vintage rookie cards?

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Posted By: Paul

Dan,

I wish you well in your efforts, but be aware of what you are getting yourself into. Collecting the rookie card of every Hall of Famer will be literally impossible. And even if it were possible, it will be prohibitively expensive.

Take, for example, Cy Young. I think there is general agreement that his rookie card is the 1893 Just So tobacco card. There is exactly one known copy. The owner of the card (who participates on this Board) is not likely to sell it any time soon for any price. If he did sell it, it's anyone's guess what it would actually sell for. I think it's a safe bet that it would not sell for less than $100K, and I wouldn't be surprised if it sold for half a million.

Then there's Hugh Jennings. His rookie card is the 1894 Alpha. Again, just one is known.

If you consider minor league cards to be rookie cards, then Babe Ruth will also be tough. His 1914 Baltimore News card will set you back a quarter million. Only a few examples are known. If you just want his first major league card, it will still cost you about 10K for a presentable example.

If you include managers, umpires, executives, etc., then you will need a Frank Selee. There's only one in existence, his 1904 Allegheny card. It's hard to call it his rookie, since he retired after the following season. But it's his only card, so you might call it his rookie. This one is also not for sale.

The Negro Leaguers will also be a problem. Several of these players have cards from Cuba or Puerto Rico. Most are very expensive. There is only one example known of Pete Hill's rookie card, and I don't believe it's for sale. Biz Mackey is very tough, with probably less than 10 examples known of his only card. Oscar Charleston and Pop Lloyd will also be very expensive.

Even excluding all of these super tough ones, many of the 19th Century players will kill you financially. Ed Delahanty's rookie will cost at least $5,000 in decent shape. The same is true of Bid McPhee. Amos Rusie will also be 4-5K.

I'd suggest trying to get one card -- any card -- of every Hall of Famer, which is a huge task in itself, with a few near impossibilities like I just mentioned. You can strive for rookies when they are not obscenely expensive, but be prepared to settle for a non-rookie for many players.

For some players, it will tough to get even close to a rookie card. Cy Young is a good example again. After his 1893 Just So, his next card is his 1902 W600, which is very tough. His next card is his 1903 E107, which is even tougher. His next card after that is probably his 1906 Fan Craze. That is probably his oldest reasonably obtainable card. And he played from 1890-1911, so he wasn't exactly a young man when that card came out.

Anyhow, I'm not trying to throw cold water on your plans. I just thought you should go in with your eyes open.

Paul