Home PSA Set Registry Forum

Vintage Boxing Questions

I want to start a vintage boxing set on the PSA set registry and was leaning towards the 1948 Leaf set or the 1951 Topps Ringside set. I wanted to know if anyone had any insight or tips on these sets. Also, if anyone has any for sale in the PSA 7-8 range I would be interested or any info where I could find some. Thanks.
Collecting Vintage Boxing Cards

Comments

  • imho, the leaf cards are way too expensive and not very good eye appeal. the topps ringside set is nice, but my personal favorite is the T218 Mecca/Hassan series (1909 i believe). beautiful cards. a few examples can be found here and here.
  • VirtualizardVirtualizard Posts: 1,936 ✭✭
    Will,

    Thanks for those links. I know nothing about boxing cards and really don't have any interest in them. I don't even know what made me click on your links, but man, those are some beautiful cards. Even the first one, the seller is upfront about the rounded corners, creases, and wrinkle, but the presentation is great. The prices are extremely low right now. Do they end up selling for a lot, or are they fairly easy to come by? I might start a new set. Those cards are awesome, especially for being 90+ years old. I'd be interested in doing the set in PSA 2 or 3 even if they present that well.

    Thanks again Will.

    JEB.
  • JEB-

    these cards (in comparison to other sports) are dirt cheap......psa graded examples of stars like jack johnson and james jeffries go for around $60-$100. i have a few of these, and the scans do not do them justice. the artwork is absolutely stunning. the entire T218 series is interesting- they feature a lot of billiards players, swimmers, and rowers. i believe the set is around 100 or so cards, and the last time i saw a set sell (a few years back) it went for around $600 in ex condition. i'll do a bit more research tonight and post when i find anything new. hope this helps.

    -Will
  • VirtualizardVirtualizard Posts: 1,936 ✭✭
    Thanks Will. That does help. I'd purchase a set of those beauties in EX condition for $600.

    I checked out the Set Registry and I can't find this set listed. I see the 1910 Mecca Boxing (T220) set. Is this set just not listed yet? I don't have any printed guide available to check these sets (I collect mainly baseball). Does anyone have any more info on this set? I'd be interested.

    Thanks again.

    JEB.
  • ken61ken61 Posts: 55 ✭✭
    I collect the 48 Leaf and 51 Ringside sets in PSA7/8. I've been working on both for about four years. I currently need two for my Leaf set (excluding the super rare Graziano) and about 25 for the Ringside set. Both sets are scarce but there are nice cards out there if you're patient. There are about 10 Ringsides I have never seen graded PSA7 or higher on ebay. As has been pointed out, high-grade examples can be bought for cheap money relative to baseball or football cards of that era.

    The cards themselves are great - some of my favorites in any sport!
  • GriffinsGriffins Posts: 6,076 ✭✭✭
    In my opinion the nicest boxing set is the T9 Turkey Reds. It has the great boxers of the day (Jeffries, Corbett, et al) and the aesthetics are without peer. Not a huge set either, but a bit pricey. Still not as expensive or nearly as large as the T3's. I think I read that PSA is going to be grading these soon, so the interest in them should pick up, especially since they will probably hit SMR once some graded examples get out there.
    I like the Leaf set for the same reason I like the Leaf baseball set of the same era- so ugly they're kinda cool- but with the Graziano being so rare and expensive it would be near impossible to finish the set.
    Adam Warshaw on the Net 54 board is an avid collector of boxing cards and memoribilia and very knowledgable, you might consider getting in contact with him for insight and sources.

    Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's

  • i did find a few more links of cards for sale here and here.

    i went and looked back through my old issues of Collectors Sportslook (still my favorite hobby magazine ever) and found some info from the march '94 issue- issued in 1910 by the American Tobacco Company (T-218), the set features 153 cards, 62 being prizefighters. a bevy of top names of the day are included- james jeffries, stanley ketchel, jack johnson, among others. despite the early popularity of boxing (many historians feel it was america's top spectator sport until the rise of babe ruth bought baseball to the forefront in the early 1920's), boxing cards never quite caught on. most boxing fans lean more toward the memorabilia side of the collectible spectrum- programs, fight posters autographs, etc. it goes on to say that putting together a set of the 63 boxers will set you back around $3000- ive seen sets sell for much less though.

    a good alternative might be to look around on ebay for a reprint set. ive seen them offered in the past for around $15. i will keep searching for info and post as i find it

    -Will
  • Hello!
    I have a bunch of these T218's, but I only collect the ones featuring Athletes (track and field). I have a few swimmers that I mean to trade off and I also know in addition to the sports mentioned earlier, there is one of a rollerskater. image
    I think I still have a link for a checklist for the set. I tried a few bookstores a while back and no one seems to have a priceguide with them in it. So I do not know the value. They are in the Pop report, but there is not a set rigistered, probably because there are so few graded.
    Here is the link. I found it!

    http://www.oldbaseball.com/checklists/t218.html

    I can answer any question anyone has about the athletes if you want. I love how they look like 33 Goudeys!

    Dave
    sellerman23
    1965 Topps
    1975 Topps
    1952 Topps
    HOF
    image
  • VirtualizardVirtualizard Posts: 1,936 ✭✭
    Well, I won the Jack Goodman card. I just want to see the artwork first hand. Then I may decide to go after the set in graded form.

    I checked the POP report for the T218 Champions set. Only 188 cards have been graded total. The 2 Jack Johnson cards account for 45 of those.

    Will and Dave,

    Thanks for all of the info.

    JEB.
  • qualitycardsqualitycards Posts: 2,811 ✭✭✭
    JEB - I have a T218 Champions graded card of BATTLING NELSON in Good PSA-2. I always thought that Battling was an appropriate nickname for a boxer, turns out its his real name, Oscar Battling Matthew Nelson according to the card back.
    The T218 set is a great set, and you do see them pop up now and then be it raw or graded. If your interested in this card, give me a yell Email Link - ...jay
  • JEB-

    any time.
  • VirtualizardVirtualizard Posts: 1,936 ✭✭
    Jay,

    Thanks. I sent you an email.

    JEB.
  • qualitycardsqualitycards Posts: 2,811 ✭✭✭
    JEB - I sent you the reply, looking foward to sending it out at no charge, since I want that big smile from youimage ...jay
Sign In or Register to comment.