Personal Pre-War Set and Collector Survey

[BobC]

Seem to remember something like this being asked here on the forum maybe 10-15 years ago about pre-war collector's interests, and what they had collected. Thought it could be interesting to update and see where some of those pre-war collectors are today, and allow those that have more recently been bitten by the pre-war bug or since joined the Net54 family to now sound off. This is especially for those that are more into set collecting than just the HOFers and major stars, or certain teams or players. Seems like most interest of late is directed at the record prices being paid for individual cards of major stars/HOFers being picked up in their highest graded conditions possible, and their seemingly ever increasing values. Most pre-war set collectors can't always go all out for those higher graded HOFer/star cards and items if they want a good chance to also be able to actually complete sets they are working on. And not just limiting this to cards alone, so those with pre-war sets of pins, buttons, cabinets, silks, postcards, pennants, and so on, feel free to chime in as well. So here are the 5 pre-war survey questions:

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

I guess I'll start it off.

1. Almost 30 years.

2. 10,000+

3. 10,000+ (Don't really sell anything.)

4. Complete set of 1911 S74-2 colored silk proofs of the 4 different players for which proofs are known to exist; unpunched Detroit team sheet of the 1921-30 Major League Die-Cuts (includes Cobb); 1910-11 Helmar backed Cobb S74-1 white silk; 1916 Ferguson Bakery/BF2 felt pennant of Joe Jackson; 1910-11 Turkey Red backed Tony Smith-Rustlers S74-1 white silk.

5. Complete/Near-Complete Sets
1880's Merchant's Gargling Oil Series (H804-7)
1886-89 Old Judge - Basic Set of Different Players (N172) - About 52% (273 Different Players)
1887 W.S. Kimball Champions - Baseball Players (N184)
1888 Allen & Ginter World's Champions (N28) - 60% (Missing 4)
1905-09 Gold Embossed Postcards (PC792)
1907 Dietsche Detroit Tigers Postcards Series 1 (PC765-1) - 81% (Missing 3)
1909 Boston Herald Sunday News Supplements - 75% (Missing 6)
1909 Philadelphia Caramel (E95)
1909 "Set of 25" (E102)
1909-13 Sporting News Supplements (M101-2) - 99% (Missing 1)
1909-12 Sweet Caporal Domino Discs (PX7)- About 70% (Missing 39)
1910 Standard Caramel (E93) - 83% (Missing 5)
1910 Philadelphia Caramel (E96) - 87% (Missing 4)
1910 Williams Caramels (E103)- About 54% (Missing 14)
1910-11 White Version Silks-Backed (S74-1) - 96% (Missing 3)
1910-11 White Version Silks-Unbacked (S74-1) - 95% (Missing 4)
1911 Colored Version Silks (S74-2)
1911 Gold Borders (T205) - Missing 4 (2 Players - 2 Variations)
1911 Mecca Double Folders (T201) - About 75% (Missing 14)
1913 Fatima Team Cards (T200) - Missing 3
1913 Tom Barker Game (WG3) - Missing 3???
1913 National Game (WG5) - Missing 3
1914 Polo Grounds Game (WG4)
1916 Felix Mendelsohn/Ferguson Bakery Felt Pennants (BF2) - About 72% (Missing 27)
1920s W-UNC Playing Strip Cards - 75% (Missing 1)
1921 Oxford Confectionery (E253) - Missing 1
1921 Strip Cards (W551)
1923 German Baseball Transfers - About 75% (Missing 3)
1926 Strip Cards (W512) - 60% (Missing 4 Players - Not Including 6 Variations)
1927 Rinkydink Stamps
1927 Strip Cards (W560) - Missing 1 (Now questioned as being a 1929 or 1930 issue)
1928 Strip Cards (W565) - 75% (Missing 1)
1928 Yeungling's Ice Cream (F50) - Missing 2
1933 Eclipse Import (R337)
1933 Rittenhouse Candy (E285) - Missing 2 (Lloyd Warner & Paul Waner disputed existence so really only missing 0)
1934 Butterfinger (R310) - Missing 2
1934 Diamond Matchbooks-Silver Border - About 84% (Missing 32) (Wes Ferrell existence disputed so really only missing 31)
1934 Ward's Sporties Pins - Missing 2
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318)
1934-36 Diamond Stars (R327) - Missing 7
1935 Goudey 4-In-1 (R321)
1935 Schutter-Johnson (R332) - About 60% (Missing 20)
1935-36 Diamond Matchbooks - About 54% (Missing 70)
1936 Diamond Matchbooks-Team On Back
1936 Diamond Matchbooks-Chicago Cubs
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums - Type 1
1936 Goudey (R322)
1936 National Chicle Fine Pens (R313) - Missing 2
1936 National Chicle Rabbit Maranville "How To" Pamphlets
1936 (R312) - About 80% (Missing 10)
1936 S&S Game
1937 Dixie Lids - Baseball Players
1937 Dixie Lid Premiums - Baseball Players
1937 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums - Type 4 - About 55% (Missing 16)
1937 Goudey Thum Movies - Missing 1
1937 O-Pee-Chee - Missing 3
1938 Dixie Lids - Baseball Players
1938 Dixie Lids Premiums - Baseball Players
1938 Goudey Heads Up "Big Heads" (R323) - Missing 5
1938 Goudey Big League Baseball Movies - Missing 3
1938 Our National Game Pins W/Backing
1939 Goudey Premiums (R303-B)
1941 Double Play (R330)
1941 Play Ball (R336) - About 75% (Missing 21)