E107 Breisch Williams - As Complete a Set as exists

[Yoda]

In these times to assemble such an incredible grouping of these very special. They represent the bridge to 20th cards and now that you actually own them is astounding. You realize that henceforth, Ryan, you are now the Godfather of E107's forever. Hyper congrats.
When I saw the Matty card, I cringed, for at one time I held one and, as i recall, it was a nice specimen. Kevin S. might remember it.

[h2oya311]

Amazing collection there, sir! Fantastic acquisition!

I feel like there was a huge collection of E107s that sold not too long ago at one of the big-boy auction houses. Was that collection the same one that Ryan just acquired, or separate?

Anyway, it will be fun to see if you can continue upgrading this collection (or to find the one missing card) to make it even more amazing than it already is!

[sb1]

Chris Sullivan's near set was broken up about a decade ago by Mastro/Legendary.

[Rhotchkiss]

Guys, I think its clear in my opening post, but to restate/clarify: I did NOT assemble this set. Instead, I acquired it from a single collector, who had assembled some of it. The bulk of the set comes from a legacy portfolio that initially came from a scrap book. The person I bought it from added to that legacy portfolio to create the the collection I posted.

I do not plan on upgrading the set, aside from the occasional HOFer or if I find a better version of a real beater. That said, I already own better quality examples of Young, Plank, Keeler, Waddell and Lajoie Type II and I will be substituting these better examples for the ones in the current set.

As a member pointed out to me, the set you see has 5 "extras", including Plank. I do not know why these extras remain but I believe they are undergrades to their better counterparts. I have no direct access to the immediate seller/former owner, so I cannot ask.

The person from whom I acquired the set is a long-time, and very accomplished and knowledgeable collector. It is my understanding that he believes this set is complete, except the Seybold Type II, which I understand he has never seen and does not know to exist, although (as Kevin mentioned) he believes it could/does exist. I have spoken with numerous people who have much more knowledge about the set than I, and none of them have ever seen a Seybold Type II; yet the general consensus is one likely exits because it keeps ending up in various checklists. ALSO, SGC shows a Whitey Alperman on its pop report, but nobody I have spoken with believes that exists, especially considering that Whitey's first season was in 1906.

I am hardly the godfather of E107. In fact, I know relatively little about the set other than what I shared. There are many here who know a ton more than me in their little finger! I love that this set has so many rookies, that the T206 portraits derived here, that the cards are so damn rare, and that it is the only set spanning 1986-1908. I also love that it is the only known "complete set" out there. Its a super important set and I could not pass on the chance to own it AND to ensure (at least for now) that it stays intact and is not broken up card by card.

[Leon]

Congrats Ryan and thanks for sharing ..
.

[sb1]

Ryan,

The dupes are font/text variations. Most of those shown are minor, others in the set are much more pronounced. Compare the spacing of the Player/Position/Team. These font changes were almost certainly made when the team changes were made in 1904.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Leon

Congrats Ryan and thanks for sharing ..
.

+1 agreed

[ejharrington]

E107 is my favorite set ever. Congratulations!

[phlflyer1]

Ryan,

Congrats on the pickup and thanks so much for sharing the images with the board... so many of which I've never seen before!

[yanksfan09]

Incredible set! Glad it will be staying intact, amazing carboard history right there!

[glchen]

Wow. amazing collection! As others have said, I’ve never seen so many e107s at one time. Congratulations, Ryan.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Time to open your own museum. Super cool

[Tao_Moko]

One of a kind. The Young is my favorite card of all time.

[BobC]

Ryan, That is fantastic! Great acquisition.

[Cmvorce]

I can't even believe what i'm looking at. incredible.

[Shankweather]

I can't believe this even exists! I've been looking for Chance and Taylor to add to my Cubs collection for years.

[h2oya311]

Any additional "variations" other than text type, like blank back vs. "Set of 150" backs? Maybe you can go crazy and try to get all the variations (text font, back variations, etc). But if not, just enjoy what you have! What a fantastic set!

