What am I missing on Moe Berg?

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by SMPEP

Is it just me ... or are the prices asked (and sometimes received?) for Moe Berg cards WAY out of whack with other cards?

I mean the guy was an average player and a spy. Okay. Big deal.

Why do the prices for his cards rival/exceed the prices for Lou Gerhig and Jimmy Foxx?

I just don't get it.

Seems to me Berg cards should be more in line with Al Schracht cards. A common player, with an interesting back story, that makes him more than a common and less than a super star.

Am I missing something???? Why do you have to mortgage the house to get a bad condition Berg card in the 33 Goudey of 36 Fine Pens?

Patrick

Lots of people collect Jewish players as well. His story is one of the most interesting and oft repeated in the history of the sport...at least for a non-all star type player. You will also notice that there isn't much of a difference between, say, a PSA 3 and PSA 6 for the 33 Goudey. Only around $100 or so on average. This tells me that people are more interested in getting an example of the card than they are getting a better condition one. Thus, the popularity of the player due to his Jewish heritae and his uber-interesting story lead to a demand for the card.

Tom C

[Exhibitman]

Besides being a Jewish ballplayer, he has a popular culture place far above Schact. Berg's story is quite compelling: Ivy League educated lawyer who would rather spend time as a bullpen catcher than working at a far more lucrative profession [he said "I'd rather be a ballplayer than a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court."], early recruit to the OSS, an actual overseas spy. At one point he was tasked with attending a conference in Switzerland to evaluate Werner Heisenberg's progress on the A bomb, with instructions to assassinate him if Heisenberg seemed to be close to building a bomb]. He parachuted into occupied Yugoslavia to work with and evaluate the various resistance groups. His wartime services resulted in the Medal of Freedom [2nd highest civilian honor at the time]. He was the subject of a best-selling book, The Catcher Was A Spy. Also a very popular character of the day who seemed to know everyone from the President on down. Here he is with Joe Louis.