Looking to start collecting a vintage baseball set - Any recommendations?
SpinFadeSplash23
Posts: 909 ✭✭✭
After finishing up my 1951 Ringside boxing set, I now want to focus on a vintage baseball set. The 1909-11 American Caramel looks intriguing. Can anyone share what vintage set they collect, what drives the passion and maybe some recommendations? I'd like to actually complete the set in my lifetime, so the smaller the better. The Ringside at 96 cards was a nice size.
Thanks, Joe
Joe
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
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I have been working on the 1933 Tattoo Orbit set for many years. Slowly accumulating nice graded cards. Many years ago it was almost impossible to find many examples graded higher than 6. But I think a few high end sets were broken up and some 7s and 8s have now been available. I am trying to build a set in 6 or better. Has a ton of hall of famers and it is only a 60 card set so very possible to complete and more reasonably priced than the 1933 Goudeys but not nearly as popular.
You could also look at the 1935 Goudey set. That is a small set.
The E 98 Caramel set is also small and with the Black Swamp find of a small hoard of high grade cards a few years back, there are always high grade cards out there in the auctions to purchase.
The 1909-11 American Caramel is a great set, but I think you would probably be building a low grade set as I don't think there are many mid to high grade cards out there, but I could be wrong.
So many great vintage sets it can be hard to choose.
Good luck with whatever you end up working on.
Really need more info to give a good recommendation. What's your budget, condition preference, how much of challenge do you want?, do prefer portraits or action shots, real photos or drawings, color/b&w, preference in decade, certain stars you want. If you haven't already done so, I highly suggest browsing through the listing on www.oldcardboard.com to get a feel for what is out there.
E90-1 (American Caramel) is a nice set but can get very pricey due to Joe Jackson and some short prints.
My general recommendations are:
1910's
E93 - 30 card set, loaded with HOFers Wagner, Plank, Cobb, Young, Mathewson. A low grade set in poor/fair with decent eye could be put together for under $5k.
E92 40+ card depending on backs, HOFers include Wagner, Mathewson. The basic Dockman set is pretty straight forward, but can get significantly more difficult/expensive by adding different backs or oddities.
E95/96 - similar to E93 as far as difficulty, but much less HOFers
1920's
1921 Exhibits 64 cards- Contains Ruth and a few other HOFers, doesn't fit everyone's personality as the cards are oversized. Other than Ruth, the cards are generally pretty affordable.
1930's
Diamond Stars - 106 cards, readily available, design really captures the time period. Missing Ruth/Gehrig which a big turnoff for some people, but also keeps the set affordable.
1935 Goudey - Basic set 36 cards with Ruth, if you want to increase the challenge you can go for a master set of 116 cards. Biggest drawback is each card features 4 players which can be a bit of turn off for some.
Sport Kings - multi-sport, but contains stars (Ruth, Cobb, Grange, Dempsey, etc).
Great points.
Budget - Not a primary concern to start. Can adjust as needed.
Condition - PSA 6 minimum.
Challenge - 2-4 year timeline to work on set. Don't need impossible, so we'll say 6-7 on scale of 10.
Photography - Color is a must. Prefer art vs. photographs.
Star Power - Looking for HOFers. Big names.
1910 E-93 looks awesome. 1915 Cracker Jack has some potential. Appreciate taking the time to make your recommendations. Researching them all now.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
Very true. Thank you and I am reading up on all the sets now.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
I am not a big BB guy, but I would vote for 1933 Goudey if you are looking for Prewar. I think it is a really good looking set and it is pretty iconic. I remember looking at pictures of the Ruth (the one with the yellow background) growing up and thinking how amazing it would be to own one. I think there is a lot of HOF star power in that set. For Post-War I would go with 1952 Topps. Might as well go for the big one if you are gonna do it.
And I know you wanted BB suggestions, but you know I am a basketball homer
. If you don't already have a set, I think you should do the 1961 Fleer BK set. That is a great set with enormous star power and only a 66 card checklist. With only 66 cards and your budget you can likely get a very high grade set together that would be great to look at and IMO anyway an excellent hold of value over time.
I was just looking at the 48 Bowman and 61 Fleer Basketball sets. The 33 Goudey is also a gorgeous set. Maybe I'll pick one baseball and one basketball set... decisions, decisions.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
I am biased but 1961 Fleer all day everyday between the 1948 Bowman and the 1961 Fleer. I know the Bowman is sort of like the first NBA set but 1961 is way cooler in my opinion. Outside of Mikan I think most folks would be hard pressed to name another player from that set. Part of the set is cards with plays drawn on them!!! No thanks, give me the 1961 set with Wilt, Elgin, Oscar and the Logo as the centerpiece HOF RC's, but with HOF RC's of guys like Sam Jones, KC Jones, Len Wilkens, Hal Greer among many others. Also "second year" cards of guys like Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. If I am spending your money, I would go with 1933 Goudey BB and 1961 Fleer.