[BeanTown]

Congrats Ryan and very impressive. Great Eye candy for 2022.

[Yoda]

Ryan, what I meant was kudos to the collector who assembled them and kudos to you for acquiring them. Now that you own the set, less one, makes you, at least for now, the Godfather of E107's. What a wonderful start to the year, and I can't see anyone on the board topping your accomplishment.

[mouschi]

Goodness gracious! This is amazing. Congratulations! It is so neat being able to see these all together like this.

[Troy Kirk]

Amazing to see them all together like this. Congratulations on getting them, Ryan! In the late 1980s or early 1990s, I saw an ad from Lew Lipset in one of the hobby magazines with a large group of E107s for sale. I pored over the Baseball Encyclopedia to figure out who the best Detroit player was from that group and bought that card. I've often wished that I would have bought all the Detroit players for sale or at least a few more, but at least I got one of them. I think they were priced at $30 each or maybe $60, I can't remember well anymore. I once asked Lionel Carter what his thoughts were on E107 and he told me he never heard of the set.

[vintagechris]

Whoa! Amazing. Congrats!

[jakebeckleyoldeagleeye]

Good old Eagle Eye. That's the one Beckley I don't have and am quite sure never will.

[rjackson44]

Pretty

[Tim Kindler]

Ryan,
Thanks so much for taking the time to show these to us!!!! Just simply amazing! Love how clean the fronts of the collection are!!!

Especially love the Chic Stahl! One of only a few issues with his image on them. I visit his grave site here in Fort Wayne once and awhile and wonder why he might have done what he is believed to have done to himself to end his life and career...tragic story!

As a few others have stated, this collection is museum worthy!

Tim Kindler

[sulldux]

Chris Sullivan here. Congratulations Ryan on a tremendous acquisition. It's one of the truly historic sets in our hobby and I hope you'll enjoy it for a long time. If I'm correct the prior owner won the (core) set in July/96 in a Mastro auction. If so I was the underbidder. At the time I was living with my family in Switzerland on business and I had about 30-50 cards at the time and I made a run for this set. At some point I was leading in the bidding because at about 4 AM I received a couple of phone calls from Bill Mastro asking who I was and who did I know in the hobby and on and on, but all through the calls implying that I damn well better pay for the set if I won it!! Haha. I wished then and I wish now that I had won it. I think it went in the mid 30's. After I lost I continued to accumulate them through the years. I got to a complete player set missing about 6 team variations before I sold them in 2012-13. Once again congrats and enjoy. They are the Faberge Eggs of our hobby

[chaddurbin]

beautiful stuff! what dreams are made of.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by sulldux

Chris Sullivan here. Congratulations Ryan on a tremendous acquisition. It's one of the truly historic sets in our hobby and I hope you'll enjoy it for a long time. If I'm correct the prior owner won the (core) set in July/96 in a Mastro auction. If so I was the underbidder. At the time I was living with my family in Switzerland on business and I had about 30-50 cards at the time and I made a run for this set. At some point I was leading in the bidding because at about 4 AM I received a couple of phone calls from Bill Mastro asking who I was and who did I know in the hobby and on and on, but all through the calls implying that I damn well better pay for the set if I won it!! Haha. I wished then and I wish now that I had won it. I think it went in the mid 30's. After I lost I continued to accumulate them through the years. I got to a complete player set missing about 6 team variations before I sold them in 2012-13. Once again congrats and enjoy. They are the Faberge Eggs of our hobby

Hi Chris! Very nice to meet you and thanks for posting. I have read all about your amazing E107 collection -- the completeness and quality. I am not sure, but I expect this is the same set you are referring to in your post. I am super psyched to own this set (I agree its special) and to know that it will remain complete. Thanks again for the post and saying hi.

