Long sought quests

[Archive]

Posted By: Paul Muchinsky

I realize some collectors may regard this topic as "potentially dangerous", perhaps more fun to read than contribute to, for fear of revealing your inner-most passion to strangers. But this could be fun. Care to talk about one or more of your personal long sought "missing" items for your collection? I rarely trade pins, but over the years I have traded one of my pins for one of my "gotta have its" from another collector. The fun part is when both of you will part with a long-time member of your collection for the other guy's item, when both of you have what the other guy wants.

Any "Holy Grails" for you?

Paul

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

All of my Holy Grail items have been items that have come out of the blue because there is no "book" for what I collect and I'm not sure what even exists. Some items that I would consider my Holy Grail would be:

1. Jersey or full uniform for the Nebraska Indians
2. Jersey or full uniform for the Lincoln Western League club (c1906-1938)
3. Any celluloid item (pinback, mirror) associated with the Nebraska Indians
4. A photo or postcard of Guy W. Green's shortlived Japanese baseball team

What are the odds that one of these items ever turn up??? Don't know, but last year we did one of these threads and on my list was a book issued by Guy W. Green "A Complete History of the Nebraska Indians" and that same week it magically appeared on ebay. Other than Yale's copy in their rare book and manuscript collection I believe my copy to be the only other known copy and mine is a first edition printed in 1900 whereas Yale's is a 3rd edition from 1903.

[Archive]

Posted By: Joe K.

These are my two Holy Grail items.

1) pre 1920 Cornell Baseball Jersey. The earlier the better - ideally a collared jersey. I have never seen one on the market.

2) 19th Century Spalding Baseball Jersey. Needs to have the correct pre-1900 spalding tagging. I have only ever seen one.

[Archive]

Posted By: mike rothstein

I bought my first copy of Take Me Out to the Ball Game - 1908 - about three years ago.



It was written by Jack Norworth - who had never gone to a game when he was in the subway and saw a small broadside for a Pologrounds game.

He then knocked out the song and had his friend Albert Von Tilzer put the lyrics to music. I have way more details but don't want to burdon anyone with that much detail.

Part of the original lyrics which are at the HOF - I recently found this out from an ebay sale of a Norworth letter!:



Also, for some reason which I can't seem to find, in 1927, he changed the lyrics to the song - and instead of Katie Casey, he used the name Nelly Kelly.

I recently picked up this version:



The HOF ways there's 11 variations which are based on the photo of the singer that's on the sample I've posted.

I have catalogued 18 to this point, and have 15. I enjoy this as much as collecting T3s since I seem to be in - more or less uncharted waters. But, the search goes on - there is supposed to be a "prime" - first edition - stay tuned - my quest continues.

[Archive]

Posted By: Rob Dewolf

I'm pretty fortunate in that I (think) I've acquired just about every piece of vintage Cleveland Indians memorabilia that I really want. But like Dan alluded to, when you're talking about memorabilia, you never know what will show up. (Example: I've got the 90 known Indians pencil clips issued from 1948-52. But if an uncataloged one were to surface? My world would be turned upside down.)

That being said, two things that have alluded me:

1. A 1920 World Series press pin that is the celluloid, Cleveland version

2. The oversized Cleveland Naps pennant, featuring a full-size image of Lajoie, circa 1912 or so

What's particularly frustrating is that each of these items has come up for auction since I've been collecting. I didn't have the means to acquire the pennant and was unwilling to pay the price for the press pin.

[Archive]

Posted By: Max Weder

Two dust jackets compete for the spot of my holy grail

Chance, The Bride and the Pennant, and
Mathewson, Won in the Ninth

The lack of seeing a dj for Mathewson's book is puzzling to me, as the book itself is very common. Chance's book is much less so, as it only seems to surface one a year or so.

There are a number of cards that I hold in the fleeting hope that a card collector will run across these dj's and want to trade.

Max

[Archive]

Posted By: Joe K.

Mike - Do you have a copy of the original lyrics of the Norworth letter that you saw for sale on ebay? That's a reprint. They sold it with a boxed set of other facsimile baseball memorabilia at Barnes and Noble. If you would like a copy let me know.

[Archive]

Posted By: jim

Have been looking for a Buffalo Team W601 from 1904 or 1906 for about 10 years now. Have not even seen one for sale; getting tired of saving the spot on the wall for it.

[Archive]

Posted By: Brock G.

Probably the "Holy Grails" of many figural collectors. I know Mark Stienberg will agree.

[Archive]

Posted By: mike rothstein

Joe - I may have created confusion - I was trying to keep this succinct.

