration of what exactly a professional restoration could do and what the expense is. Not sure how significant an impact the restoration has on value, but I guess at that point you could do the math and decide if it makes sense.
If you want to move the Wagner or Plank, I'm interested.

They are a tough call.

The current thing in the hobby is against restoration, almost any depending on who you ask.

But these have at least one probable issue that won't be good for the cards long term. The spotting, like on Davis, Leach etc. is probably mold or mildew. It may be dead, but an expert would have to look at it. If it's live, or dormant but could come back with some moisture - Like general humidity- it will spread, slowly, but it will. Maybe even to other items.

I'd think that a professional cleaning* of the surface to remove accumulated "stuff" and addressing the probable mold. (It could just be dirt spatters, since the stains look like water damage. ) would be ok.
I'm not sure I'd go after the stains, to me that's just a bit too far.

*If they were mine I might try it myself, I've done a few things, and would try one if the images are printed. If they're actual photos, I'd leave it to a professional.

Congrats on a great haul. I was following the auction and would love to work a deal on the Plank if you would sell/trade (sent you a PM).


Regarding your question - I would not restore

I handled the cards with gloves and they are all 100% dry, but I personally agree that addressing the potential mold growth is a must for them which I consider completely separate from removing the staining. I don't think there should be any negative view toward making sure rare items like these don't waste away.

I feel the same as Steve. Generally I would not mess with anything, but if you could safely have that mold removed without using any harmful chemicals, and you were fully transparent, that could be a good move.

Beautiful cards, great pickup!

I'd leave them exactly as is, unless the dirt is causing continuing damage to the cards, in which case I'd have them cleaned by a professional with water.

-Al

A qualified paper restorer (not a hack like some out there who just use whatever harsh chemicals they can find in the cupboard) uses water and buffering agents and should be able to clean and de-acidify the cards to make them stable. Definitely worthwhile.

I agree too. Stabilizing is most important And for me, I would probably try a Q tip and water but that is about it...just to get off any loose dirt or grime that you can. I was watching them too.. Good luck!

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I wouldn't touch them. Even if restoration is possible I'm sure it will leave some sign of it like when people think to have coins polished. It never looks quite right and a lot of people would have preferred the original state.

There's a big difference between what some people do and what's done professionally.

Polishing coins is bad, as abrasives leave loads of tiny scratches.
But the vast majority of shiny uncirculated silver coins have been cleaned with non abrasive cleaners. Otherwise, they would usually be badly tarnished.

Removing surface filth is typical for most stuff, especially if it will damage whatever it is.

I'm sure a professional could do something for them but I just wanted to caution because you won't know what you've got till it's done. When it comes to art there are a ton of pieces that have been "restored" over time (like the Last Supper) that now have more restored paint than original paint left.

I agree with others to keep them as original as possible, as with anything vintage, but removing the mold will definitely be necessary. Those black spots are definitely mold/mildew and while it looks dormant it is very much alive. If not treated it will continue to get worse and eventually overtake the entire card area. I had a vintage title to an antique car I have and in the course of two years it completely covered the document rendering it worthless. I had made a copy of course but the original was lost forever. I would also have a professional do it. There are several good ones out there.

i was watching this Ebay auction too!
I saw it go up to 20K and then..must been a retraction as i saw it fall back to 16K with a few days left. Figured it go for more$- near 40-50K, but 30K is not too shabby-shique.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1902-1911-S...p2047675.l2557
I saw this was the 4th type mount, which is very hard to find, as it seems only 3-4 on most of them at best, from what i read on Heritage's site.
Awesome WIN!!!

Thanks! That's what I thought it was going to go for too so I was VERY happy to see it end at 30k

Leave them as is

I would absolutely have those worked on. They're more or less ruined as is, IMO.

Great purchase! They are yours so its up to you! I wouldn't mind them either way.

I agree with this post. The mold must be stabilized. Great haul, by the way.

I'd clean or restore them. Talk to Scott Forest (Rundscott). He's knowledgeable on the topic.

By restoring, I mean having them expertly cleaned, not anything major.

Wow, nice pickup. I saw this auction listing early on and then lost track of it (which was no problem....I wasn't a bidder, but wanted to watch this to see how it played out). When I couldn't find it again I wondered if it had been taken down.

Congrats on an incredible pickup!


Richard.

Drooling
 

What a haul!!! Congrats.

Distilled water, cotton swabs & time.

Those are beautiful, congrats.

I purchased some posters a few years ago that were in pretty bad shape, and decided to take them to place that could at least stop any further damaged from taking place (they were moldy). I did want them to "restore" anything, it was all about conservation.

For what it's worth, I was quite happy with the results.

Doug

Amazing cards, I remember seeing the sale and looking to see if they had a Cobb. Imo I would have the plank and wagner restored if possible.

Regardless of what you decide to do (I'd clean and just make that clear if I ever resold them), that is an amazing haul! Congrats!

Who are some reputable restorers for cards like these?

This is who did my Horner Composite before I got it. Some well known hobbyists use them too...

https://www.graphicconservation.com/

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I am not opposed to restoration so long as it's disclosed. Personally, for these cards, I would absolutely look into getting them - at the very least - professionally cleaned and the mold addressed. The stains detract from the cards, to me, so I would want to get rid of it if possible.

Other than the Joss and Chesbro, the rest look pretty bad. It would not bother me to have them cleaned up. Someone may be able to remove that staining.

Awesome pick-up, congrats!

I created an official BST thread for the Non-HOFers in the BST section...here is the link:

https://net54baseball.com/showthread...20#post2087520

I'm open to offers on all of the cards. Listed prices are just what I'm looking for.

I agree with this

I'm starting to wonder if there was a Cobb that the seller kept for himself or if it was lost somewhere along the way. Seems unlikely that there would be a Crawford and a McIntyre without a Cobb. Why would someone order the Tigers outfield minus their best player?

Cobb was not available until 1907 and far from a future hobby icon at that time. 1907 was really his breakout year. Possibly these were all obtained by the original person prior to 1907, the group contains all of the four types of mounts, indicating some were acquired at different time periods, even type 4 was produced for a few years before this.

I agree with Scott. The original owner probably acquired them before was even offered in 1907. It looks like the Crawford is a Type 3 mount which would date it to 1903-ish and the McIntyre is a type 4 which could have been as early as 1904.

Both the Crawford and McIntyre are type 3 but after reading Scott's response it makes more sense why he's missing. The only other player I was surprised wasn't in the lot was Nap Lajoie.

I didn't look at every card in the lot, but obviously noticed the Gibson.

George didn't join the Pirates until 1905 (late June, but made his debut July 2nd). I'm not sure how quickly after that his cabinet would have been made available to the public, but that at least gets you into 1905.


Richard.

My years were way off, I don't know where I got the year of 1905 from, Nap was in the league in thr 1800s so it makes it even more odd.

Interesting info about George though, so we know these were collected by the original owner into at least 1905