Posted By:
Frank WakefieldfI think Andrew's idea is sound. And I'm a goof, 'cause I think the Wagner throwing is found less often than Wagner batting in E102.
One aspect of the price differences you mentioned is that you're comparing E102, a fairly unpopular set, with other sets. I think most collectors don't have any E102s. And that is considering all baseball card collectors. As for collectors who collect the pre-war stuff, most of those don't have E102s. And of the folks that do have E102s, they only have one or two of them as type cards. Some strikes against the set are that E cards are generally more worn, less pretty or slabbable; E102s are anonymous, no catchy brand name; Mathewson has an ugly pose; 2 Wagners to chase instead of 1; and they aren't up for sale with the frequency of other cards, such as that glorious white border tobacco card set.
Of the many E card sets, E102 is one of the few I will half-heartedly chase or look for on eBay. And that is mainly because years ago I bought a Wagner batting, Lajoie, and Collins all at the same time, my first E102 purchases. Instantly, I had a start at the set. And I've not taken that big of a step toward completing them since...