Sets: How many really exist?

[Baseballcrazy62]

This thread is going in the direction I was hoping. I know there is no way to actually know the exact number of some of these sets but I really like to read what some of you have to say. The pre war conversations are especially interesting to me and I assume others as well. I am sure we will all be kicking ourselves about not completing this or that set. Thanks for participating in the conversation!

[SMPEP]

Yes, Andy is correct. There is no known completed set of 1923 W572s. It's not even certain that all of the 121 cards listed in the Standard Catalog exist. There are also B&W and sepia variations - and it's not known how many of either of those sets exist either.

Cheers,
Patrick

[T206Collector]

I have a complete set of the 1923 W515-2 "Little Wonder Picture Series" with not a single W515-1, which are MUCH easier to find. That puts me about 87% further than the one and only PSA registry entry on this set...

[familytoad]

That set is hilarious and eclectic and fun.
Many of the pictures aren’t flattering but hey, they were made for kids (by kids?)
Nice !
Thanks for sharing.

[insidethewrapper]

I like how the Detroit Tigers are spelled "Tygers".

[gonzo]

A guess on T205 “base” 208-card sets would probably bottleneck on some combination of the Wilhelm and Wallace no-Cap (since “master set” collectors soak up 2 of each) and the Joss and the Chase Left Ear (since both are short prints of famous players also in demand by non-set collectors). I’d guess that a much larger proportion of those cards are ungraded as compared to Hoblitzell No-Stats or Matty Cycles. I’d bet that there are 150-250 complete T205 base sets out there right now.

T205 “master sets” would bottleneck on Hoblitzell No-Stats and/or Matty Cycle. I’d guess somewhere around 30-50 of those sets are out there, depending on how many of each card are ungraded.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by insidethewrapper

I like how the Detroit Tigers are spelled "Tygers".

Apparently the Cobb/Harry Heilmann/Heinie Manush 1920s Detroit team was sometimes referred to as the "Tygers" in local newspapers, when Ty Cobb was manager.