Babe Ruth $$$

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by yanksfan09

Agreed, not playing days and pretty plentiful. A classic looking card for sure but I’ll take playing days everyday!

The 26 exhibit is a low pop card. The same image is used in other exhibit year cards but the 26 one is tough so that may be why. But still was a strong price on the exhibit!

I consigned the e121-120, was happy with result. I recently upgraded my bird one to a grade 3

I suppose what I meant was I was surprised by the high price on the exhibit in light of the fact it is a duplicate pose and not a very flattering one… seems that population reports and valuations are finally catching up on more obscure issues.

Yeah the 48 Ruth still boggles my mind a little bit… The psychology of collecting it’s certainly interesting! I never would have guessed that Sanela ruths would be worth as much as they are now? And then we’ve got the tharp/Harrington like issues where are the prices escalated partially due to the old Red Sox pitching pose over 10 years old at that point. But I think now rarity has justified the values.

International issues are interesting as some have become popular and valuable whereas others have not? Also issues like fro joy… which are super scarce and relatively easily discerned from fake if you put in the time to learn?

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I suppose what I meant was I was surprised by the high price on the exhibit in light of the fact it is a duplicate pose and not a very flattering one… seems that population reports and valuations are finally catching up on more obscure issues.

Yeah the 48 Ruth still boggles my mind a little bit… The psychology of collecting it’s certainly interesting! I never would have guessed that Sanela ruths would be worth as much as they are now? And then we’ve got the tharp/Harrington like issues where are the prices escalated partially due to the old Red Sox pitching pose over 10 years old at that point. But I think now rarity has justified the values.

International issues are interesting as some have become popular and valuable whereas others have not? Also issues like fro joy… which are super scarce and relatively easily discerned from fake if you put in the time to learn?

I agree that playing day cards are the place to be. As someone who is trying to track down a 48 Leaf though I’ll try to justify and talk myself into the high prices I’m seeing by saying that the Leaf set is loved (and hated) by many and it’s a key and necessary card for that reason alone. But I think a big driver even with Ruth - and not just Leaf - fans is the fact that the portrait is really nice. It has a somber element and Ruth died in 48 so it’s sort of a tribute card.

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I suppose what I meant was I was surprised by the high price on the exhibit in light of the fact it is a duplicate pose and not a very flattering one… seems that population reports and valuations are finally catching up on more obscure issues.

Yeah the 48 Ruth still boggles my mind a little bit… The psychology of collecting it’s certainly interesting! I never would have guessed that Sanela ruths would be worth as much as they are now? And then we’ve got the tharp/Harrington like issues where are the prices escalated partially due to the old Red Sox pitching pose over 10 years old at that point. But I think now rarity has justified the values.

International issues are interesting as some have become popular and valuable whereas others have not? Also issues like fro joy… which are super scarce and relatively easily discerned from fake if you put in the time to learn?

Yea, I too was surprised by the exhibits price a bit, but I think the scarcity of the year is getting the recognition a bit more it seems.

It's funny you mention Sanella, I can't believe how much some of the high grade ones pull now! I think at one point I had 5 or 6 Sanellas. I now have one Sanella, raw, in the book and have 2 ASTRA variations which seem incredibly overlooked in comparison to Sanella. I bought a raw ASTRA that I got graded a PSA1 (hammered due to waviness but looks great) and I picked up an SGC 7 ASTRA , which i think I got at a great price. I forget graded pop ratio but I think it may be somewhere around 30-50X , maybe more?, Sanella (all variations combined) vs the ASTRA, and price has not caught up at all! I think Sanella is a great entry Ruth card and maybe many are just not familiar with the ASTRA back.

Yea, the prices on Tharps/Harringtons have been much stronger recently. Partially due to pose I guess but also the 20's black and white issues maybe getting more love.

[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.