Your personal top 5 prewar cards

[Doug]

If you could only have 5 prewar cards what would they be? The only rule is that they have to be cards that you could realistically own within your collecting budget. Here's my list in no particular order:

N172 Bid McPhee
N172 Ed Delahanty
N172 Harry Wright
1914 Cracker Jack Christy Mathewson
T206 Ty Cobb (green portrait)

How about you guys?

[birdman42]

And which budget would that be, exactly?

Within my regular "explainable to the folks at home" budget for cards
B18 WAJO
D327 Roth (I think he's the only Washington player in the set)
E92/101/102 Schaefer
M101-6 Felix Mendelsohn Milan
WG1 Base Ball Game cards Meyers

Within my "Uncle Sam's tax-time" budget
E107 Washington player
PC760 Rose postcard Milan
T5 Pinkerton Milan
T206 Elberfeld portrait
W600 Sporting Life cabinets Milan

Within my "Aunt Tillie's inheritance" budget
E222 G&B Deasley
E224 Texas Tommy WAJO
PM-1 Ornate pin WAJO
L1 Leather WAJO
M-Unc Washington Times Milan

Bill

[Doug]

Technically, I meant your regular card collecting budget, but I guess you can use multiple budgets if you like.

[JamesGallo]

Well depending on grade I could afford all these

Sporting News Ruth
Cracker Jack Jackson (Got this one)
E90 Jackson
51 Bowman Mantle (The REAL Rookie)
75 Topps Gary Carter BGS 10 or SGC 100 :-)

James G

[Touch'EmAll]

Assume - sell my entire collection to then purchase 5 big time goodies. Not exactly sure of specific picks, but I would be looking for the best centered and most eye appealing cards of the first 5 HOF inductees:

A Ruth, a W.Johnson, a Matty, a Wagner, and a Cobb = 5

If I am only going to have 5 - near perfect centering with no tilt is of the UTMOST PRIORITY !

Honorable mention - a Satchell Paige (maybe like the '49 Bowman I picked up in REA - woo hoo!)

[alanu]

In no particular order:

1914 CJ Walter Johnson
1934 Goudey/WWG Lou Gehrig
1933 Sport Kings Bobby Jones
E101 Ty Cobb
E93 Honus Wagner

[bcbgcbrcb]

Without checking any lists, just off the top of my head, I would say:

W600 Matty
N172 Delahanty
M101-5 Ruth (low grade)
1925 Exhibits Gehrig
M101-1 Wagner

[ethicsprof]

T206 Green Cobb Portrait
T206 Walter Johnson Portrait
T206 Red Cobb Portrait
T206 Young Portrait
T206 Mathewson Portrait

best,

barry

[martyogelvie]

I may be fudging my budget a bit;

N28 Cap Anson
E93 Wagner
T206 green Cobb
'33 Goudey Ruth
'14 CJ Jackson

[Gecklund311]

T3 Ty Cobb
M101-5 Babe Ruth
BF2 Joe Jackson
1923-24 Exhibit Al Simmons
1940 Play Ball Ted Williams

I'm lucky enough to own two of them...hopefully I'll get a chance to pick up the others someday

[fkm_bky]

1. 1911 Zeenut Halla
2. E95 Cobb
3. SGC20/30 E107 (any player)
4. E99 (any player)
5. M110 (any player any condition)

Bill

[Bicem]

If I could only own 5 cards I would complete the n142 Duke cabinet set and then find an n173 Wright.

[drdduet]

M116 Blue Honus Wagner
T202 Cobb/Jennings
T210 Joe Jackson
T204 Johnson
Mayo Anson

[birdman42]

Originally Posted by Doug

they have to be cards that you could realistically own within your collecting budget.

Jeez. T204 WAJO? M101-5 Ruth? Either this thread morphed real fast into "Dream cards" (I might be a little guilty here), or I'm on the wrong field.

I'll go back to the ones I can realistically expect to acquire (supposing I could find the Roth or the Milan, of course):

B18 WAJO
D327 Roth
E92/101/102 Schaefer
M101-6 Milan
WG1 Meyers

Let's hear from a few of my fellow armpit collectors out there.

