Colgan's on an upswing as well? Question for collectors.

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Posted By: John S

I am sure some of you were tracking/bidding on the group of 40 or so E254's that ended last evening. Over the past couple years I had been pleased that Colgan's prices were seemingly unaffected by the surge observed in many other issues. The prices last night were strong for the most part. The Young ended at almost $600. It was the best example that I have ever seen. For some reason most of the Youngs that I have seen/handled are beaters (including my own).

The PSA holders may have affected the prices a bit; but personally I think PSA's presentation of Colgan's is outright unattractive and lazy; they make holders for P2's...why not Colgan's?

My question/request is when will a comprehensive article discussing the variations, rarities, etc. be written? I could contribute some information, but I have only been after the set for about a dozen years. Maybe there is not enough interest in this issue overall to warrant a detailed explanation of the set. I know that many guard their information to protect a hobby niche, but it seems that Colgan's are popular enough to justify a collective effort regarding the nuances of the set.

Just the ramblings of a Colgan's collector; feel free to chime in.

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

Hi John

I was tracking them too. I thought pricing across the board was pretty strong as well. I got two of the PSA 5s in the twenty five dollar range, which was a bargain (I think).

I agree with you 100% on PSA's holders. Since I am a slabhead (not that there is anything wrong with that!), I get everything graded by SGC. So far SGC has managed to get most of the cards centered fairly well, although my last one that I got graded was rotated to the 3 o'clock position (which was disappointing because it came back an 88).

It would be nice if someone would put an Old Cardboard article together on Colgans. Some of the cards, like Bill Bailey, seem fairly common, but that just might be a random fluctuation.

I have only been chasing Colgans for about 6 months, so I don't have much expertise on the set. I am wondering if most people only go for teams, because the set is pretty big.

Jeff

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

a large Colgan's collection, I can guarantee that if they are not CURRENTLY on the upswing, they will be!

Great set and there are cards that are way easier to obtain than others obviously. Most of the team updates are very difficult to obtain. Look at Larry Fritsch's catalog and you'll see the cards that are difficult to obtain. Just don't buy any from him because they're even more undergraded than the normal cards are.......

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Posted By: John S

Tom,

That has been my experience with Larry as well. I do buy Colgan's from him but only in EX or above. No one else has an inventory that even compares to his list.

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Posted By: Steve f

I've been indifferent to this set until I held one. Now, they're one of my favs and now own two -beaters of course. The photos appear to be clearer/higher resolution than other prewar cards.

As a collector mentioned in the other thread, perhaps it's a new fondness for B&W's and real photos within the hobby, "Yet racial harmony eludes us."

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

I was the underbidder on the two or three that went the highest. There wasn't that much activity, only about 3-5 bidders on many, and only a couple of us bidding past the "book" value. Louchios won the 8s, because he always wins. It is the PSA registry--if it slabs high, it's his, and I have no problem running him up every time because he is a money machine with unlimited funds. As long as he gets to see that plastic red, white and black "8", then mission accomplished.

You are right about PSA's presentation. At least these Colgans were actually in a narrower holder than what you often find. Generally they are left to free fall within a holder designed for the modern stuff, and they rotate and spin around to see just how ugly they can look. Not only that, but PSA has no real handle on how to grade these. I will grant you that the 8s were nice--this time--but there were a couple of sevens with minor staining or discoloration. Many times the PSA 5s, of which I won 3, are as nice looking as the 7s. PSA has let miscuts slide, is inconsistent on rim wear, and pays little to no attention to centering, which is OK by me as far as the back goes, but the fronts can be noticeably off kilter.

This is one set that I truly enjoy collecting raw, mostly because there is virtually no chance of trimming or altering the cards, they are not that high dollar anyway, and the grading companies have not designed an attractive holder--apparently, the cards are too thin. In my view the cards have just as much chance of being damaged in the slabs as they do out, so the PSAs I won will be cracked out and enjoyed in good old top loaders.

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Posted By: E, Daniel

I took the Cy Young last night, and was super pleased to do so!

Though I paid strongly, it was less than 50% of the price it would take to find another issue Cy Young with that kind of eye appeal. It goes into the looong term collection as my Cy example, and as such I chose not to bid perceived value - but value to me to have the card I wanted safely tucked away to be enjoyed for years to come. Perhaps the first time I haven't cared at all about an issue's 'book' value.

And yes, the holder is ugly as all get out, but the SGC version will do nicely!


Daniel

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

card. I had the Red Border version in the lot I just sold. Young is not a common Colgan's...........

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Posted By: John S

Nice pickup Daniel. As I stated before of the 10 or so Youngs that I have seen that one is by far the nicest example.