Collecting Exhibits/Supplements/larger pre-war photos on a budget

[53toppscollector]

Last night I was winding down in a day long online auction and saw a listing for a bunch of 1930s-1950s premiums. I didn't know much about them at all, for all I know they are just random reprints, but the price wasnt too bad, so I bought them on a whim. Anyone know exactly what these are? Looks like a random assortment

[Exhibitman]

Those are various photo pack issues. The ones at the top left and similar of stars with the small dark names are from a 1949 all star pack. The ones with plain writing top right look to be Pirates, Indians and maybe a few other team issues. All around that time frame.

[bigfanNY]

My Suggestion for larger scale "cards" especially if you like W600's is W601's they display great the players and photos are terrific. I have a few and purchased a couple in the past year. I think alot of value for such an early issue. You can focus on a team or player or World series foes. Plenty of ways to collect. Card below is an example ( not mine but I did bid on it recently.

[BeanTown]

1899-1900 M101-1 The Sporting News Supplements would be the best long term investment IMO. This set includes the Honus Wagner rookie.

https://oldcardboard.com/m/m101-1/m1...?cardsetID=961


Also the 1909-13 M101-2 Sporting News Supplements still somewhat affordable and have become very popular of late, led by the early image of Ty Cobb. This set is loaded with HOFers.

https://oldcardboard.com/m/m101-2/m1...?cardsetID=962

Supplements have always been a bit of a nitche, but are moving more mainstream like postcards did 10-15 years ago.

[Exhibitman]

JC is right re supplements and premiums. They have long been a backwater. I was amazed at how I could go through a National as recently as 2019 and buy multiple superstars for $20-$50 all day long. Still is to a good extent. I picked up a Hubbell premium for under $20 last week. Makes sense they're ripe for a surge in demand: you can't or wont pay thousands for a 1954 Bowman Mantle card but you can pick up a 1954 All Star Photo Pack Mantle for a small percentage of that cost.

[53toppscollector]

I really appreciate all the feedback and discussion in this thread, it has given me a lot of stuff to go and look for and research in more detail.

I think I am going to start to keep my eyes open for the M101-2s at this point. The images are just beautiful. As I've been researching I've also been reading a lot about postcard issues, and it feels like I am dangerously close to falling down the rabbit hole here. Can't get too crazy in the beginning.

For post-war exhibits and premiums, I think I will stick to Hall of Famers if I see cool stuff pop up. I really love the Williams/DiMaggio/Rizzuto images above, which is why I bought that lot, and it seems like it was a decent purchase.

[Leon]

Larger items can be fun to collect... (large picture on purpose)

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Leon

Larger items can be fun to collect... (large picture on purpose)

Thanks for sharing Leon.

You definitely have an amazing and diverse collection.