Bill

[deadballpaul]

Changing my focus (again)
N28 Mulvey
Ruth Goudey 53
Ruth Goudey 144
Ruth Goudey 149
Ruth Goudey 181

Will probably have to sell/trade to get the Ruth's.

paulgx3@yahoo.com

[rdixon1208]

1. Texas Tommy Nap Lajoie
2. T-216 Ty Cobb
3. 1914 CJ Grover Alexander
4. E90-1 Christy Mathewson
5. 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams

[Jacklitsch]

If I could only own 5 cards...

1911 Zeenut Weaver (have)
1906 Mathewson Ullman (have)
e107 Jacklitsch (have)
1915 Zeenut McMullin (had )
T206 Wagner

[Doug]

Originally Posted by birdman42

Jeez. T204 WAJO? M101-5 Ruth? Either this thread morphed real fast into "Dream cards" (I might be a little guilty here), or I'm on the wrong field.

It's supposed to be a list of your top 5 cards that you could realistically own for the purpose of getting a wider variety of answers, but I guess if someone wants to post a list of their top 5 overall cards that's okay too.

[mybuddyinc]

From an armpit collector:

T212-1 Mohler (in his bowler).
PC796 Plank (Eddie Plank walks into a bar, and the bartender says, hey, buddy why the long face. Plank says, I was born this way).
E95 Merkle (classic)
E90 Sweeney (owned, wish I had back).
E106 Oakes (ditto)

[paulcarek]

1933 Goudey Ruth
1934 Goudey Gehrig
1941 Play Ball DiMaggio
T205 Johnson
Colgan's Chips Wagner

[philliesphan]

Harry Wright cabinet card
Lorilarrd's Philadelphia Quakers Team Card
1887 Kalamazoo Bats Philadelphia BBC Team Card
T206 Phillies Proof card
1914 Cracker Jack Grover Alexander

[Jason Carota]

1. E90-1 Cy Young - Boston Variation (currently own)
2. T206 Speaker with a Polar Bear back (currently own)
3. M101-5/4 Joe Wood with a Morehouse Baking back
4. E94 Cicotte
5. E97 B&W Proof Amby McConnell


This list is subject to change at any time.

[sox1903wschamp]

W600 Buck Freeman
W600 Jacob Stahl
M116 Joe Wood
M116 Harry Hooper
E-135 Babe Ruth

[Cat]

Boston Store Hornsby
Boston Store Heilmann
M101-5 Ruth
E107 Wagner
Zeenut Vance

[bigfish]

My list would be

1. M101/4 Ruth
2. E135 Hornsby
3. CJ Cobb 14/15
4. N172 Delehanty
5 N172 Chicken Wolf

[familytoad]

T208 Eddie Plank
T206 Eddie Plank
E210 Type 2 Lou Gehrig
E103 Nap Lajoie
T3 Nap Lajoie

If I sold enough of my collection I could probably afford these...finding the Top 3 won't be very easy though


Brian L
familytoad
Ridgefield, WA

[tbob]

E94 Lajoie
E94 Wagner
E98 Mathewson
T207 Lowdermilk
T212-1 Gandil

[fkw]

in VG/EX...

1929 Zeenut Ernie Nevers
1935 Pebble Beach Clothiers Lefty O'Doul
1928 PCL Exhibits Earl Averill
1928 Middy Bread Ernie Nevers
W590 GC Alexander "House of David"

[TheBig6]

Let me see, off the top of my head and all SGC 50
T207 Speaker
M116 Speaker
Novelty Cutlery Speaker
Horner Cabinet Speaker
Colgan's chip Speaker

Honorable Mention 1936 WWG Myatt

[tedzan]

In this current market, I'm not sure what I can "realistically" afford in vintage cards, anymore. Therefore, I have posted the 5
top pre-war cards in my collection.....which obviously, I can afford.


I cannot decide between my N162 Anson and Kelly; therefore, both are shown here.






1904 Eastern League "World Champions"....since no Major League World Series was played in 1904 (thank you John McGraw)





American Caramel E90-1






1909 T206 Piedmont 150







I have included my 1949 LEAF Paige here because he should have had a Major League pre-war card.



Now, for the top pre-war card that I would like to have is a....T206 Piedmont 150 EDDIE PLANK.



