Posted By:
MWRyan –
First, I'd like to say "thank you" for a well-reasoned discussion and I'm glad that you agree that this subject is not only pertinent to this thread, but also important to many vintage collectors.
I would like to address your points in the same order:
1. Cuba is indeed a poor country, but so was the United States during the Great Depression when all of the 1930s Goudey Gum Company baseball cards were produced and distributed. Not that it provides an exact framework, but my father still tells me the story of a time when his father (my grandfather) didn't even have enough money to mail a letter. Still, tens and perhaps even hundreds of thousands of Goudeys survive today. Baseball cards that were produced and distributed prior to 1980 were not considered a luxury item. Also, consider that many vintage Cuban baseball cards were produced prior to Castro's revolution. Given the situation, I really can't believe these were "rate-limiting" factors.
Next, I don't think it is possible to assert that the island (Cuba) "has nearly been picked clean...." This statement just doesn't seem to be rigorously true given the current trade and travel restrictions as well as the geopolitical environment that still exists. Cuba is close to the U.S. in geographical terms only. Am I to imagine an American citizen buying up collections left and right while on an extended travel visa? Or perhaps there are some island denizens or other Latin American visitors who have sufficient financial backing as well as a good working knowledge of vintage Cuban issues and have already scoured the island buying up all the "good stuff." It's certainly possible, but not very probable.
2. If unopened vintage material still exists in a market economy, then I would assume that the likelihood of a "find" in a socialist economy would not defy the "laws of card-iology." Generally speaking, goods are not "destroyed" as readily in a controlled economy when a prospective buyer is not immediately found. The stories of cases of 1952 Topps cards being dumped into the Atlantic provide a good perspective on this subject. I admit this is only conjecture on my part, but a large find of certain vintage Cuban issues would not surprise me if full access to Cuba were granted to fervent vintage card collectors from the United States. From a common sense perspective, there are a great number of restrictions between countries. Would an enterprising Cuban citizen who discovers a large "stash" of vintage baseball cards have the initiative to know what he has AND take the next step and find a U.S. buyer? I doubt it.
3. I do not think an "Attic Effect" in Cuba is beyond logical reason. It would not surprise me that with the suppression of certain types of information and with restrictions on free enterprise, that some collectors of vintage Cuban baseball cards may really have no idea what they possess. Even today, there are U.S. collectors who have no idea what their Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth cards are worth. Why does it seem so unlikely that a Cuban collector would have even less of an idea what his Oscar Charleston and Martin Dihigo cards are worth? Also, keep in mind that many vintage Cuban cards were produced prior to Fidel Castro assuming power. There was more affluence in the country then and perhaps a better means for producing and distributing baseball cards. Since there was no "collecting craze" in the United States during this time period, there would be no reason why these cards would have made their way here. I believe that the current population of Cuban cards residing in the U.S. is extremely small compared to the total that will eventually be available –- but that is only my opinion.
4. The eBay market may have been temporarily "flooded" with Cuban baseball cards about 2 years ago, but I would hardly say that the hobby market was saturated. Also, I don't understand what this proves. Are you saying that because of this one "find," there won't be any more?
5. Cards are inherently "safer" when pasted into albums and preserved between pages. Sure, there's back damage, but I've seen some Cuban cards that were removed from albums with little or no paper loss.
6. I would not place a large amount of money on the supposition that there are more Cuban cards in Colorado and Florida than on the island itself. What's the rationale?
Ryan –- I enjoyed your article in the May 2002 Beckett Vintage magazine... thanks for the interesting discussion!