Looking for suggestions for my first pre-war card

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by quinnsryche

Bill, I would think your first idea, the T206 Johnson port. is about as good as it gets. It's my absolute favorite card ever made. I had one a few years back and is one of only a handful of cards I wish I hadn't have sold (needed the money for a new house). The 4 on 1 exhibit with Gehrig and DiMaggio is super sweet too. Go with your gut, pick one you think you will never get tired of and you probably won't.
Good luck and enjoy it all!
PS - I feel your Brewer pain, I'm a White Sox fan. At least you guys have some good building blocks (Segura, Gomez etc.). We don't have much and a crap farm system to boot.

I really love the Johnson. Arguably the greatest pitcher to ever play the game, in the greatest set ever produced, and a card with tremendous eye appeal. I will definitely look at what's out there, and who knows, I could be surprised. But there's a very good chance that by the time the end of the year rolls around, that is in my collection.

I mentioned in another thread that right now, I'd have to say my three favorite cards ever made are the T206 Johnson portrait, the 1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial, and the 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente. My fear is once I own all three, you guys might never see me again, lol.

If you read a story about a guy clutching an SGC-slabbed T206 Johnson portrait, calling it "the precious", you'll know what happened to me.

Originally Posted by Paul S

You could always reneg on the deal. He understands that well.

Thankfully, I don't anticipate having any dealings with him.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by vintagecpa

If you like Cobb, you can normally find them on the BST that don't break the bank. Some suggestions would be the E90-1, E93, E95, T205, T206. It depends on the grade, but generally, none of them will break the bank.

I'll check those out when I get up later this evening. And I'll definitely make good use of the B/S/T forum once the floodgates open on my end. Thank you for the suggestions!

Originally Posted by asoriano

I'm with Peter. Can't go wrong with Joss, but I'm also biased towards T205's.

Thank you, Turner. I thought that might be it. Great card.

I'm making a long mental list.


Please keep the suggestions coming guys, and I'll check this later tonight. Right now, I need to get some sleep, and give the back a rest.

Thank you all! I am enjoying this discussion thus far, and learning as I go.

[cyseymour]

Honestly, I think you've answered your own question. Just go with a Johnson portrait then. It's a beautiful card and you can't go wrong. Be patient and try to find one with good aesthetics.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by cyseymour

Honestly, I think you've answered your own question. Just go with a Johnson portrait then. It's a beautiful card and you can't go wrong. Be patient and try to find one with good aesthetics.

You might be right. But if people are willing to offer other suggestions, I'd still love to look at them.

If anybody could message me privately with suggestions on which Ebay dealers I should be looking to buy from, that would be quite helpful. When I get ready to start shopping, I'll be checking our B/S/T several times a day, and the auction houses. I know that Robert Edwards will be doing a fall auction sometime in October. I'll check into Heritage Auctions as well.

[EvilKing00]

t3 Cobb
T205 Joss

There are a lot of ruth cards that I love

[Bored5000]

The answer is so obvious. How can a poster named "the 'stache" choose anything other than the John Titus T206?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

The answer is so obvious. How can a poster named "the 'stache" choose anything other than the John Titus T206?

Eddie, looking at it on Ebay, that's actually a pretty nice card. It appears that the T205 is more plentiful, however, as there is only one graded and one ungraded T206 available for sale currently.

I will have to add that one to my collection, and soon. A nice example shouldn't be too terribly expensive, and I am looking for a broad variety of cards. Thank you for the suggestion.

Originally Posted by Bosox Blair

Of the cards you are considering, I'd not bother with the Matty dark cap. Personally I feel that the T206 "superprints" are way overpriced. There are tons and tons of them out there. Sure, some of them are popular - like the Matty dark cap and Cobb red, but considering the supply, they should be cheaper.

If you accept that the recent T206 back craze is a manifestation of T206 collectors looking for a way to inject scarcity considerations into collecting a set that really is not scarce at all, then buying a superprint is probably a big step in the wrong direction (at least from a future value perspective).

Cheers,
Blair

That's a great suggestion, Blair, and I do have to remember that while I am looking to buy for my own PC, and don't anticipate parting with them, it is still prudent to think of them as an investment as well.

Originally Posted by ullmandds

You should buy a tougher more obscure type card of a player of your choice as there are tons of bargains out there these days...t216, t217, d303/304...or consider the t213 counterpart to t206.

Pete, Dan mentioned Eddie Collins earlier in this discussion, and after reading your post, I find I am really liking the T213 Eddie Collins Chicago "A on shirt". It's got incredible eye appeal (the deep red background is so striking compared to the subject). I admit that after seeing it, I want to learn more about Collins.

Though I would consider myself to have a fairly broad knowledge of baseball history, I am somewhat less-versed in the period from the late 1800's to about 1920. I just haven't read as much about it, but with my foray into tobacco cards, I see that changing. I'm already feeling the itch to break out Ken Burns' "Baseball" on Netflix once again. I think I'll watch that tonight after my shower

/tip of the cap to you, Pete.