[JJ McGraw]

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!