Major finds?

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Posted By: Rich Mueller

Anyone hear of any major finds walking into shows or shops lately?

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Posted By: V117Collector

I proud to say that I received 5 extremely rare Crescents cards from this site, for a price next to none.

Three of the cards (2nd series) have a never be for seen back variation "The Perfect Food" included was the short print #11 Norm Goodall.

The other two cards are from the 1st series, most commonly known back variation "Real Good Ice Cream".

http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j136/MapleCrispetteV117/1924%20Crescent%20Ice%20Cream/

Brad

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Posted By: Andrew

This thread makes me wonder about the hobby's most significant finds. "Rosen's" '52 Topps, Georgia T206, Wagner strip in pants pocket, and OJs in Oregon briefcase (Dave's Vintage) come to mind first. What was the Seattle find? Others?

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.” - English Proverb

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Posted By: T Engle

I attended the Robert Morris Pittsburgh card show a few months back. I remember the second day of the show a middle aged woman came in, with 350+ T206's. Of course she went to the first person she saw when she walked in which was no other than Mr. Mint. The T206's ranged from 5-8's and were stunning. Right away Mr. Mint offered 18k for all of them. She turned it down and went to Levi Bleam right after. Levi offered 25k after looking at them extremely hard. After long thinking, she made the deal and walked out a happy person.

The next morning, I went to sell Levi a few T205's and I asked him about "The big find" he purchased. Considering I am 14, I thought he would just brush me off because I am a kid. But he shockingly pulled them out of the back, and showed me a few. He told me that there would be a some that would grade 8's, and he would sell those off and keep the rest for his personal collection. I'd never seen Levi that happy.

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Posted By: Bob

My only experience was what was called the "Southern Find" in 1983 when 3 other collectors and myself bought a box full of T213-2 and T213-3 Coupon cards from a little old man from Louisiana. The box contained over 900 cards and all were vg to exmt. They have since made their way in to the hobby. My share included 6 T213-2 Cobb portraits, 5 T213-3 Cobb bat offs and multiple HOFs plus, a complete set minus one of the T213-3 set and also 2 cards not previously known to exist. With the sale of my Cobb overprinted back about a year ago, they are all now gone. Yeah, I know hindsight is 20-20....

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Posted By: vintagecatcher

Let's not forget our own Leon's "Trucker Boy" find. I'm sure Leon can provide the details after he finishes his hamburg and hotdog.

Patrick

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Posted By: joe brennan

Please do Leon, as I have not heard the story. Joe

A scared man can't gamble and a jealous man can't work.

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Posted By: leon

I have cut and pasted this a few times previously so I apologize in advance to 98% of the board...the other 2% sound like they want to hear it...so cut and pasted from 2 threads, about 2 1/2 yrs ago, here ya go....

post from Nov- 2003

Recently I was fortunate enough to find (and buy) some cards left to a gentleman in Northern California. They have been stored in a closet since 1956. The grandson said he got them when his grandmother passed away in 1992. The grandfather, who was born in 1904, had parents/grandparents that came from England for the gold rush (and did quite well) and collected them as a kid. He got married and moved to San Francisco in 1922 where he became successful in business. They went through the depression and I am told the cards are about all they kept....as they weren't worth anything at the time. The grandson was born in 1957 so he never knew his grandfather yet got the cards as an inheritance. Here is what I was able to acquire....

37 Zeenuts w/coupons - all from '13,'14, and '15

2 '15 Zeenuts without coupons of Risberg and L.Williams

5 Texas Tommy's- one being Marsans (SGC50) and another of an uncatalogued player, and 3 commons

1 E90-2 Wagner (SGC20) but looks nice

1 T212 Obak- Weaver (SGC30) looks like a 50 to me??

1 D310 Pacific Coast Biscuit Weaver SGC10

40 Western Playground Association cards (only complete set known)


He still has a few more common cards he doesn't care to sell right now. I thought it was rather interesting to know that there are still finds to be had and just thought I would mention it since these are "new" cards to the hobby...and welcome additions to the collection ....regards all

ps...I sent some in to be graded so I can put them on the SGC set registry for type cards.




