1914/1915 Crackerjack pricing?
 

I’ve become interested in obtaining a couple of Crackerjack cards for my PC, but several experienced collectors have informed me that prices have gone bonkers lately and it may be wise to wait and see where things settle.

I will soon have local access to a Collins and also two others (one star, one common) that the seller didn’t mention (I don’t know the grades). I’m not limited to those three cards, but frankly I practically never see any 1914/15 Crackajacks out here at shows on the West Coast.

What do the experts here have to say about their pricing?

Cracker jacks
 

Not an expert but I am not sure their prices will settle. I think they keep going up and would grab now.

I agree with this. I believe they will continue to go up. You won't lose money.

CJ prices have been pretty strong since Covid (especially 14's) as more collectors realize how scarce some of the pops are relative to other card types. If you don't care which year you buy, the 15's are more affordable with higher pops given that you could send away for them and didn't have to rely on finding inside a CJ box in 1914. Which means that condition and subsequent grades will be a little higher on the 15's relative to their 14 counterparts. The 15's were also printed with a heavier paper weight vs. the very thin 14's paper.

I do expect prices to level off if the economy worsens in the next 12-24 months. (But I would expect prices for all other card types to decrease as well).

I recommend joining some FB CJ groups (like the one in my signature) to see cards for sale that might not get listed on ebay and other auction sites. If you're looking for specific players you can also post a WTB ad on the BST as there are some long time collectors here who have these sitting in their private collections.

Good luck and Beware of the CJ addiction disease many people catch!

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Can't go wrong with Cracker Jacks of either year, I prefer the 14's with a little staining. Like AJ said, pricing can be all over the place depending on player/scarcity/year.

Good luck in the hunt!

And a card.
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Phil, can you sit on a bat like Fred? I know I couldn't even do that as a teenager!

CJs are also cool for including the renegade Federal League, including my man here, who had a career 2.69 ERA but died at 24 of TB.

All good advice above Steve, especially on joining the specific Cracker Jack Facebook pages. Prices are really up there, but cards can be found in the $250 range( this way or that…….which I feel is expensive, but that is the reality.)
I started collecting 14-15 Cracker Jack cards back in the early 1990’s and amassed a small collection of 20 cards. Mostly raw, some as little as $4(1914 Al Bridwell) , many at $20 or so. The most expensive two back then were both 1914’s ( McGraw and Evers) both for $200 each. Then I stopped collecting them.
Fast forward to last fall to today. I’m up to 41 in the count, most of the new cards are slabbed, most are 1915’s , with four new ones being 1914’s. The purchase prices are quite different….and not in a positive way. Last fall, I got 2 cards in nice condition and raw for $110 each , but don’t think that will happen again. As I said above, if you can buy a decent card in the $250 range , you are doing well. Some smart dealers back in the day may have known this was coming…good for them.
I’ll continue the journey at the moment, don’t know if I’ll ever get the 176 count, but I think they are the best looking card of the Deadball era( also including in their number the Federal League players) and the “hunt” still is exciting.
I guess my advice is , slow and steady. Don’t forget, some card dealers have these cards and they all don’t cost $10,000.
As a last note, a 1915 Cracker Jack Album is up for auction at the current REA. It is a nice one with a current bid of $450. I don’t think that price will hold as they are quite scare and rarely does one see them for sale.
I have 2 more payments on mine with a member here at net54 who was kind enough to offer me that option. I’m planning on displaying it with some of the cards…..but no, I’m not going to glue them into the album like they used to.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!

I in no way expect 14 cracker jack HOF to decrease in price moving forward.

Very helpful comments, thank you all.

I don’t “do” auctions or FB for a variety of reasons.

No specific wants, I just like to have a few examples of each card type.

OK, the other star card is a Clarke. Still unknown who the common is. All three cards are 1914. I should be seeing them later next week.

Cj album
 

That CJ album is slick!!

Would look good inside the CJ crate! :-)

I keep waiting for lower prices to get a '14 and '15 CJ type HOF'er. I think I am going to be waiting a long time. :cool:
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A.J., that is such a cool display… love it!

My crystal ball is in the repair shop however CJs have been creeping up in price since the 100 year anniversary of both issues. Despite the market feeling like it is adjusting, prices are still up on almost all vintage issues and the market still feels robust if you look at auction house results. I would not wait for something to dip in price if I wanted it.

Nothing better than a nice crisp-looking CJ!

Peckinpaugh crispiness indeed! Here is a "been stuck in the corner of the cellar but still good enough for making a tasty apple pie" Gregg.

I am not really waiting for a dip at this point, just an affordable HOF'er of each year, that has great eye appeal. Searching is a lot of the fun anyway. I am in no huge hurry as a type of each year won't be difficut. And there are so many other cards that come to auction, that are indeed rare (maybe 1-2 a yr), the CJ's haven't been a prioirity.

Something like this, from my last collection, would be great. I love the original staining.
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1914’s
 

Here are a few of my 1914 “team”, I’ve had these 30 plus years……
That Ray Schalk has a nice center stain on back.And the “Human Crab” really got a dose. Whereas , John McGraw got out of the box fairly clean.
Glad I started back up collecting this past Fall of 2024, but if I’d have stuck with it back then, no telling where I’d be. But as Leon says……the hunt is almost everything, that is the fun!….. it just “costs” more. My advice to those wanting to try and collect most of the 175…or any……don’t wait. What I paid 30 years ago and what one is paying now…night and day.

NOTE: The Comiskey is a fake. I bought it decades ago for maybe $15( so no major foul), the back content is the major tell, it is printed like a 1914, but the content below the line is what is written on a 1915. I’m sure there are other “tells” , but that is the most obvious. The good news is, going through the old ones in the display case today, I missed checking a card off years ago on my check list….1915 Frank Owens…..so I’m still at 41 in my overall count. But sadly, no Cominsky, ‘14 or ‘15.