Collecting every team

[BobC]

Originally Posted by BuzzD

If you were to try to collect one card from every major and minor league team, which team would be the most difficult? exclude postcards. Post 1900.

I honestly don't know for certain, but suspect/suggest maybe from one of the California League teams that appeared in the N172 Old Judge set. Also seem to remember a discussion or two about some other team in the Old Judge set that maybe only appeared on a single card of a single player. Oh, and then there are the Player's League teams in the Old Judge set as well. Somewhat similar to the Federal League that was only around as a minor league in 1913, and then as a third major league in 1914 and 1915. Some of those Federal League teams made it onto Cracker Jack cards. The Player's League was formed in late 1889, and played only a single season in 1890, which was also the last year OJ cards were distributed before Goodwin & Co. was taken over during the year and became part of the ATC. Those are some of the more well-known rare team cards out there that immediately come to mind. And finding one for sale, let alone then being able to afford to buy it, may be virtually impossible.

It is also very likely there are some extremely obscure and rare minor league card sets out there that included teams only around for a very short period of time, where maybe only a card or two of a particular team still exists. But those instances can be so rare and obscure, they may not even be known yet to the hobby today, and simply still sitting in a box or scrapbook in someone's basement or attic. Or they could otherwise be buried in some private collection. So even if you found what you think is the answer today, it could change tomorrow.

So, outside some really obscure minor league team(s), I'd nominate some of those OJ cards I previously mentioned.