EDITED -- I reviewed a note from the previous owner that states the set was purchased from the estate of the late Bill Haber, who was an employee of Topps for many years and an early card-collecting pioneer. Among other things, Here is what I was able to find on Bill online:

"Bill Haber was a Topps employee for quite some time and wrote a lot of what appeared on the backs of baseball cards. He was responsible for bringing many Topps test and proof issues into the market as he was an early dealer; he spun some tall tales about the origins of these sets in certain cases, thereby obfuscating the real story but giving us raison d'etre here at the ol' Topps Archives."

[shagrotn77]

Wowzers! My eyes were immediately drawn to the Bender. What a beauty! And 2 Planks? Who has 2 Planks from this set? Just incredible. Thanks for sharing.

[spec]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

EDITED -- I reviewed a note from the previous owner that states the set was purchased from the estate of the late Bill Haber, who was an employee of Topps for many years and an early card-collecting pioneer. Among other things, Here is what I was able to find on Bill online:

"Bill Haber was a Topps employee for quite some time and wrote a lot of what appeared on the backs of baseball cards. He was responsible for bringing many Topps test and proof issues into the market as he was an early dealer; he spun some tall tales about the origins of these sets in certain cases, thereby obfuscating the real story but giving us raison d'etre here at the ol' Topps Archives."

Congratulations, Ryan! Your E107 acquisition admits you to a rather exclusive fraternity, one that includes some of the most dedicated collectors in the hobby's history (Chris Sullivan, Lew Lipset, Scott Brockelman, the late Don McPherson among others, plus at least three people currently working on the set).
If, indeed, Bill Haber's E107s form the nucleus, your set has an incredible pedigree. As I recall, Bill told me he acquired the bulk of his E107s from a pioneer collector whose name I can no longer remember. And, it was my understanding that another hobby legend purchased the set after Haber's premature passing.
Bill Haber was much more than a Topps employee and baseball card collector. He was a founding member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a peerless biographical researcher. Without Ancestry or the Internet he tracked down birth and death data for dozens of early ballplayers, filling blanks in the MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia (an earlier generation's Baseball Reference). He focused his card collection on E107, Colgan's Chips (E254 and E270), T210 and T209 because many of the players he "found" or was pursuing were included in those sets.
So, know that your E107 set has long been treasured. Please treat it accordingly.
B0b Rich@rds0n

[Sean]

Originally Posted by spec

Congratulations, Ryan! Your E107 acquisition admits you to a rather exclusive fraternity, one that includes some of the most dedicated collectors in the hobby's history (Chris Sullivan, Lew Lipset, Scott Brockelman, the late Don McPherson among others, plus at least three people currently working on the set).
If, indeed, Bill Haber's E107s form the nucleus, your set has an incredible pedigree. As I recall, Bill told me he acquired the bulk of his E107s from a pioneer collector whose name I can no longer remember. And, it was my understanding that another hobby legend purchased the set after Haber's premature passing.
Bill Haber was much more than a Topps employee and baseball card collector. He was a founding member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a peerless biographical researcher. Without Ancestry or the Internet he tracked down birth and death data for dozens of early ballplayers, filling blanks in the MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia (an earlier generation's Baseball Reference). He focused his card collection on E107, Colgan's Chips (E254 and E270), T210 and T209 because many of the players he "found" or was pursuing were included in those sets.
So, know that your E107 set has long been treasured. Please treat it accordingly.
B0b Rich@rds0n

Great background on the set.

[alaskapaul3]

Jaw-dropping collection! Congratulations!

Paul

[Dead-Ball-Hitter]

Ryan, to possess this set you obviously have a measure of affluence, yet the humility and honesty you reveal in your responses is refreshing!

Like so many, I'm grateful for your sharing pictures of these items. I admit I've never seen more than 20 or so of these cards pictured. Thanks for including this community, folks who obviously share your passion for early baseball cards. Nice to drift away in thoughts of simpler times and players with unique personalities; a welcome break from the ubiquitous talk about the pandemic! Very glad I finally joined this forum!

