I go to a LOT of garage/estate sales and have been for years. I have never found any pre-1960's era cards, and only a handful of 60's era (and that was at a 'professional' estate sale where they were way overpriced). Granted, this area of the country likely had/has less material stashed away due to several factors (distribution and population back in the day).
I'd say 99.9% of the time I find beat up junk-era stuff at various prices. People have associated 'old baseball cards' with dollar signs for the past 30+ years so most of the good stuff is either sold off to dealers or passed down through the family.
I did have a bit of luck last year when I found an old scrapbook loaded with 1941 Uncle Sam/Home Defense cards. Of course they are taped in and not in the greatest shape, but I was pretty excited to find them. Price was right, too - 25 cents for the book.
I'll probably hit the lottery (which I rarely play) before I find anything like 52 topps for .10/ea around here!
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