post from Jan- 2004


I believe I have seen the last small group of inherited cards from the gentleman in Northern California. It was a very informative situation
in that I got to see a nice PCL collection untainted by modern collectors/dealers. It looks like almost all of the cards have been put into a scrapbook at one time as a majority exhibit strong corners and
back damage, though many backs were spared too....... It was neat to see how they were really collected and in what type of numbers, relative to each other. I believe the only cards I missed out on were all 159 of the Colgans, Red Borders, and Tin Tops (if any), and about 5-7 M101-1/2's....Nothing I could do...they just got sold.......The total for all of the cards I got was about 732'ish. I will probably only sell these through ebay or to a large auction house. I am keeping everything I have an interest in, as utmost and foremost, I am still a collector. Including what I had posted before the grand total breakout is/was (several cards have been sold already to happy board/ebay members):

D310 (12) w/weaver fr....overall gd-vg
D311 (61) all different pr-ex
E90-1 (18) w/Jackson (pr-sold), Joss..overall pr-fr
E90-2 (1) Wagner - nice SGC 20....2 moderate creases
E90-3 (2) common and pr-
E101 (9) w/Evers, Jennings pr-fr....major back damage..
E136 Zeenut '11 (113) w/Weaver in fr...others vg'ish
E136 Zeenut '12 (36) gd-vg+/ex
E136 HR Kisses (2) gd
E136 Zeenut '13 (6) all with coupon
E136 Zeenut '14 (23) 6 with coupon 17 without coupon
E137 Zeenut '15 (67) 24 with coupon w/McMullen 43 w/o coup.w/Risberg, Lefty Williams
E137 Zeenut '16 (1) with coupon
E224 Texas Tommy (5) w/Marsans, w/uncatalogued
E-Unc Big Eater (3) w/ horizontal ex, 1 in gd-vg, 1 pr
H-unc Western Playground (40) complete set vg+
T4 Obak- (2) still unidentified but not Weaver.
T206 Old Mill- (23) w/Cobb, Evers, Chance, Willis.pr-fr
T206 Sweet Caporal ?(1) Cobb 350-460 series...pr.
T212-1 Obak (47) nice mix of framed/frameless
T212-2 Obak (116) about 25 different slogans.. pr-ex-mt
T212-3 Obak (131) w/Weaver pr-nrmt/mt
T217 Mono (8) 3 that don't have back damage......pr-gd
T222 Fatima- (7) all common, 1 high number in fr, 2 cut in half, pr....

wish I could find more of these "finds"...but will just go back to
whittling away like I have been for the past several years......
regards all

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Posted By: Joann

OK. I give up. Why "Trucker Boy"?

J

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Posted By: leon

So the semi-literate guy I am dealing with tells me a story...mind you he's in his early 50's. He tells me that when he was a little boy, maybe 5-6 yrs old, he was in his room playing. In through the door came the ghost of his grandfather. All he can remember is that he was playing with a truck and his grandfather said to him, in so many words.... "be anything you want son, be anything you want"....and since he was playing with a truck when this happened he felt that was his life's calling....And he grew up to be, and still is, a trucker. Specifically a trucker that hauls cars around....So I coined it the "Trucker Boy Find"....

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Posted By: Mike Peich

While I can't top Leon's Trucker Boy story, I recall fondly the lot of 28 T3s I bought from Ted Z. three years ago at Ft. Washington. Many of them (10) are still in my T3 collection (now, thankfully, complete), and the rest were used in trade for other cards. Most of the cards were F/G, but there were a number of Vg+/Ex. This group made it possible for me to think about completing the set, a feat that would not be as easy at today's prices. Just as importantly, the purchase made clear the old dictum that if one wishes to complete a set, it's best to find a large group of cards. Needless to say, I am indebted to Ted for his charity and support for those of us who love old cardboard.
Cheers, Mike

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Posted By: Rich Mueller

OK..good stuff..especially the T206s in PA, but what about anything RECENT. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?




http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I recently had the opportunity to become involved in a vintage card find. Without going into specifics that might invade the privacy of others involved, I was invited into a transaction in progress between a friend and the nephew of a homeowner who found a box of vintage tobacco cards in her attic. Since I was in at the ground level and was able to see and purchase most of the find, I was able to deduce quite a bit about how a card collection was composed nearly 100 years ago, information that is lost the moment a virgin lot of cards is broken down and distributed into the Hobby. It is that information that I wanted to share.