Best, Joe

[Carter08]

This set is no joke. Glad I learned something today. Now how can I bill this time though?

[joejo20]

I love that clean looking Criger! I guess those other HOF guys are pretty nice too Thanks for sharing your collection with us. Joe

[terjung]

Just catching up to this...

Ryan,
Congratulations! That is an amazing set! I'm thrilled for you! I too have never seen a Type 2 Seybold and must admit that yours is the first Type 2 Doyle I've ever seen. The more you study this set, the more nuances you learn about. It is a fantastic set and I've never seen one complete before this. Congrats again!

[brianp-beme]

I went through the images of the cards again and counted 73 player photos that I did not remember having seen before, including a few of the Hall of Famers, because these cards just don't make an appearance often.

E107 cards have a certain allure due to their scarcity, but as a collector I have always wished they were more commonplace, say along the scarcity lines of cards from the T207 set.

Thanks again Ryan for posting these incredible cards.

Brian

[Mutton Chop Yaz]

Truly fantastic. Congratulations, and thank you for posting these images.

[scmavl]

Just unreal. Thank you for sharing this.

[trambo]

Great set, Ryan! Awesome to see! Congrats!

[ElCabron]

Really love these. Thanks for posting, and congrats! Did these come from Richard? If not, is this more complete than his? The thing I love about these is that they are so rare, only a handful of people can even attempt to complete a set. I'm sure some people on this board like me realize what an accomplishment it is to amass a grouping like you have. But the majority of the hobby has no idea how impressive this is. Thanks for sharing with us!

[Rhotchkiss]

It did not come from Richard. Sincere thanks or the kind words

Meanwhile, I have decided to upgrade the Young, Plank, Keeler, Waddell and Lajoie Type II with better-looking examples that I already own. Other than the Young, these, together with my E107 Wagner (which is now an extra) have been consigned to Heritage.

The E107 Wagner will be in Heritage's Platinum Auction and the balance will be in the March Auction

Thanks for all the positive feedback!!! I am really overwhelmed by the reception the set is getting. I think its deserved, but its great to see the Board feels that way too.

[soxinseven]

Amazing set Ryan! Incredible to actually see them all together. I enjoyed reading the comments from Scott and Chris as I remember when they were both putting the set together. Congrats!

[atx840]

What a set, amazing Ryan.

[oldjudge]

Congratulations Ryan! Now that you have knocked off T206 and E107 you should start on their grandpappy--N172. That might prove a little tougher.

[Rhotchkiss]

Thanks Chris and Jay.

Jay, I am not that nuts! N172, T210, and W600 are three sets I won’t even ever attempt. Plus, truth be told, aside from smaller sets like D304, I don’t have the patience to assemble anything. Rather, I cheat and try get a complete set or near complete set and fill in the blanks. Back runs are about the limit if the pains I will go to in assemblage

[oldjudge]

I did T210 once, but I started off with a big group from Scott. I almost got T211 but ended up one card short and got to within a few cards on T209. You could probably buy a big group of Old Judges (450+) but you could never fill in the missing cards unless there is a big find.

[alywa]

My goodness... So happy this thread popped back up. What an amazing thing, incredible to see.

[michael3322]

Absolutely incredible set.

Is there a library for museum that would be interested in borrowing them for an exhibit? One almost feels like they are worthy of such attention, spaced out as individual cards, with a brief bio of each of the players.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Thanks Chris and Jay.

Jay, I am not that nuts! N172, T210, and W600 are three sets I won’t even ever attempt. Plus, truth be told, aside from smaller sets like D304, I don’t have the patience to assemble anything. Rather, I cheat and try get a complete set or near complete set and fill in the blanks. Back runs are about the limit if the pains I will go to in assemblage

You always liked a challenge Ryan. Select 1 of those three and go for it and share your adventure with us