Babe Ruth $$$

[Exhibitman]

Astra's are really really tough. Took years to get one of Schmeling-Sharkey for my type collection.

One thing is for sure: when it comes to Ruth there are fewer and fewer career-contemporary issues that are available under four figures in any condition other than shredded "A". I suspect the same will be true of Cobb, Gehrig, Young, Johnson and a few others before too long. As for Ruth, IMO even at the hammer last night that '26 was a good purchase for the long term. The 33 Goudey is practically untouchable by mere mortal collectors at this point, so interest is going to shift to other issues even more than it already has.

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Astra's are really really tough. Took years to get one of Schmeling-Sharkey for my type collection.

One thing is for sure: when it comes to Ruth there are fewer and fewer career-contemporary issues that are available under four figures in any condition other than shredded "A". I suspect the same will be true of Cobb, Gehrig, Young, Johnson and a few others before too long. As for Ruth, IMO even at the hammer last night that '26 was a good purchase for the long term. The 33 Goudey is practically untouchable by mere mortal collectors at this point, so interest is going to shift to other issues even more than it already has.

I'm curious - do people really believe that Cobb will belong in this group in the long run? I just wonder if it at some point, given Cobb's reputation for racism in particular, it will become almost taboo to own a Cobb. I understand that the reputation isn't necessarily well-deserved, given the Leershen biography and its debunking of Stump, and I also understand that we're talking about demand for a few thousand total cards, not orders of magnitude higher, so it's not like half the country needs to want to buy one. But I'm curious what people think about this.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by jsfriedm

I'm curious - do people really believe that Cobb will belong in this group in the long run? I just wonder if it at some point, given Cobb's reputation for racism in particular, it will become almost taboo to own a Cobb. I understand that the reputation isn't necessarily well-deserved, given the Leershen biography and its debunking of Stump, and I also understand that we're talking about demand for a few thousand total cards, not orders of magnitude higher, so it's not like half the country needs to want to buy one. But I'm curious what people think about this.

I think that any serious vintage baseball card collector either owns a Cobb or has one on their shortlist. He's on baseball's mount rushmore of greatest ever. He owned an obscene amount of records for the longest time, and still holds a couple dozen of them. Outside of Ruth, and Wagner he's the most recognizable name of the prewar hobby in my opinion, and the only reason why Wagner is above him is because of the mainstream attention his t206 issue receives.

We cannot rewrite the history books, Cobb's greatness transcended the sport itself, and anyone that follows baseball knows it. Regardless of how they feel about him.

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Seven

I think that any serious vintage baseball card collector either owns a Cobb or has one on their shortlist. He's on baseball's mount rushmore of greatest ever. He owned an obscene amount of records for the longest time, and still holds a couple dozen of them. Outside of Ruth, and Wagner he's the most recognizable name of the prewar hobby in my opinion, and the only reason why Wagner is above him is because of the mainstream attention his t206 issue receives.

We cannot rewrite the history books, Cobb's greatness transcended the sport itself, and anyone that follows baseball knows it. Regardless of how they feel about him.

Everything you say is true. But translating that to future market demand seems to imply that card collectors are trying assemble a sort of museum of the sport that must reflect its history, rather than just collecting what they want, or the people they like. What if it's the latter?

[Seven]

Originally Posted by jsfriedm

Everything you say is true. But translating that to future market demand seems to imply that card collectors are trying assemble a sort of museum of the sport that must reflect its history, rather than just collecting what they want, or the people they like. What if it's the latter?

I think a fair share of the collectors do a little of column A, and a little of column B. Chances are though if you're collecting baseball cards, and stick to collecting, it's because you have an interest in the game of baseball and its history. Especially if you are someone that collects vintage.

Not a single person that collects today (to my knowledge at least) was alive during Cobb's tenure as a player. The market that his cards appeals to are people of all ages enamored with the history of the game.

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Seven

I think a fair share of the collectors do a little of column A, and a little of column B. Chances are though if you're collecting baseball cards, and stick to collecting, it's because you have an interest in the game of baseball and its history. Especially if you are someone that collects vintage.

Not a single person that collects today (to my knowledge at least) was alive during Cobb's tenure as a player. The market that his cards appeals to are people of all ages enamored with the history of the game.

I've always loved baseball history. But as a kid, and a huge Mets fan, I refused to buy Yankees (also, I couldn't afford them)

[mr2686]

My only Ruth photo.

[BobC]

Here's an interesting thought. Of all these all-time Mount Rushmore level greats, they all are publicized and have been portrayed in modern times by movies. Gary Cooper has played Gehrig, William Bendix and John Goodman have been Ruth (along with Ruth playing himself), Tommy Lee Jones has portrayed Cobb, and even Joe Jackson has gotten modern day exposure from being portrayed in Field of Dreams and Eight Men Out. But what about Honus Wagner? I'm not aware of any movies or other shows that portrayed him and told his story, yet he is up there as one of the all- time greats. Can it truly be the legend/myth surrounding his T206 card that drives so much of the popularity and value in the other card issues he appears in?

And getting back to Ruth, as I think about it, he seems to have been portrayed in/the subject of more movies than any player in history. Heck, a signed baseball by him was the central theme of an entire movie - Sandlot. So that right there kind of tells of his level of popularity versus everyone else as well.