T9 Boxers

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Posted By: warshawlaw

In terms of pricing on this set, there are three factors: ethnicity, popularity and scarcity. Johnson is the key to the set both for popularity and ethnicity reasons. From there down the valuation is murkier. I'd say that the popularity and ethnicity issues create a run like this:

Top Tier: Johnson
Next Tier: Jeffries, Attell, Ketchel, Langford, Jeannette
Next Tier: HOFers and Jewish fighters (Cross, Willie Lewis, Harry Lewis)
Final Tier: everyone else

Unfortunately, collectors do not place the same weight on HOF status in boxing as they do in baseball, so that is not a major factor in analysis.

In terms of scarcity, because these cards were ordered, the "worst" boxers are the rarest cards. Marto is tough, but no tougher than some other fighters. Over the last 18 months I have records of the following number of transactions per card (excluding full set or near set sales):

5: Jeffries, Jack Sullivan, Ketchel, Mellody
4: Johnson
3: Langford, O'Brien, Nelson, Wolgast
2: Driscoll, McFarland, Gardner
1: Attell, Murphy, Moran, Marto, Brown, Hurley, Willie Lewis, Kaufman
0: Harry Lewis, Papke, Jeannette, Cross, McGovern

From a pricing perspective, adjusted for condition, I'd weight Johnson twice as highly as the next tier (lousy cards of his are pulling over $200 each). Everyone else is spotty in lower grades; they all pull big bucks in higher grades.