Hall of Famer Cards

[Kenny Cole]

I am not really a fan of collecting post-career cards of a given HOF player because I simply think of a "card" of a player as being issued when that player was active. For those of us who collect HOF players, at least from my perspective, that is obviously problematic since not everyone has a period card. I have no problem at all with period postcards because I'm not all that worried about whether or not its regional, national, or whatever. If exhibit cards are considered to be cards, then I'm good with other postcards being cards as well.

If the player doesn't have a period card or they are so few that I can never hope to achieve one (Frank Selee, Pete Hill, Al Spalding, and Willie Foster come to mind), for collecting purposes I vastly prefer period photos, etc., to post-career cards because I personally believe that is more authentic and more faithful to at least my collecting goals. For Spalding, I go to baseball currency. I am not a huge fan of team photos for my HOF collection (although I love them otherwise), even if period, unless I can't find anything else. Then I am, lol. There is certainly room for lots of debate on this issue and, as has been said several times before, you collect what suits you and what makes you happy. There is no right or wrong. Best,

Kenny

[nat]

Post career cards don't do anything for me. If you're okay with those, just find a picture on the internet, some cardstock, and print your own.

As for where to draw the line: wherever​ you want. My collecting goal is one of everyone in the hof as a player (in practice restricted to MLB players since I can't afford negro league cards). The reason is simple and idiosyncratic to me. I'm not interested in managers, umpires, or executives. If you think managers are interesting, add them to the list.

[KMayUSA6060]

The way I'm doing my HoF collection...

Pre-War: Any playing-days card (or postcard/etc. if they don't have an actual card)
Post-War: HoFer's last card
Modern: HoFer's RC

[KMayUSA6060]

Resurrecting this thread as I continue to build the plan for my Hall of Fame collection, and it also might help fellow Hall of Fame collectors formulate their collection goals.

I'm looking to make a list of the damn-near impossible Hall of Famers due to rarity and/or cost ($5k+). Guys like Burkett & Dreyfuss, although rare, are semi-obtainable (I think...). Here is the list I have so far...

Frank Selee
Al Spalding
George Wright
Pete Hill
Pop Lloyd
Oscar Charleston
Biz Mackey
Josh Gibson
Cristobal Torriente
Jose Mendez
Andy Cooper

Does anyone else have anyone they'd like to add to the list? What are some non-mainstream options for some of these guys or any other difficult Hall of Famers? Looking forward to the board's input.

[packs]

Does Landis appear on anything resembling a card?

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by packs

Does Landis appear on anything resembling a card?

That's a good question. I have his 1960 Fleer, but I might upgrade to his M114, I believe produced in 1943? I wouldn't consider that a card, but it is catalogued. Otherwise, I've only seen a booklet of his from his involvement days.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Ed Delahanty perhaps?

[molenick]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

Resurrecting this thread as I continue to build the plan for my Hall of Fame collection, and it also might help fellow Hall of Fame collectors formulate their collection goals.

I'm looking to make a list of the damn-near impossible Hall of Famers due to rarity and/or cost ($5k+). Guys like Burkett & Dreyfuss, although rare, are semi-obtainable (I think...). Here is the list I have so far...

Frank Selee
Al Spalding
Harry Wright
George Wright
Pete Hill
Pop Lloyd
Oscar Charleston
Biz Mackey
Josh Gibson
Cristobal Torriente
Jose Mendez
Andy Cooper

Does anyone else have anyone they'd like to add to the list? What are some non-mainstream options for some of these guys or any other difficult Hall of Famers? Looking forward to the board's input.

Harry Wright appears on several N172 poses and while they can be expensive, so are many other HOFers in that set. But it is a major set and it's not like you need to find an 1860s or 1870s cdv or cabinet like you would for Spalding or George Wright. Harry was not an active player at the time but he was an active manager, which I think should count as being active.

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by molenick

Harry Wright appears on several N172 poses and while they can be expensive, so are many other HOFers in that set. But it is a major set and it's not like you need to find an 1860s or 1870s cdv or cabinet like you would for Spalding or George Wright. Harry was not an active player at the time but he was an active manager, which I think should count as being active.

That's very fair. I guess you could remove Harry Wright from the list.

[h2oya311]

Great thread. Here are a few early cards of Landis:

1910s Indianapolis Star Mounted Cabinet:


1929 Men of America Booklet (I’ve seen/owned a few that are SGC graded):


I’ve also seen a handful of 1920s postcards with Landis. And I once owned a Connecticut team postcard from 1914. But I’m content with these two for my collection.

Landis is very doable. There are plenty of booklets that find their way on eBay each year, if you’re looking for one.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

Resurrecting this thread as I continue to build the plan for my Hall of Fame collection, and it also might help fellow Hall of Fame collectors formulate their collection goals.

I'm looking to make a list of the damn-near impossible Hall of Famers due to rarity and/or cost ($5k+). Guys like Burkett & Dreyfuss, although rare, are semi-obtainable (I think...). Here is the list I have so far...

Frank Selee
Al Spalding
George Wright
Pete Hill
Pop Lloyd
Oscar Charleston
Biz Mackey
Josh Gibson
Cristobal Torriente
Jose Mendez
Andy Cooper

Does anyone else have anyone they'd like to add to the list? What are some non-mainstream options for some of these guys or any other difficult Hall of Famers? Looking forward to the board's input.

Most of them would be possible through the Billiken set though it's one that's rare and expensive.

Gibson you're out of luck I believe as the only real card of his is his 1950-1951 Toleteros

[Peter_Spaeth]

Even the Toleteros was issued several years after his death, so in a sense is not a real card.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Even the Toleteros was issued several years after his death, so in a sense is not a real card.

Very true, Peter. I meant "real" in terms of a card issued by a company. I suppose his Harrison Studio's photo could qualify, but we're talking a boatload of money for that.