The Lajoie in the 33 Goudey is tough. Quite the card. Learn something new everyday.
From PSA.com: This card, much like the T206 Honus Wagner, is one of the great rarities and it features one of the best players from the first half of the 20th Century. Napoleon Lajoie was a three-time batting champion, finishing with 3,242 total hits and a .338 average. He was also considered the best defensive second baseman of the era. The card, which has always been one of the true symbols of the hobby, was not included in the original 1933 Goudey set. Instead, in 1934, collectors had to acquire the card direct from the manufacturer in order to complete their set. The missing card was sent through the mail to the collectors who contacted the Goudey company. Many of the examples were mailed with a paper clip affixed to it, leaving impressions on the surface of the card. As a result, you will encounter some examples that exhibit spider wrinkles along the front or back of the card. That said, and considering the overall rarity of the card, there are some highgrade examples in the marketplace. This is best explained by the fact that the card was never subject to insertion into packs, avoiding some of the traditional handling.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
48 Leaf over 48 Bowman, especially if art over photography is one of your stated objectives.
Given your requirements I would adjust my recommendation as followss
E93/E95 - Both of these I think would still be possible within your time frame, especially if you are willing to cross SGC cards to PSA.
E92/96/1921 Exhibit - Highly doubt you would be able to put these sets together in 6+ as the cards just are not out there. If you went down to VG/EX, they would probably be doable.
Diamond Stars/Sport Kings/Goudey sets - all are doable in 6+.
Additional thoughts
1933 Goudey - Beautiful set and absolutely can be doable in 6+. I know you said budget is not an issue, but keep in mind there are 4 Ruth's and 2 Gehrigs + the Lajoie if you count it in the set. Due to the way it was distributed, the Lajoie in 6+ is not really any more difficult then finding a lower grade copy, just more expensive. The set is also a much larger than anything else suggested at 239 cards (240 with Lajoie).
1932 U.S. Caramel (R328)- 32 cards (forget the Lindstrom card as you won't get it), loaded with HOFers (Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig). high grade examples can be found. Also has a few boxers and golfers. Also if you want a companion set, there is also a set of U.S. Presidents with the same design.
1933 Delong - 27 cards highlighted by Gehrig, but missing Ruth. A bit harder in general than the others, but should still be doable in 6+
If I was choosing a set, I would either go with the E93 or 1932 U.S. Caramel (http://www.oldcardboard.com/r/r328/r328.asp?cardsetID=886) since both of them have very high % of HOF in the set.
First off let me say that I absolutely love vintage sets such as 1915 cracker jack, 1933 goudey, 1941 playball, 1932 us caramel, and 1933 Delong. If you are wanting to do a high grade set you are going to run into some serious problems with most of these. 1910 E93 is a great set but many of the hall of famers in a PSA 6 will set you back 5K+ each. 1915 cracker jack presents a real challenge with Cobb and Joe Jackson really costing a lot in PSA 6 as they will set you back over 20K each. 1941 playball is very realistic in the grade you are searching for as the Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio cards won't be as hard to track down or nearly as expensive as some of these others. 1932 us caramel is one of my favorite sets and the checklist is extraordinary. 1933 delong is another set that is small enough and the Gehrig will be the biggest obstacle. 1933 Goudey would be a monster as the 4 Ruth cards and the Lajoie would set you back over 100K. Let us know what you decide so we can enjoy the ride with you.
I disagree with this statement in today's market. If you had made the same statement 10 years ago I would have agreed 100%, but today there are only 4 out of the 18 HOFers that should come close to $5k in PSA 6 and they are pretty obvious; Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson and Young. Even then, the last Cobb I remember seeing sold for less than $4.5k in HA April sale. There is currently a Plank on Ebay for $2500 BIN. The rest of the HOFers should be in the $1-2k range. Obviously this is still a good chunk of change, but to put it in prospective you could probably put the entire set E93 set together for the cost of the Lajoie in the 1933 Goudey or the Cobb and Jackson in 1915 CJ.
I agree that the E93 set has come back down to earth during the last 10 years and your probably right about those 4 players you mentioned being the only ones that would be in that price range.