The ebay letter that's for sale that lead me to realize that the HOF had Norworth's original lyrics (he wants 2400$):



The partial copy of the lyrics I posted is from a book a friend copied and sent me.

I had written the HOF requesting to pay for a nice "scan" copy of the original - they never got back to me.

If you have a complete copy - I would really like a scan emailed to me. Thanx!

[Archive]

Posted By: David Keller

My main collecting focus is Cincinnati Reds Pins. My "Holy Grails" would be:

- 1919 Reds World Series Press pin
- Pepsin Reds pins
- 1904 Stenzel's Rooters
- 1896 Team pin with metal rim

I've never even seen the 1919 press pin so would appreciate it greatly if anyone can post a picture of it. Thanks Rhett for posting the Stenzel's Rooters and the "Dummy" Hoy Pepsin pins. Your Hoy pin looks as nice as any Pepsin pin I've ever seen.

[Archive]

Posted By: Aaron M.

Hey, Paul! Been under the weather the last few days and only now catching up with your postings. Glad to see you are taking so fast to the forum.

On long-sought items, my number one is still a 1907 Chicago Cubs Composite Team Postcard with a small pennant attached. I wrote about it on my blog a couple years ago (link below) and am still looking for it.

My top sought after pinback, meanwhile, is a 1912 Boston Red Sox World Series Pinback. Years searching, and I still haven't found one.

And yes, if either of these items ever showed up at auction again, "gotta have it" would be a delicate way to describe the lengths I'd go to get them!

http://aaronsroom.blogspot.com/

[Archive]

Posted By: Mike H

Paul, You will find this board to be very open. There are many examples of members posting what they want that resulted in the rest of us finding some of these items for them.

You forgot to post your want list Paul...wink wink.

These are in no particular order, but are based on items I may actually be able to afford.

1. Spalding catcher trophy
2. Joe Jackson Decal bat
3. Any of the early Cubs champion pins
4. An early oversized Cubs pennant.
5. This pennant
[IMG][/IMG]

[Archive]

Posted By: Clint

I have a few items that I would like to find.

1) 1907 Wichita Jobbers team photo/postcard.
2) Photo or button of John Levi.
3) Joe Wilhoit medal from Wichita Western League. Listed in Hunt auction but didn't sell.


Clint

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I would love an AUTOGRAPH of Joe Wilhoit! Died aged 44 in 1930--good luck!

[Archive]

Posted By: Clint

Jodi, I didn't know he died so young. I'm not into autographs but I'll keep a look out for you. Here's a site that has a picture of his autograph.
Clint
http://www.joewilhoit.com/

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Thanks Clint! It was nice to see an example of his signature. There was also a nice early Jim Thorpe on the same page, as well as Federal League legend Bennie Kauff, who died in 1961, but is still next to impossible. I believe Kauff spent some time in jail.

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

Kauff was a hellion so I wouldn't be surprised if he did spend some time in jail. He was charged in a car theft ring, but was acquitted. Landis banned him from baseball anyway.

[Archive]

Posted By: Max Weder

Kauff is hell in Diamond Mind Simulation, as he is overcoded for his pricing, but that's another travesty of justice

[Archive]

Posted By: Jim VB

I have long pursued 4 postcards from an obscure set. (I apologize to all who have seen these, many times before.)

In 1932 the N.Y. Giants issued a Schedule postcard. It was distributed by mail. You had to write in, send a SASE, and ask for your favorite player. They made cards of at least 22 players. The original cards were on heavy cardboard stock. The Hubbell card was also a period reprint, on much thinner stock, with the back inverted. This Hubbell is very common and I have several. I also have 18 of the original 22. In 2005, REA auctioned off another 18 card lot (plus another 2nd print Hubbell). I wasn't paying attention and did not get it. That lot had the 4 I need, and I have 4 missing from that lot. Lew Lipsett also has a collection of (I think he said) 16-18. He also has the 4 I need, but isn't interested in selling.

If anyone ever stumbles across these, I need Ethan Allen, Herman Bell, Fran Healey, and Sam Leslie.

[Archive]

Posted By: Paul Muchinsky

Mike,

What's with this "wink, wink" action?

