A cool card of new Hall of Famer Bowie Kuhn

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Posted By: Brian C.

I'll never understand why he's in the HOF, but he has a very cool card made by Topps in a very limited run in 1969. I think it's his only contemporaneous card.

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Posted By: Paul S

I think I remember reading somewhere that these cards were given only to Kuhn, to hand out at his discretion.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

The card is listed in the 2008 Standard Catalogue as a legitimate issue with a NM value of $90.00

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Posted By: Jason L

interesting issue.
not terribly appealing in my opinion, but that and a quarter will get you a dime!

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Posted By: fkw

Extremely rare card, Ive never seen one for sale and Ive known about it for a few years now.

I would say that 95+% of the people that receive one from Kuhn didnt collect cards, and its not something you would give your kid who collected cards. It would be unusual to find one mixed in with "normal" baseball card collections of the era. If I got one as a kid I would have put pinholes in the eyes

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Posted By: Anthony

I seem to see 1-2 at every National, and occasionally one on ebay. Until yesterday morning they always went for about $200. but suspect that might have changed a bit.
It's a pretty ugly card, without even factoring in the subject.

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

I have seen seven or eight of these for sale over the years; I have always been outbid, usually above $175 for a NM version. I'm hoping it's scarce and obscure enough the HOF sweetener will not affect price too much............need one for the Topps type set!

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Posted By: Rich Klein

At a National some years ago for the Beckett publications records. Good to see that at least one card I bought over the years did well

Rich

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Posted By: Brian C.

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As I behold the card, it looks great. And -- shameless plug -- if you check the BST thread under '50's - '80's cards, you'll see that I'd make one of mine available for the right deal.

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Posted By: Scott Mosley

I've never really looked for this card since I've had this example since the mid 1970s but I would imagine that if they were issued for personal use than a fair number of them would be autographed as mine is below.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

For those of you fellow HOF collectors out there, I have discovered another career contemporary card of newly elected Bowie Kuhn. He appears on a 1977 San Diego Padres Schedule Card w/Randy Jones (NL Cy Young Award Winner for 1976). This is a much more cost effective option to pick up compared to his rare 1969 Topps special issue.

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Posted By: Ken W.

Great info, Phil! You wouldn't happen to have one to sell me, would you? Sorry for the desperate plea.

Ken

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Ken W:

E-mail sent

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Posted By: Paul

Phil,

This is way too funny. I have been trying very hard to get Kuhn's card since he was elected, contacting every owner of one that I could find. Now, thanks to you, I learn that I already own a Kuhn. I picked up that Padres set on a whim about a year ago, and never paid much attention to the fact that it includes a Kuhn. With that set, I'm also well prepared in case Buzzie Bavasi ever gets elected. I'd still prefer to have Kuhn's solo card, and it will remain high on my want list. But the sense that I have a glaring hole in my collection is now gone. (Well, it's still there for Barney Dreyfuss, but that's a different story).

I'd like to return the favor to you. If I remember correctly, you've been trying to find a Bill Veeck team issue postcard for awhile. You may not be aware that he is in the 1976 Chicagoland Collectors Association set (p.94 of the Standard Catalog, 2008 edition). This is a baseball card in every sense of the word, and Bill Veeck was still active as the owner of the White Sox in 1976. So I think it should fill that hole in your collection (if that hole is still there). I picked up the complete set on ebay a couple of years ago for some painful sum like five bucks.

By the way, have you picked up a Southworth?

Paul

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Posted By: Ken W.

Phil,
Just picked up the Kuhn from that set. Thanks a bundle for saving me a bundle! Obtaining these execs is a whole 'nother hobby in itself! Thanks again.

Ken

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Ken:

No problem, happy to help out a fellow HOF collector!

Paul:

Thanks for the tip on the Veeck. I did an ebay search and found two of the sets, one at $24.99 and the other at $35.00. I recently picked up a 1948 Cleveland Team Issue Veeck card (more like a photo actually) and am going to keep that one for my Veeck representation. Yes, I just picked up a Southworth RC this past weekend, by the way his earliest card is the 1919 W514 not the E121 American Caramel that was mentioned in another thread previously.

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Posted By: Jason L

the reverse of that card is an interesting read. For instance, that last line....I had no idea he was a bisexual!

-Not that there's anything wrong with that! (Hi Barry)

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Posted By: Paul

I guess Southworth's election to the Hall didn't do much for the value of his cards:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1951-Bowman-207-BILLY-SOUTHWORTH-BRAVES-VGEX-EX_W0QQitemZ150196798067QQihZ005QQcategoryZ60479QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Paul:

I decided to pick up that 1976 Chicago set with Bill Veeck. I should have asked you this before I purchased it but are you sure the Veeck card is Bill Jr., the HOF'er, and not Bill Sr., who was involved with the Cubs for many years?

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Posted By: chris bland

Bill Veeck Sr died in 1933.

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Posted By: Ken W.

Phil,

Here is a White Sox game ticket from 1980, issued on "Bill Veeck Day," a few months before he retired. (My Bill Veeck "card"). If your card pictures the same old man, he is definitely the HOFer. Ken

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Posted By: Paul

Phil, it's definitely the Hall of Famer. It describes him as being the owner of the White Sox, not associated with the Cubs. I don't have the card in front of me, but the picture is the same guy who shows up on the team issue photos of the Indians from the 40s.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

That's what I wanted to hear!!!

Thanks, guys