Cool Old Judge ad piece

[Archive]

Posted By: Mark Macrae

Barry....I have seen original groups of 172 Old Judges surface in this area, but Gypsy Queens (175-small) turn up at almost an even rate (locally) when it comes to baseball subjects AND finds which can be verified as being originally collected in this region. In talking with other experienced collectors from different parts of the country, most agree that Gypsy Queens (175-small) are considerably rarer than Old Judges (172) as far as general baseball subjects...This dilemna was hashed and rehashed years ago amongst the local advanced collectors. I never asked Don McPherson, but I don't recall that his group contained any Cal League players when Lew Lipset offered them several years back. I agree that your theory makes complete sense and for the most part I agree with the concept. Its just that the evidence doesn't support it. My findings are consistant with Jay Miller's.In comparison, the SF Hess color cards appear almost as common as 1991 Fleer cards. When looking at what Chericoni, Dobbins, King, Horne and myself have unearthed locally, the count surpasses 200 cards. One would think with so many 321's turning up, that even a handful of Cal League 172's would surface as wellThe 'mystery' Gypsy Queen that you offered a few years back is another example of something never seen by longtime local collectors. Is it an '175 Large with a different scroll design ? After all, '172 Old Judges had different fonts and designs. We'll probably never have a definitive answer.