Ruth or Cobb for a type card....or maybe a Wags?

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Posted By: leon

As a type card collector there are quite a few sets with both Ruth and Cobby in them. We are only speaking contemporary cards here (pre-wwII).....Sets like V122, E120, E121 etc...come to mind. Throw Wagner (Honus not Heinie) into the mix and many times I am at a crossroads and don't know which one I want to keep. All of that being said if you had to pick one what would your order be....I think mine would be (1. being most likely to keep)

1. Wagner
2. Cobby
3. Ruth

but I could change my mind too.....your thoughts on who you would keep and why? (prices being the same)..??

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Leon:

If I were to pick based on a type collection, I would put Ruth as 1 and Wagner as 1a with Cobb last. My reasoning is that during both periods of higher volume card issues (1909-11 Tobacco & 1921-24 Candy), Cobb is the only player of the three who appears during both time frames and thus has plenty of cards available to choose from. Ruth, of course, only appears in the Candy Era & Wagner only appears in the Tobacco Era.

Just one way of looking at it........

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Posted By: peter ullman

to me...the aesthetic value of the card will dictate which one I'd keep...the pose...whether it's a common pose or a unique one...maybe the position of the player will factor in as well.
pete in mn

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Posted By: Jason L

1) Leon, nice problem to have, first of all! I still don't have a card of any of the 3...but that's my fault. I could probably cash in the collection and buy one

2) I agree with PhilG and Peter...scarcity and asethetics will play a role.

3) BUT! pushing those larger issues aside, I think I would agree with your order, because Wagner has an incredible mystique about him due to his T206 and the fact that he is on fewer issues. ..because Cobb just has that bad-a** thing going which draws the imagination about his every image, and ...because Ruth is just so well-documented, there just seems to be other opportunities to get one of his cards or images.

this makes no sense, but at least I understand that.

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Posted By: Paul S

...plus, I additionally opine:
All things being equal, pick the card that you'd most like to have, i.e., gives you the most enjoyment and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. I almost always pick according to my personal emotional gut...which is probably why my collection is not worth as much as it could be!

For myself, I always tended to collect the player I had the least (or none of or very few of) in a set that I had the least amount of cards in. That made ME feel warm and fuzzy and satisfied.

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Posted By: Mike Pugeda

Leon,

Push come to shove, my personal preference would be:

1. Cobb
2. Wagner
3. Ruth

With that said, the image and issue of card would probably play a determining factor and that order could change. When I started collecting vintage, my first pre-war purchase was for an e93 Cobb, but the decision was based not only on the player, but also the image.

Are you choosing between specific cards or is it a hypothetical situation?

Mike Pugeda

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Posted By: steve

I have always preferred cards with nice eye appealing photo/picture - kinda like show them to your wife and ask which she prefers based on which picture front she likes better. Or when shown to a buddy, he says, "nice card, cool picture, I like that shot." Give brownie points for which is more rare.

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Posted By: anthony

i'd have to go with

1. cobb
2. wagner or ruth - based on pose
3. ruth or wagner - based on pose

if any of the 3 were horizontal that would have more weight for first choice.

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Posted By: Glen V

If you were just getting one card, Ruth would be the player to own. However, there are so many issues that only portray Ruth (Drake's, Fro Joy, Blue Bird, Briggs, Ruth Candy, lots of foriegn sets, etc.), that he gets old. Cobb is in plenty of sets too, so I'd go with Wagner to spice things up. (Although a complete type set of Ruth would be cool...)