Top Ten

[Baseball Rarities]

Here is my list. This is assuming that we are not including CDVs and Cabinets that were produced by private studios.

Also, if we are omitting unique cards, then I would switch the 1893 Just So Young with a 1903 E107 Wagner.

1887 N172 Anson In Uniform
1893 Just So Young
1903 E107 Mathewson
1907 W600 Cobb
1909 T206 Doyle NY NL
1909 T206 Wagner
1909-11 T206 Cobb with Cobb Back
1910 T210 Jackson
1914 Baltimore News Ruth
1916 M101-5/4 Ruth

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Here is my list. This is assuming that we are not including CDVs and Cabinets that were produced by private studios.

Also, if we are omitting unique cards, then I would switch the 1893 Just So Young with a 1903 E107 Wagner.

1887 N172 Anson In Uniform
1893 Just So Young
1903 E107 Mathewson
1907 W600 Cobb
1909 T206 Doyle NY NL
1909 T206 Wagner
1909-11 T206 Cobb with Cobb Back
1910 T210 Jackson
1914 Baltimore News Ruth
1916 M101-5/4 Ruth

Hi Kevin-The 1860 Atlantic’s CdV has sold twice in the last five years(two different copies), both times for around $200,000. I don’t think the E107 Mathewson would go for that much. Otherwise, I like your list.
Steven-Good luck on your quest.

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Hi Kevin-The 1860 Atlantic’s CdV has sold twice in the last five years(two different copies), both times for around $200,000. I don’t think the E107 Mathewson would go for that much. Otherwise, I like your list.

Totally agree on the 1860 Atlantics CDV, but I left off CDVs and Cabinets produced that were produced and distributed by private studios. The two known 1891 Ryder Cabinets of Young have each sold for more than $100K in the last couple of years.

[oldjudge]

Oh, there are plenty of cards that have sold for over $100,000 that are not on the list, starting with quite a few California League Old Judges. They just have not approached the $200,000 mark. The Ryder Young has not approached that level either.

[x2drich2000]

Not saying it should be on the list, but how far off do you think the W600 Wagner street clothes would be?

[benjulmag]

Three nobody has mentioned,

P&S Creighton
Four Base Hits Kelly
1863 Grand Match at Hoboken Harry Wright

All three of these IMO should be on any list.

[robertsmithnocure]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

Three nobody has mentioned,

P&S Creighton
Four Base Hits Kelly
1863 Grand Match at Hoboken Harry Wright

All three of these IMO should be on any list.

Those are all great cards too. Is the Creighton a Peck and Snyder? I am not very familiar with the card, but the book that I have by Mark Rucker says that the photographer is unknown.

[LincolnVT]

Baltimore News Ruth -- Blue or Red
Wagner T206
Baltimore News Ruth -- Team Card
W600 Cobb
W600 Wagner Street Clothes
E107 Matthewson
Ruth Hands on Hips Postcard c. 1915
Ruth Pitching Pose Postcard c 1915
Ruth M101 Blank or Advertizing Back
Ruth 1915 Red Sox Team Postcard

[LincolnVT]

Anson in uniform would be in my top ten over the 1915 Red Sox Team Postcard.

[oldjudge]

Ethan-With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

Baltimore News Ruth -- Blue or Red
Wagner T206
Baltimore News Ruth -- Team Card
W600 Cobb
W600 Wagner Street Clothes
E107 Matthewson
Ruth Hands on Hips Postcard c. 1915
Ruth Pitching Pose Postcard c 1915
Ruth M101 Blank or Advertizing Back
Ruth 1915 Red Sox Team Postcard

I forgot about the Baltimore News Ruth team card. Good catch.

https://www.robertedwardauctions.com...ing-babe-ruth/

After REA sold that card, there was a lengthy discussion whether it should be characterized as a card. So, to the extent one characterizes it as a card, I would put it on the list.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by robertsmithnocure

Those are all great cards too. Is the Creighton a Peck and Snyder? I am not very familiar with the card, but the book that I have by Mark Rucker says that the photographer is unknown.

The Creighton is a Peck & Snyder, who are listed on the verso as the publishers. To my knowledge, P&S did not photograph any of the baseball subjects on their trade cards, but instead published the images. So that was why Rucker listed the photographer as unknown.

At the time Mark published his book of CdVs, the c. 1860 Atlantics had not been discovered. The studio for that CdV was Farach & Lalumia in Brooklyn. If one compares the rug in that carte to the rug in the Creighton image, they appear they might be the same. So very possibly Farach & Lalumia was the studio where the Creighton image was taken.

[RCMcKenzie]

If I found the cards in grandpa's attic, these are the one's I would keep... The rest I would send to an AH that charges 21% vig and free shipping.

