1910 PC Sepia 796 Sepia - How rare are these?

[rainier2004]

I found a picture of the 1910 pc 796 sepia cobb and wagner card today, these cards looks sweet! A search on here didnt show too many results so I was asking everyone what they knew about related to rarity, price and any history. Thanks in advance.

[bcbgcbrcb]

They don't come up for sale/auction too often but are not exceedingly rare either. Putting together a set would be obtainable given some time and a pretty good amount of money.

[calvindog]

There are 27 subjects and only 140 graded by SGC and 22 by PSA for an average of 6 for each subject. Only 10 of the 162 graded cards are graded higher than a 5 by SGC and PSA. I think they're pretty rare. Of course, I own 5 so I would say that.

[rainier2004]

Thanks for that great info. What about the Cobb and Wagner card they appear on together? That card looks very nice. What would a presentable 1 or 2 go for and how often do they come up? Any scans of a back as I havent seen any yet.

[calvindog]

[rainier2004]

That is awesome...whats the back like?

[calvindog]

The backs are simple. Split down the middle with the word "Postcard" up top. I don't have a scan of a back.

[HRBAKER]

One of my favorite sets.

[calvindog]

Looks familiar.

[ls7plus]

Steve, I completely agree with Jeff--the pop reports he states are completely accurate, with an average of about 6 of each card being graded. As they are getting to be fairly valuable, you would think that if more are out there, they would be getting graded and placed in some of the leading auctions, but instead they are rarely seen. Rob Lifson characterized them as extremely rare in the last REA auction, and he would likely know their actual rarity as well as anyone. I have the Walter Johnson, and have saved e-bay searches out for cards from this set, but only the very same handful of cards keep showing up. Over the long-term, with the growing acceptance and popularity of postcards, I would say their growth potential re value is very good. My personal opinion is that you will probably never see an average of 30-some of each card in the pop reports, and 20's may even be unlikely.

The fact that Jeff has 5 certainly doesn't impugn his credibility in this respect, as he has a lot of very rare and desireable items, such as a 1907 Dietsche Cobb Fielding Position graded ex, which has significantly better eye appeal than my own example of the card in the same PSA grade. Combined PSA and SGC pop reports for the Dietsche Cobb Fielding Position were 8, the last time I checked. I think that Jeff also has all of the other Cobb rookie postcards, which are also quite rare, with the exception of the batting position Dietsche, which is better described as scarce to very scarce (it is tough in VG-EX or better). As you can probably tell, I am a fan of his collection!

Unfortunately, I probably won't be making the Ann Arbor meeting, as I have just too many appeal briefs due in too few days, and will likely be working. Hope you guys that attend have a great time!

Happy collecting,

Larry

[caramelcard]

I use to collect the set 10 years ago and also owned that Brown. They weren't quite as popular then, but have always been an attractive set for PC collectors.

That Wag/Cobb pose is the most popular. If you want that pose, you may want to try the larger M supplement piece.

There's also a good article on them in an old VCBC with a nice gallery.

Good luck!

Rob

[calvindog]

Larry, thanks; I'm glad you enjoy the Cobb collection!

[dstudeba]

They are nice, and come up with some regularity. Putting together a set would be tough but rewarding. Everything is relative, but I don't think these come close to the extremely rare designation.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by dstudeba

They are nice, and come up with some regularity. Putting together a set would be tough but rewarding. Everything is relative, but I don't think these come close to the extremely rare designation.

It is interesting to note the difference in opinions here, and dstudeba is certainly correct that everything is relative. I personally have not seen many in any of the major auction catalogues (and I receive most of those), and as stated, saved ebay searches for many months have simply come up with the same handful of cards being offered at intervals of several weeks to months. It will be interesting to see what the pop reports reveal 5-10 years from now, but with the prices some of the better players are commanding, I would expect to have seen more graded and offered. Putting a set together would certainly be challenging, and that's what a lot of the fun of the hobby is all about! I like them a lot, and plan on eventually adding a number of the HOF'ers to my little group to keep Walter company.

PS: You're quite welcome, Jeff. Just those of yours that I've seen posted constitute a great collection of cards!

Happy collecting,

Larry

[Bicem]

Poor man's Novelty Cutlery.


Just kidding, I like them. Would say medium difficulty in the postcard world.

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by Bicem

Poor man's Novelty Cutlery.


Just kidding, I like them. Would say medium difficulty in the postcard world.

I actually think that this is true. They have always sold at a discount to the Novelty Cutlery postcards.

This set has the exact same subjects and images as the Novelty Cutlery set. While we will probably never know, it may have been issued before the Novelty Cutlery set. From the little bit of research that I have done, the earliest cancellation mark that I can find for the Novelty Cutlery set is late 1911, while the earliest that I have seen for the Sepia set is late 1910.

If anyone has one of these cards that is cancelled before the dates listed above, please post it or contact me.

Thanks, Kevin.

[calvindog]

The pop reports have on average about 6 for each PC 796 subject and about 4.5 for each Novelty Cutlery subject. I think because the NC cards are earlier they have some more desirability; that and the fact that there are less of them. For me personally (and I own a few of each) it really depends on the image. Some I like more with the NC border and some I don't. I would say that the NCs sell for about 50% more than the PC 796s which is not too far off their population report ratio.

[ls7plus]

Having seen what I have over the years through a multitude of major auction catalogues, I don't think the ratio Jeff speaks of is likely to change much. I just don't see many more coming out of the woodwork ungraded, and as the pop report stands, they could certainly qualify as within shouting distance of "extremely rare." For the sake of redundance, my bet is that we never see any more than 20-ish pop counts of any player, at which point they would have to be considered at least "rare," IMHO. But who knows, maybe I'll have to eat my words. MARK IT DOWN HERE, THOUGH--THERE WILL NEVER BE
HUNDREDS OF EACH OF THESE CARDS, AND EVEN 50 IS PROBABLY THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON!

Great discussion guys,

Larry

[ValKehl]

Larry - Here's one "out of the woodwork ungraded." Not the greatest condition, but I am thrilled to have it! Mike P. - Thanks again for the trade! Let's see some more of these PCs!
Val

[uffda51]

I once owned the complete set, in the late 90s. Wish I still had them. Some unusual poses. Love the Johnson.