E98s: difficulty of cards, colors, and set as a whole

[caramelcard]

I collected E98s for a long time and have had over 150 of them with 111 different player/color backgrounds. With 9 left to go I stopped because I needed 2 wagners, 2 cobbs, 2 youngs, a lajoie, and a mack among them and I was interested in so many other sets.

After studying the set for some time, I don't really think any color is that much harder than another and all the players are readily available if you're even a tad bit patient.

But, based on the data that I have from the cards I accumulated, I can say:

I had less green background cards than others.

Cobb and Wagner are the easiest cards to find. (This is probably because collectors or even casual owners of these cards are not likely to misplace or throw away a cobb or wagner card). Cy Young (or irv) is third easiest in my opinion.

Players like Vaughn, Coombs, Dahlen, and Bridwell were tougher the find for the opposite reason.

Mack and Matty are tough because they're popular poses and well sought after.

Walsh is fairly tough to find and I'm not sure why. I did manage to find all four of them.

A master set is possible, but it takes a bit of cash and some staying power. You have to be one that's willing to settle for several cards in less than good condition.

Overall, it's a fun set and collecting all 4 of the colors brings you back closer to the mystery of why the set is anonymous.

Were different colors thrown into different products?

Were different colors thrown into the same product in different cities?

Does the Old Put brand prove that it was a tobacco issue or was it simply stamped on a stack of cards by a cigar retailer and handed out to good customers?

Why is it called E98 when the only iota of evidence that we have supports a T designation?

Anyways, I'll stop rambling. It's a great set and good luck with it.

Rob