I have been collecting the set for several years now and have about 90 of the cards. I find it difficult to determine the true rarest card in the set. The card that receives all the press and is viewed as almost "unicorn-like" is the Del Pratt card (#93). There are 11 examples that appear graded between PSA and SGC (I am fortunate to have a PSA 1), but I have no handle on how many raw or crossover examples there are. Interestingly, by the numbers, the Frank Owens card (#74) is the rarest with only 10 examples graded between PSA and SGC (although mine is a 2.5 BVG). Likewise it is difficult to know how many have been crossed over, raw or graded by companies other than the big 2.
The Matty card (#88) although a stunning card is not (according to the population numbers) particularly rare. There are 35 examples graded between PSA and SGC. There are 111 cards in the set (77% of the entire set) that have populations between SGC and PSA of 35 or less. In fact, out of the second half of the set (cards 73-144), there is only 1 card (Frank Chance) that has a population more than the 35 Matty's that are available. There are also 35 Joe Jackson examples, so the Matty is arguably not even the rarest "iconic" card in the set.
I hope this provides you with the information you were seeking.
Regards,
Barry
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