The cards included in the find broke down into two categories, baseball and boxing. The group included two T202s, six T205s, five T207s, approximately 40 T219s, and ten T227s. The most interesting thing I realized on viewing the lot was something that should be obvious but that we often forget: T card distribution was entirely dependent on the smoking habits of the tobacco customers. Every card represents another pack of coffin nails purchased, ostensibly by an adult who either saved the cards or gave them to a child. In this case, it was obvious that the smoker in the house was an Honest Long Cut loyalist. All of the T219s and T227s were Honest Long Cut branded, as were 5 of the 6 T205s. The sole other T205 was a Sovereign. One of the T207s was a Recruit, one a Napoleon, and three were Broad Leaf backs (how I wish that the smoker had been loyal to that brand!). The three Broad Leaf cards included Alex McCarthy (one of the rarest cards), Phelan and Otto Miller (Brooklyn), while the Napoleon was Golden and the Recruit was Germany Schaefer. The T205s included Ed Walsh (2 cards), Wiltse right ear showing variation, Moriarty, Tinker (the Sovereign back), and Ford (dark cap). From T227 we found one baseball player, Rube Marquard, three boxers (Johnson, Attell and Coulon), wrestler Zybsko and a few of the miscellaneous sports and pseudosports subjects.

I assume that the collection was put together by a boy because the subjects were all sports-related. The conditions varied widely, which tells me that some of the cards were more played with than others. A majority of the cards showed evidence of handling, typically creases or corner wear, but a considerable number were in very high grade, with the exception of bits of tobacco leaf that speckled a few of their fronts. A few cards were affected by moisture, including the Tinker which had one corner tarnished from moisture.

One of the things that struck me about the T205s was how golden the borders really were. I would say that nearly every T205 I have ever seen exhibits some degree of tarnishing manifesting in dulling of the metallic edges, which would be expected in any metal-based material (other than pure gold) exposed to 100 years of air. These cards, however, were locked away in a dark airless place for over 90 years and their borders were truly golden. I was just astounded at how they “popped”. The heartbreaker of the lot was the T202 Cobb-Moriarty card. In otherwise nice shape except for a crease that did not affect the center panel, it appeared to have been doused in oil or some other petroleum-based product. Since it was completely covered in oil yet was the only card in the lot in that condition, I have to assume that the oil was intentionally applied, perhaps by the boy looking to preserve the card. The card stock is grayed as a result but the images are still nice.

Given the untouched nature of the find and the distribution of cards in it, I can make some conclusions about the manner and timing of their issuance. It looks to me that the child in question collected all the cards in 1912. We know that the T202s and T227s are 1912 issues. The lot supports Tim Newcomb’s analysis of the T207 set in Vintage & Classic Baseball Collector #38 in which he concluded that the set was made and distributed in series in 1912. I think it may well be that the variations in T205 also were 1912 insertions into the set and that the issue was available into 1912. Among the T205s I found was the Wiltse right ear showing card, which is tougher to find than the both ears showing variety. I had always thought that the T219 was a later issue than the 1911 T218 on which it is based. This lot supports that theory also since the T219s were found with quite a few obviously 1912-issued cards.

I've sent in the better T227s, T219s and some of the baseball cards to SGC. So far it appears that the T219s are grading between 50 and 80, and I expect similar grades from the balance.

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Posted By: JimB

I think that one of the most amazing finds was the REA find of 5 T206 Cobb/Cobb back cards back in 1997. That brought the total known at the time from 6 to 11.
JimB

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Posted By: Rich W

I know this thread started as "recent finds", but one of my favorite finds took place right before ebay took off in 1997. AOL had a little chat/buy & sell section where you could post regarding numerous topics, including collectibles. I would peruse it everyday in hope that someone would have a nice item that I could get. One day someone claimed that they just unearthed some tobacco cards from their wall stuck to scrapbook paper that was marked Mayo. I immediately responded and received a response in 10 minutes. Amazingly, the people lived 40 minutes away. We chatted and they said they had 100+ of these cards stuck to thick scrapbook paper. I gathered all the cash im my house, called both my banks and withdrew the maximum cash and went to their house.

