Any love out there for the black and white sets?

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

It seems the vast majority of sets chased by boardmembers here are the colored, lithograph sets. I can understand the appeal, don't get me wrong, but do folks here collect any black and white sets (or sepia) with the same energy? Me, I'm an m101-4 and m101-5 guy. I like m101-6, Colgans, Boston Store and R315, and have several types. Haven't started the e120,121 etc or the Ice Cream Sets, but could be persuaded.

I see a couple of Colgans collectors, some Zeenuts, a Boston Store guy, maybe a Fan Craze and Exhibit chaser here and there. Who collects what in black and white/sepia?

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Posted By: Chris Mc

I do! I love the black and white sets, in fact they make up more than 75% of what I collect. They also can be down right affordable. Don't get me wrong, there is something to be said for prewar cards that have color but more and more I am drawn to the black and white cards.

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Posted By: John S

Colgan's are amongst my favorites.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

definitely among my favorites........

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Posted By: leon

E107 is one of the most hotly collected sets....I like black and white cards too and maybe they are the next hot issue...You can get a HOF'er E121 in a 60-70 holder for a few hundred dollars or less.....which is about 3x-5x less than it's color card counterparts....

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Posted By: Joe D.

I was never a big fan of the b/w set... until I started looking at the M101-4s.

Very cool set - and it changed my perspective.... I now like the b/w's


What I don't like are sets with very ornate borders.

...like the ramleys, the e120s, etc.

I know they are popular with many people, but I just don't like when the graphic design overpowers the card (and the players).

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Posted By: Dylan

I think the popularity of the E107 set is founded in its rarity and special place in the hobby being the first major set to be produced in the 20th century. That being said color pre war will always hold a premium over the B&W but i couldnt consider my collection complete without some of the B&W cards.

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Posted By: Jeff Prizner

B/W sets are definitely underrated. I love the photography of the Exhibits, especially compared to strip cards or colorful cartoonish cards that look nothing like the player.

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Posted By: Chad

I really like the V100's and the mother of all sets--for me at least--the Cuban Billikens.

--Chad

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

I have started on the exhibits and Goudey and National Chicle sets. Where else can you get higher grade material fairly cheaply, esp. the wide pen and fine pens?

I just discovered the Colgan series as well. I really like the portraits!

Jeff

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Posted By: Joe Jones

Colgans Baby Yeah!



The portraits are great and they really give you a good idea of what the players looked like. My favoirtes are the dark black background colgans, the player portrait just jumps off of the background.

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Absolutely.

I am building a W502 set. I also collect Goudey Wide Pens, R311s, R303s, and Gold Medal Foods. I love 1936 Goudeys, Chicle Fine Pens, and 1939 Playballs, and have a few of each in my collection.

And between Jeff and Adam Warshaw, I'm ready to start an Exhibit set.

-Al

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Posted By: steve f

Look to the cookie Elaine...

my crisp b/w favs; M101-2 and E135

strips; W555

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Does 1940 Play Ball count? I guess that's more sepia but it doesn't have color to it.

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Posted By: E, Daniel

If the colored cardboard is the art of the vintage sportscard collecting world, then surely the b&w is the history and textbook for reference and accuracy - as well as the extraordiary ability of the photographers to capture the mood and 'feel' of the times.......and hard times especially from the mid teens to the fifties of the 20th century were indeed the lives of most families.

I have a few, and perhaps my favourite card amongst all in my collection is a 21' Oxford Ruth which is grainy, and abused, but captivates me every time I walk by it. Similary, the Cobb issue I enjoy the very most is his 21' Oxford which captures every nuance of his expression I think possible.

Regards
Daniel

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Posted By: leon

Who wouldn't love this Smokey Joe card? It's the one that was returned by SGC as they "said" they don't grade these without the coupon
....

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Baseball cards as historical record and reference is true. Game used jerseys and equipment collectors and even authenticators uses cards as photo documentation. I once had had a pair of Lee Smith shoes and photo matched them to a 1980s Topps card with a nice clear picture of him pitching off the mound during a game. One shoe had distinct 'steel toed boot' alteration to the toes area, presumably to give Smith extra protection. The card was included with the shoes at sale.

A common collector's rule for game used buying, is you should establish that the player used that brand and style of equipment. Even if you can't photo match the exact shoes, if a pair of Lee Smith game used Puma shoes are in auction you at least want to establish that he wore that he wore Puma brand and of the same style (high tops, low tops, etc). With modern players like Terrell Owens and Reggie Bush, collectors will study minute detail-- like the size, angle and exact placement of the Nike swoosh, etc. If you only find cards and online pics of Lee Smith wearing Adidas and Nike brands, you might want to pass on the Pumas for sale-- as you have no documentation that he even wore that brand and style of shoe (For the record, my Lee Smith shoes were low top Pumas the size of canoes). Old and new baseball cards are great references for this type of collector's brand and style research. In fact, for common players like Eddie Fischer and Rick Sutcliffe, there might be better photo documentation in one baseball card collection than on all of online, including Corbis and Getty.

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Posted By: Brian

I think M101-4s are really cool. I picked up a couple of them recently. I am not sure why they are so "under-valued," but that is fine by me.

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Posted By: Scot

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Posted By: Mark Tylicki

I really like some of the '36 WWG cards...

Joe DiMaggio
Jimmy Foxx
Ducky Medwick

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Posted By: leon

SGC has changed their policy and will now offer grading (numerical too) on D381's without coupons. They will note that it is with, or without, coupon. If it is trimmed otherwise then it would potentially get an A. They also offered me a free re-submission grading on Smokey Joe.....once again, good customer service....

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Williard's Ruth, 39 Goudey Feller, Kashin Melillo, Oxford Confectionary Hornsby

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Posted By: Griffin's

There are a lot of them that are really nice, especially M101-2's, and the sets below-

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Posted By: Sean Coe

Most of what I collect is black and white: Fan Craze, E120, E121 and Colgans. All of them offer great value and I love the way they look. Daniel you're right, the Oxford Cobb is an AWESOME card.