T206 Wagner
T206 Plank
T206 Doyle
T210 Jackson
T210 Stengel
14 cj Jackson
14 cj Mathewson
33 Goudey Lajoie
Just So any card
4 base hit any card

[Yoda]

A Texas Tommy Joe Jackson, if you can find one.

[CuriousGeorge]

On that cue Jay....

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Hi Kevin-The 1860 Atlantic’s CdV has sold twice in the last five years(two different copies), both times for around $200,000. I don’t think the E107 Mathewson would go for that much. Otherwise, I like your list.
Steven-Good luck on your quest.

[oldjudge]

Steven-I love that CdV. It is a very important card and I believe very undervalued.

[CuriousGeorge]

I thought so too. I was kind of surprised it didn’t sell for more but I kind of chalked it up to being a little off the beaten path so perhaps less overall interest.

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Steven-I love that CdV. It is a very important card and I believe very undervalued.

[CuriousGeorge]

I agree rats

[robertsmithnocure]

Originally Posted by CuriousGeorge

On that cue Jay....

Great cards Steven. The condition of that 1860 Brooklyn Atlantic’s CDV is incredible. If I had an extra $180K laying around, that card would be my pick. I can’t believe that it did not sell for a premium over the low grade Authentic example.

[CuriousGeorge]

30 years working 7 days/week made it happen for me. Not sure this CDV made it worth it though lol!

Originally Posted by robertsmithnocure

Great cards Steven. The condition of that 1860 Brooklyn Atlantic’s CDV is incredible. If I had an extra $180K laying around, that card would be my pick. I can’t believe that it did not sell for a premium over the low grade Authentic example.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by CuriousGeorge

30 years working 7 days/week made it happen for me. Not sure this CDV made it worth it though lol!

The lower grade Atlantic’s example had great provenance coming from a player’s family. That is why it traded for a premium.

[oldjudge]

Go back to the original question, the list is based on value of the lowest grade example. Neither the E107 Wagner nor the W600 Wagner make the list according to the OP’s criteria.

[CuriousGeorge]

I had a long conversation with the boys at Heritage before I bought mine. They gave me piece of mind that what I was buying was as advertised so I trusted them. That was of course when I thought this was a reasonably fair playing field and before the likes of Brent, Gary, fake scans, stealing shipping charges, etc. Unfortunately now I have become far more cautious and have absolutely passed on cards I would have ordinarily went after.

Originally Posted by oldjudge

The lower grade Atlantic’s example had great provenance coming from a player’s family. That is why it traded for a premium.

[oldjudge]

Corey-I thought of adding the Creighton, but I didn’t know when it was issued (just after Creighton’s death or years later) so I did not include it. The Four Base Hits Kelly is a possibility. I don’t think the Grand Match ticket of Wright is worth enough to fall on the list. When it was listed in REA a few years ago it could not get an opening bid and was eventually pulled. I think it is a $50-$100,000 card which falls short in value. Two other possibilities are the Wright and Spalding Mort Rogers scorecards, but again they fall slightly short. Two other possibilities are the unique Ewing Kalamazoo Bat or the unique Ewing portrait N173. There is also the Peggy Popcorn Ruth.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Corey-I thought of adding the Creighton, but I didn’t know when it was issued (just after Creighton’s death or years later) so I did not include it. The Four Base Hits Kelly is a possibility. I don’t think the Grand Match ticket of Wright is worth enough to fall on the list. When it was listed in REA a few years ago it could not get an opening bid and was eventually pulled. I think it is a $50-$100,000 card which falls short in value. Two other possibilities are the Wright and Spalding Mort Rogers scorecards, but again they fall slightly short. Two other possibilities are the unique Ewing Kalamazoo Bat or the unique Ewing portrait N173. There is also the Peggy Popcorn Ruth.

The reason the Grand Match of Wright was pulled had nothing to do with failure to get an opening bid. In fact, as I recall the card was pulled before the auction even opened. As to its value, the only known copy is graded "A" due to the corners being trimmed. I am fairly confident it would sell for more than several of the cards on your list if valued in PSA 1 condition.

We don't know the precise year the P&S Creighton was issued. Rucker in his book dated it c. 1863. Others believe it came out later. If I had to guess, I would date it to c. 1865, the year the Leslie's woodcut of Creighton was issued. Interest in him then was obviously still strong, and logically one would think the card would be issued when there was still strong interest in the player. Regardless the precise year of issue, the card being the only known player pose of whom to many is the game's first superstar, I believe it belongs on the list assuming cards of that type are eligible.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

The reason the Grand Match of Wright was pulled had nothing to do with failure to get an opening bid. In fact, as I recall the card was pulled before the auction even opened. As to its value, the only known copy is graded "A" due to the corners being trimmed. I am fairly confident it would sell for more than several of the cards on your list if valued in PSA 1 condition.