When I got there, I found an old, 19th century near-dilapidated house. The woman answered the door, holding a 1 year old. I was welcomed inside to the sight of 4 kids, plus Mom and Dad. I had more money in my pockets than these people ever saw.

The cards were, of course, N300 Mayos, and there were over 100 of them, many in super condition (albeit, stuck to the scrapbook). Now came the tough part: negotiations. The husband and wife were very reluctant to give me a selling price, trying instead to keep there options open by claiming that others had some interest. I offered them this deal: I will write down a number. If my number is higher than your number, I will pay my number. If my number is lower, I will walk and you can pursue other offers.

The wife reluctantly agreed and spouted her number. I could tell she tried to up the number without appearing too greedy. My heart skipped and sank at the same time. Her number was numerous thousands, but over three times less than what I had written down. I revealed my number to her, and she began to cry. I stuck to my deal and whipped out my satchel of $100.00 bills. What little regret I had for "over-offering" was relieved when I realized how badly they needed the money, and that I was going to do just fine on the deal.

Several of you out there may remember these cards, as this was the 2nd Mayo collection I was fortunate to get in a one-year period. Although some had some back damage, the fronts were gorgeous.

Sorry about the longwindedness, but I know I love reading these stories myself, so I am banking that others out there will enjoy this one too.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I remember the other find of Mayos. They were in a scrapbook and auctioned off somewhere in New England. I had a phone line but having never seen them in person I couldn't bid aggressively enough.

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Posted By: Zach Rice

Just recently, I flew down to North Carolina for an estate auction which advertised tobacco cards. When we arrived at this little auction house in a run down shopping center we walked in and asked about the tobacco cards. It was the day before the auction and they were just starting to set up tables with all of the items and their lot numbers. The owner of the place went into his office and came out with seven plastic baggies and kinda slapped them down on a table in front of us. Each baggy had a post it note on it saying what each bag contained. In total there were 7 bags, 6 of which had a baseball player in them. They were all cards given out with Allen and Ginter and most were nonsports. There were N28s, N29s, N43s, N41s, etc. I slowly opened the first bag to reveal an ex N43 Ewing and held it completely raw in my hand. All of the cards were in great condition. The cards, when auctioned the next day, got way more attention then we would have though but we still managed two baggies. Once of which contained 4 N43s and an N28 Cap Anson. The other, a few N28s and an ex-mt N36 Red Cloud.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Sharking yourself up nicely

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Posted By: Rich W.

Barry:

That was my first grab at Mayos. The New England auction had an album that sold for $12500, plus 10%. Me and my buddy were on sight and won them there. Many sad people left the auction after that.

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Posted By: Rich W.

Zach:

So you were the guy that won the lot with the Anson. I won four lots including the lot with the N43 Ewing. Some of those other N43's were just gorgeous condition. But I will say this. I was on my last bid on the 4 lots that I won. That auction was so poorly advertised, I thought I was going to steal all 7 lots.

What was funny was when the auctioneer asked me before the auction if I had interest in all of the baggies. When I said, "Yes", he claimed in a great Southern drawl, "Welp, can you open up the bidding at $15.00 per bag??".

Needless to say, they were pretty happy when the hammer fell on the 7 lots, though the auctioneer called me a couple weeks ago to say that the phone bidder who won the lot with the Kelly in high grade reneged. He never called me back when I said I was interested.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I did hear through the grapevine that you won that album of mayos. Have no recollection what was there but I recall quite a lot, maybe some football too.

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Posted By: Rich W.

Barry:

That album was absolutely loaded. It had some football too, including a phenomenal Poe. We did a good job separating the cards, but I remember having a Billy Hamilton and Buck Ewing Cincinnati back-to-back and before we tried separating them, we asked which one would we rather sacrifice if we had to. We agreed to save the Hamilton (we actually spared both of them) since we already had 2 good Ewings. What a great problem to have.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Pretty amazing. I guess those were the days before grading, when you could call a card EX-MT with back damage. Today every one of them would grade a 1, which is so silly but another topic altogether.

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Posted By: BcD

that was the rule of the day in the Festberg grading system