First of all, what an amazing array of items! The diversity of our Holy Grails attests to the breadth and vibrancy of our hobby and the interests of our members. For me, I thought the most inspirational item was the one I would least ever collect. It was the magnificent "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" lyrics. For reasons I don't quite understand, paper items have never had any appeal to me to collect. I can appreciate their beauty, but they are not my collecting fancy. However, the altered lyrics of baseball's anthem was like a sneak peak at the first draft of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

I have two Holy Grails. But in truth, neither really qualifies as a Holy Grail, but for different reasons. There is a set of minor league pins from the early 1920s. Reading, PA, as I recall. I think there are about 20 to the set. Nobody famous, nice pins, but nothing to blow your socks off. There is one pin in this set I can't find. A pitcher, (Al) Mamoux. He went on to pitch for the Dodgers for a few years. I knew a guy (can't remember how we met, eBay I think) who had Mamoux. We start writing back and forth, and I discover he only has a few of the pins in the set, maybe 6 of the 20. I have doubles of 11 of the pins he needs. I'm a reasonable guy and I don't play games. I don't want the doubles; I want Mamoux. So I offer him an 11 for 1 trade. No dice. Why? Because then HE will need Mamoux. Can't argue with that. Mamoux does not qualify as a Holy Grail. But it heads my list as a Holy Annoyance.

My second Holy Grail reflects what some others have said--you have to know it is out there to know you are missing it. For me, any large PM10 I don't have would cause me to reach for my nitro pills. The first pin I ever bought was the large PM10 pin of Berra. Somehow I think I imprinted on them. But it is sort of cheating to list a "if it exists" as a Holy Grail.

One bit of high tech news. Two members have offered to help me climb Mt. Everest--learn how to send pictures. I'm working with the first guy who offered to tutor me. I don't think he understands how stupid I am. How do I get a scanner that is about 8" high to fit into a laptop that is about 1.5" inches high? That either violates the laws of physics, or will ruin both as I try to cram the big one into the small one. Max, you've got your hands full. If I burn my way through Max, Dan is my back up. My PhD is not in Information Technology. But if I ever get this to go, I would love to do some "show and tells" the members might like.

Paul

[Archive]

Posted By: Gary Cieradkowski

Mine would be a scorecard for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League. I've been an underbidder on 2 over the years and have even failed to get someone to even give me scans of theirs! I have been planning on writing a book about this team for years and always wanted one. Actually any scorecards from the 1930's-40's NNL would be great but Holy Grail would be one from the Elites!

Someday.....

[Archive]

Posted By: Mike H

All in good fun Paul. The wink wink was for the absence of a wanted list in your original post.

Paul, If you and anyone else has an extra or available Fan Taz pinback, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to add it to my collection.

[Archive]

Posted By: Rhys

Louis Sockalexis Cameo Pepsin Gum Pin

I MUST OWN this pin and if the person who owns it now is reading, e mail me. I will be HAPPY to overpay considerably for it!

Rhys Yeakley
themodo@hotmail.com

[Archive]

Posted By: Greg Theberge

Would love to have most of the stuff I can't afford to have that seems to crop up in most auctions.

That being said, my most recent "holy grail" was that schedule I showed before for the 1910 Providence Grays. When I saw it, it wasn't available for sale and it was killing us, but we finally did get it after a lot of patience.

(I wouldn't mind having that red sox pinback Aaron wants either )

[Archive]

Posted By: mike rothstein

Now, it's Mike - Paul.

But, that's OK - I like a challenge.

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

Wow....Al Mamaux gets two mentions in two separate threads in less than 24 hours! And Mike I agree that Fan Taz pinback is also one of my favorites. I kick myself for not setting a higher snipe on that one on ebay 5-6 months ago. Someone got it cheap.

[Archive]

Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Ditto to Brock and to Mike H. I cannot add one original comment to their prior submissions, other than to say I would not discard the other Spalding Trophies (besides the Catcher...)

Would not mind having a Ty Cobb Stall & Dean Trophy either!

[Archive]

Posted By: David Atkatz

Genuine autographs of these 1903 Highlanders:

Willie Keeler
Herm McFarland
Alfonzo “Lefty“ Davis
Monte Beville
Herman Long
Ernie Courtney
Lewis “Snake” Wiltse
Merle “Doc” Adkins
Bill Wolfe

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

David,

I know a couple of these actually exist, but you'll be hard-pressed to pry them out of the hands of their current owners.

I have seen one Wiltse and only know of one TRULY authentic Keeler. There is one more Keeler which HAS to be legitimate, but there is only one undoubtedly verifiable Keeler in private hands.

[Archive]

Posted By: David Atkatz

"There is one more Keeler which HAS to be legitimate, but there is only one undoubtedly verifiable Keeler in private hands."

Jodi, would that be on the multi-signed menu from the Halper auction?

(Could you elaborate further on the two Keelers you mention? Thanks!)

[Archive]

Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I'd prefer not to do so in a public forum, as the owners of the items I mentioned are very protective (can you blame them? I would be too if I was lucky enough to own a Keeler!).