Colgan’s Chips
 

I’m considering collecting the 1909 Colgan’s Chips set. My question is there a list of the hardest to easiest to obtain including the variant’s in the set? What are the top 15 hardest cards to obtain? And please show off your Chips if you don’t mind?

I only collected the Jersey City Skeeters team set from the Colgan's issue.

I can't remember if these are all the exact ones I own or if it is a mix of images that are from my collection and elsewhere, but these are the 5 JC cards in the set.




.

The round discs or the square proofs?

Nothing to add about set info, but here’s my Hooks round/square combo

Round disc

Serious question, because I know nothing about these issues :

Are the square proofs supposed to be from prior to them being cut round? They don't seem big enough.

Below is what I, many years ago, culled from a list that was created, I believe, by J. Spano. This list was regarding the relative difficulty in the E254 Colgan's Chips set. The creator of the list identified cards with difficulties ranging from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult. From this listing I made note of cards with a difficulty identification of either '4' or '5'.


Cards Identified with a '4' difficulty rating:

Austin - Browns
Babb - Norfolk
Beaumiller
Carr - Utica
Alphonzo 'Lefty' Davis - St. Paul
Demmett - Montreal
Doolin
Dunn
Elberfield - Washington
Ferguson
Flaherty - Kansas City
Flick - Naps
Freck - Baltimore
Gardner - Highlanders
Getz - Indianapolis
Grimshaw - Louisville
Hartzell - Highlanders
Jordon - Atlanta
Jordon - Louisville
Kaiser
Killian - Tigers
Lakoff
LaPorte - Browns
Lindaman - Indianapolis
Lindaman - Louisville
Bris Lord - Athletics
Manser - Rochester
McIntyre - White Sox
Bill Moriarity - Louisville
Bill Moriarity - Omaha
Mullen
Mullin
Nelson - Browns
Peitz - Louisville
Pickering - Louisville
Pickering - Minneapolis
Pickering - Omaha
Purtell - Red Sox
Tom Reilly - Louisville
Ritchey
Rowan - Reds
Sallee
Schardt - Birmingham
Seabaugh - profile
Seabaugh - facing forward
Seymour - Baltimore
Smith - Atlanta
Spade - Newark
Stahl
Stansberry
Taylor
Waddell - Newark
Weisman
Wiesman
Woodruff - Indianapolis


Cards identified with a '5' difficulty rating:

Covaleskie - Chattanooga
Flick - Toledo
Hoffman
Hulswitt - Chattanooga
Murch - Chattanooga
Orth - Indianapolis
Paskert - Phillies
Rowan - Phillies
Schirm - Birmingham
Sparks - Richmond
Titus
Waddell - Minneapolis


Brian

E270 - Red Border Colgans
 

OP didn't specify whether they were limiting themselves to the E254 set or collecting any/all Colgan's so here is a E270 Red Border Colgan example.

Got a card of Denton True here.

Sometimes I get the "that's a baseball card?" reaction from people, since it's small and round. But I think the answer is "damn right it is."

Say ahoy to these Colgan's Chips of Pfeister, White and Murphy. The White (Buffalo) card has been identified in a previous thread as being a seldom seen 'violet' tint variation for both the photo image on front and the print on back. Here is that thread:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=334822


Brian

I don't have any Colgan's Chips anymore, but I still have these Tins!

Nobody really knows, and everyone has a different opinion as to what the square proofs actually are. My feeling is that the square proofs were associated with some type of retailer advertising piece, perhaps a booklet or a poster to hang in a shop. There is no advertising information on the back of the square proofs so I think they were just meant to be displayed as a promotional thing to encourage people to buy the gum.

Here’s my four…

If I still collected unsigned cards, the regular issue Colgans would definitely be one of my first choices. The photo quality, the hairstyles, the size and shape, the fact that you can still buy those cool little tins and keep some cards in them...there is just so much that feels precisely tied to their era. I'd much rather have cards with real photos as opposed to what I've often considered rudimentary facial and body depictions featured on, say, T206s. Sometimes the artist(s) hit a home run, but those were more cases of blind squirrels finding nuts to me. A real, nearly 120 year old photo in gorgeous resolution is more my taste. Ramlys have always resonated with me for the same reason, in addition to their beautifully gaudy design.

For all the condition sensitive people around here, you'll never have to worry about a dinged corner.

This is naturally personal opinion only and meaningless, but for as much as I love the regular issue, I can't stand the proofs. They have the exact appearance of something being cut from a publication and mounted on cardboard backing. Grainy photos, unappealing typeface.

Here's a good question: Has anyone ever submitted a Colgan to a TPG and it's come back "Evidence of Trimming"?! How do the TPGs measure them, with a circular gauge?!

My only Colgan chip:

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1751025765

By the way, does anyone know what a violet chip was? Purple gum? Always wondered about this.

The Colgan’s set is one of my favorite sets ever made and perhaps one of the most undervalued and underrated sets ever produced.

John Spano and I compared our opinions many years ago and compiled a list of who we thought were the hardest cards to find and that is the basis for Brian’s toughest cards list. That list could probably be updated but I am not sure how many people actually try to collect the set anymore 🤣

A few years back I made a video sharing my near Master Set and it would probably be a useful watch if you are contemplating the set of cards…

https://youtu.be/6b44G_TUWUM?si=v_EI3E7-KFOh-nqf

I've always really liked the actual photos. They just ooze vintage.

Forgot that I had this one also, to add to my earlier photos.

I didn't realize Rhett that you were involved with the creation of that list. That was a nice collaborative effort. I just watched your video on the Colgan's...incredibly informative on the E254 Colgan's and related sets, and highlighted a lot of the Colgan's toughies as well. The OP should really check it out.


Brian

Rhett, I didn't know you were involved with that Colgan's project. It's a great accomplishment. Thank you.

I have that listing as a horizontal pdf and will send it out to folks who want it, IF they are patient, and if they email me about it at yeswakefield@gmail.com. I struggle with email, and am a defeated victim when it comes to the Notifications / private messages.

VIOLET chips was the flavor... Violet and Mint. A pharmacist in Louisville, KY heard that the L&N railroad and two boxcars full of south american chicle that someone ordered but couldn't pay for. The pharmacist bought it, then looked for uses.... he hit upon flavored gum. The tins held several flavored discs made with chicle, flavoring and other stuff. The card selection is heavy toward players that were currently with Louisville, or had been. Colgan's were the first gum cards so I was told. Violet may have been a popular flavor 115 years ago.... but I doubt that they would have liked sour gummy worms (or whatever it was that my kids used to eat).

Frank, thanks for this interesting info. However, the Colgan's are not the first gum cards. That honor goes to the 1888 E223 G&B Gum cards.

John and I collected Colgan’s for many years at the same time and would often exchange correspondence about the set and compare notes and exchanged our opinions on who the toughest players were relative to one another. He isn’t very active in the hobby currently but will always be one of my favorite people I have met through this hobby.

Thank you, Val! Noted.


There was an article about the pharmacist (maybe it was druggist back then) and these cards, I think from the late 70's. I'll find it. I may have linked it here years ago. It was in the Louisville Courrier Journal.

For whatever reason, I have never had any difficulty identifying the trimmed Colgan's in my collection.


Brian

Colgan's Sad Lexicon