The Toughest Hall of Famers to Acquire?

[paul]

That's a beautiful Selee Jay.

A lot of this depends on your definition of a card. I don't count premium photos, CDV, and pins (sorry, Jay, that Selee really is fantastic).

With that in mind, here is my take on the toughies:

1. Frank Selee - his only card is the one of a kind Allegheny.

2. Al Spalding - his only card is the one of a kind G&B Spalding. It shows him as an executive. If you believe he was elected as a pioneer player, then he has only CDVs and studio cabinets, if that, and he would be excluded from my list.

3. Pete Hill - He has only the 1909 Punch (2 known) and 1910 Cabanas (1 known).

4. Jesse Burkett -- He has only the 1893 Just So (only 1 1/2 known) and the W600 (very, very tough). He also has a T204 which is arguably from his playing days because it shows him as a minor league player / manager. He also has a very rare Cameo Pepsin pin, but I don't count that as a card.

5. Hugh Jennings -- He has only the 1894 Alpha (1 known) and the 1902 W600 listing him as a player (almost as tough as the Burkett). Most people settle for one of his cards as a manager, but he was elected as a player.

6. Biz Mackey -- He is only in the Aguilitas set from Cuba. For whatever reason, this particular card in that set is extra tough.

7. Most of the other Negro League HOFers with cards from Cuba or Puerto Rico (Charleston, Lloyd, Mendez, Torriente, Day, H. Smith, W. Brown, etc.)

8. Bid McPhee -- only in the Old Judge set and for whatever reason he is particularly tough.

9. Deacon White -- only in the Old Judge and Scrapps sets. His Old Judge may be as tough as McPhee's, but the existence of his Scrapps card makes him a little easier overall than McPhee.

10. Joe McCarthy -- If you want him as a manager, he has only the 1936 WorldWide and the 1929 Blue Ribbon Malt, both of which are tough (though not in the same class as 1-9 above). If you want him as a player, his T5 Pinkerton is nearly impossible. His Colgan's Chips seems to be tough too.

Honorable Mention -- Willie Foster -- he is in the 1927 Mallorquina set from Cuba. The only known copy of his card is on an uncut sheet. If you count that as a card, he would be right up there with Selee and Spalding.

That's enough for now.