We don't know the precise year the P&S Creighton was issued. Rucker in his book dated it c. 1863. Others believe it came out later. If I had to guess, I would date it to c. 1865, the year the Leslie's woodcut of Creighton was issued. Interest in him then was obviously still strong, and logically one would think the card would be issued when there was still strong interest in the player. Regardless the precise year of issue, the card being the only known player pose of whom to many is the game's first superstar, I believe it belongs on the list assuming cards of that type are eligible.

Corey-Sounds like you know more than me about the Wright. Why was it pulled if not for a lack of a bid?

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Here is my list. This is assuming that we are not including CDVs and Cabinets that were produced by private studios.

Also, if we are omitting unique cards, then I would switch the 1893 Just So Young with a 1903 E107 Wagner.

1887 N172 Anson In Uniform
1893 Just So Young
1903 E107 Mathewson
1907 W600 Cobb
1909 T206 Doyle NY NL
1909 T206 Wagner
1909-11 T206 Cobb with Cobb Back
1910 T210 Jackson
1914 Baltimore News Ruth
1916 M101-5/4 Ruth

I believe the E107 Wagner is more than the E107 Mathewson. A SGC 1 Matty sold for 36k this year. A SGC A Wagner sold for 57k in 2016. I don't think you could find a Wagner for 36k today.

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by rats60

I believe the E107 Wagner is more than the E107 Mathewson. A SGC 1 Matty sold for 36k this year. A SGC A Wagner sold for 57k in 2016. I don't think you could find a Wagner for 36k today.

Yeah, you are definitely right. The E107 Wagner is a more expensive card than the Mathewson.

Thinking about it now, I would probably put Wagner's W600 Type 1 in Street Clothes on the list and omit the E107s.

[CuriousGeorge]

I don’t have the energy to post mine!

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Yeah, you are definitely right. The E107 Wagner is a more expensive card than the Mathewson.

Thinking about it now, I would probably put Wagner's W600 Type 1 in Street Clothes on the list and omit the E107s.

[GaryPassamonte]

It's nice to see interest in this thread. Some cards are obvious choices since there have been recent sales that attest to their current value, others may have not been sold in a number of years, so determining their current value is an educated guess.
Jay and Kevin, I think your lists are pretty close.
Jay- I like your idea of using $100K at a benchmark. I could reword the question to ask which cards have or possibly would sell for over $100K in a PSA 1. This might narrow the list.
Corey- I mentioned the Four Base Hits Kelly, but no one has included it on their list. It might be my favorite card.
Let's exclude cdvs, cabinets, and trade cards for this discussion. I think I'll start another thread asking a simialar question for these.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

It's nice to see interest in this thread. Some cards are obvious choices since there have been recent sales that attest to their current value, others may have not been sold in a number of years, so determining their current value is an educated guess.
Jay and Kevin, I think your lists are pretty close.
Jay- I like your idea of using $100K at a benchmark. I could reword the question to ask which cards have or possibly would sell for over $100K in a PSA 1. This might narrow the list.
Corey- I mentioned the Four Base Hits Kelly, but no one has included it on their list. It might be my favorite card.
Let's exclude cdvs, cabinets, and trade cards for this discussion. I think I'll start another thread asking a simialar question for these.

Four Base Hits Kelly is my favorite card. Being a rare 19th century issue, it is a card many people probably do not know much about. But it captures that century's arguably greatest player at the absolute peak of his career in a pose taken from a known photo shoot. It is similar to the Just So Young in that the total population from the entire issue is very few, and any card, common or not, would command a hefty price.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

Four Base Hits Kelly is my favorite card. Being a rare 19th century issue, it is a card many people probably do not know much about. But it captures that century's arguably greatest player at the absolute peak of his career in a pose taken from a known photo shoot. It is similar to the Just So Young in that the total population from the entire issue is very few, and any card, common or not, would command a hefty price.

Corey-It is a great card, but to say that Kelly was the 19th century’s greatest player is crazy. He may have been the most popular, but nowhere near the greatest.

[oldjudge]

Gary-With that caveat in mind this would be my list:

T206 Wagner
Baltimore News Ruth
Anson in Uniform
Just So Young
Cobb with Cobb back
T206 Doyle NY
Cobb W600
Ruth M101-5 Ad back (blank backs less valuable)
T210 Jackson
Kalamazoo Bats Ewing

The last one was a tough decision, but based on private sales I think it ekes out a spot over the Four Base Hits Kelly.