TED Z

[smokeyjoewood]

M116 Joe Wood
N173 C.S. Stratton
E95 Cobb
Freep Postcard Cobb
N172 Delahanty

[Matt]

N172 $10k Kelly
N162 Anson
M116 Wagner
CJ Cobb
E135 Hornsby

[bijoem]

maybe in order, but I haven't given the order a whole lot of thought.

There are a couple of cards that I have in my collection that I might want to put in the top 5 (my own personal bias) / but I kept them out for this thread. And, if I reviewed David M.s collection, I am sure I could put a bunch of his into the top 5.

but for now, here goes....

1914 CJ Walter Johnson (*greatest of them all)
T206 Wagner
E90-1 Young
E90-1 Speaker
e107 Wagner

[Kotton King]

Here is my top 5 list (realistic for my budget):

T206 Shag Shaughnessy
E95 Cicotte
T216 Cobb (leaning on bat)
T206 Drum backed HOFer (any HOFer will do)
T206 BL460 Home Run Baker

[Vintageclout]

Super Tough Question but here's my top 5 that I already own....

M101-4/5 Ruth Rookie
E90-1 Jackson
M110 Cobb
W600 Mathewson
Tip Top Wagner

Here is the "Dream 5"......

Boston Garter Mathewson (color version)....I don't think so!
Baltimore News Ruth
Breisch Williams Mathewson
Boston Garter Jackson
T206 Wagner.....well....since I'm dreaming!!!

Intersestingly enough, approx. 3/4 years ago, I remember discussing with my wife her thoughts on selling off approx. $100K - $125K of merchandise to purchase a "1" grade T206 Wagner. We both agreed I would lose too much good stuff to pull it off. Well, some 4 years later I am "eating crow" since modest 1's are now fetching approx. $250K - $400K!!!

Regards,
Joe T.

[Wesley]

Here is my somewhat realistic list:

M101-5 Ruth blank back SGC 20
N172 Delehanty
N162 Anson
E94 Cobb
E135 Jackson

Here is my pipedream list for when the economy gets a little better:

E107 Wagner
E107 Mathewson
T210 Jackson
Washington Times Cobb
Boston Garter Cobb

[Baseball Rarities]

Here is my ultimate list:

1914 Baltimore News Ruth
1909 T206 White Border Wagner
1888 N172 Old Judge Anson in Uniform
1903 E107 Breisch Williams Mathewson
1869 Peck and Snyder Trade Card Cincinnati

[Mark]

How many of you guys actually own all of your five indispensable pre-war cards?

[calvindog]

Top 5

Boston Garter Cobb (don't have)
Detroit Free Press Cobb (have)
Boston Garter Chase (have)
Tip Top Wagner (have)
D304 Cobb (don't have)

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Mark

How many of you guys actually own all of your five indispensable pre-war cards?

I only have two so far.

[spankdog]

1-E135 Jackson(don't have)
2-E101 Cobb(have)
3-E94 Wagner(have)
4-N172 Kelly batting(don't have)
5-'14 CJ Jackson(don't have)
(6) E94 Lajoie
please send all your duplicates to me,I'll pay for shipping!

[deadballera]

my top 5 collection


1. 1934 Goudey - Gehrig #37
2. 1934 WWG - Ruth
3. T213 Cobb - Type 2
4. 1936 WWG - Gehrig
5. Sporting News - Buck Weaver


I had a Tip Top Mascot card, but sold last year in Mastro Auction....

[danmckee]

1914 Babe Ruth Baltimore News Schedule card
1910 Washington Times Ty Cobb
1910 Washington Times Walter Johnson
1894 Alpha Photo Engraving John McGraw
1914 Guy Zinn Baltimore News Schedule Card (Jewish Player)

[DeanH3]

T206 Cobb Green Portrait
T206 Johnson Portrait
T206 Matty Portrait
M116 Wagner Pastel
T206 Young Portrait (Don't have one yet but looking for a nicely centered copy SGC/PSA 4)

[rman444]

Boston Garter Cobb
Washington Times Cobb
T214 Victory Cobb
T216 Mino Cobb
Texas Tommy Cobb

[cfc1909]

my top 5 prewar cards are in Dan McKees collection