Baseball Hall of Fame Rookie Cards Discussion

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by Shankweather

I'm definitely aware my take won't jive with a lot of others, particularly serious pre-war collectors. Part of my mission is to make pre-war collecting more palatable for modern collectors, with whom I interact a lot. And telling my fellow Cubs collectors that there are only half a dozen Frank Chance rookie cards in the world doesn't help.

I understand that you are trying to make it easier or more straightforward for modern collectors, but I do not think that many will consider Chance's 1909 T206 as being his rookie card. It was issued after he had already played 11 seasons in the Majors and was at the end of his career.

I know that you do not consider Chance's 1899 M101-1 Sporting News as being a card, but what about this W600 Sporting Life?

[Shankweather]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

I know that you do not consider Chance's 1899 M101-1 Sporting News as being a card, but what about this W600 Sporting Life?

I don't, but I would love to own one. The only thing bigger than a T201 Mecca I would consider a baseball card is an Exhibit. I make an exception for those because of the unique, random way they were distributed. If there were a bunch of players you could only find in W600 that would be one thing, but all those guys have actual baseball cards. A 5x7 you get in the mail goes against the spirit of what a baseball card is. Opening up a pack of cards (or cigarettes or gum or a box of Cracker Jack) and pulling a card out is a fundamental part of it.

EDIT: Also, because of the long production period for W600 (1902-1911), it's hard to know when a player's card was produced, although I'm sure there are ways to tell. When did Chance's W600 come out?

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by Shankweather

EDIT: Also, because of the long production period for W600 (1902-1911), it's hard to know when a player's card was produced, although I'm sure there are ways to tell. When did Chance's W600 come out?

The W600 of Chance that I posted came out in October of 1902.

[Shankweather]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

The W600 of Chance that I posted came out in October of 1902.

Thanks. I thought he looked pretty young in the photo.