toughest vintage hockey set?
goodriddance189
Posts: 2,388 ✭✭
what, in your opinion, is the toughest vintage (pre 1980) hockey set to complete? please don't take in to account older sets with one extremely short printed "chase" card, such as the 1933 V129 (Harry Watson SP) or the 1924 V130 Maple Crispette (Sprague Cleghorn SP). these sets are usually considered complete without the chase card.
my Top 3-
1971 Bazooka: only seen a few of these cards in 10+ years of searching. top card is the Bobby Orr, booking at $2500
1952 Royal Desserts: again, only seen one card in my life. the Gordie Howe books at a robust $7500
1955 Parkhurst Quaker Oats: somewhat easy to find singles, but i've never seen a complete set offered. who knows if a full set even exists, in any grade.
my Top 3-
1971 Bazooka: only seen a few of these cards in 10+ years of searching. top card is the Bobby Orr, booking at $2500
1952 Royal Desserts: again, only seen one card in my life. the Gordie Howe books at a robust $7500
1955 Parkhurst Quaker Oats: somewhat easy to find singles, but i've never seen a complete set offered. who knows if a full set even exists, in any grade.
0
Comments
Great question that will probably have many different answers depending on where you live.
The 1971 bazooka set is truely a very difficult one to put together. Actually, I've never seen a whole set.
This set would also probably rank #1 in trying to put it together in high grade.
The 1955-56 quaker oats set would have to rank #2 in putting it together in high grade.
Mike Wentz told me that in over 20 years of buying these sets in Canada and across the country,
he has only ran into 3 sets. He also has only run into 3 cards that graded eight.
The pop reports show only 6 or so cards that have graded PSA 8.
There are many other "non-popular" sets that are very tough. O'Keefes has an impossible set
from the 30's I believe. The 1960's topps stamps insert set is very tough to find in high grade.
However, what Randy said is true in my opinion. There are probably quite a few nice ungraded
sets in Canada. The only problem is that it make take many, many years before they surface.
However, getting back to your topic, here is my list..........
1971 bazooka
1955 quaker oats
Anything pre-1951 is very hard for me to judge because the northeast did not
get an abundance of anything other than ice kings, and 1930-1940 opc.
So I can only have a decent opinion on cards from 1951-2004
marc
i wish the c56 set was offered more often.
pre 51 sets are hardly ever offered.
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
those Maple Leafs O'Keefes are the octagonal (or pentagonal, whatever the term is for 8 sided) cards right? i vaguely remember those, they're sweet looking.
btw i was referring more to sets that are difficult to put together in any grade, not just high grade. another "set" i would add is the first and even second series of Beehives. since you could choose which players you recieved, some of the lesser known players are damned near impossible to find. some on the original checklist are still unconfirmed to this day.
a few other sets id like to mention-
the 1967 General Mills set, which features an early Orr card. never ran across one. in fact, i think it was only recently catalogued
and the late 60's/early 70's Finnish and Swedish sets are impossible to find, at least in America. who knows about overseas
I expect the others mentioned are rarer, but of all the '30's stuff they are amongst the rarer in my experience. The '35-6 OPC set also seems pretty scarce compared to the '33-4 and '37-8 OPC sets.
edited to add a visual reference (I can only wish it were mine).
i can't find any 36 champion postcards, i only have a bill cook sgc 50.
i wanted to do a psa of 55-56 quaker oats green backs but i gave up.
i selling them now on the bay. i have a raw bernie geoffrion,
jean guy talbot, and a jacques plante rc that i guess i'm going to
send to psa before i sell. i hate to give up but i have to concentrate
my $ to complete my c56 set.
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
doesnt matter, id actually like it in lower grade so it doesnt cost a kings ransom
a really popular queen.
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
C57 is tougher than either C56 or C55's. It would be easiest to put together a C55 set.
From the 1920's Champ's cigarette cards are much tougher to come by than the V 145 series.
From the 30's the V129 set is the most difficult although Hamilton Chewing Gum is also pretty tough to find. I would rate the 35-36 OPC set the most difficult of the OPC sets.
I do not think the Quaker Oats set is that difficult to find in mid and low grades (minus the three cards of course).
ccm skates 8 1/2 X 11 pictures
1936 champion postcards
34-35 sweet caporals
these are tuff
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
Albie
<< <i>i can't find any ccm skates 8 1/2 X 11 pictures.
i can't find any 36 champion postcards, i only have a bill cook sgc 50.
i wanted to do a psa of 55-56 quaker oats green backs but i gave up.
i selling them now on the bay. i have a raw bernie geoffrion,
jean guy talbot, and a jacques plante rc that i guess i'm going to
send to psa before i sell. i hate to give up but i have to concentrate
my $ to complete my c56 set. >>
If you sell it, I will buy it.
There was a c57 set in 2002 on ebay. I emailed the guy after and he said he sold it off ebay for $5500.00 I felt like a chump for not going for it.
<< <i>OH GOD I WANT THAT PLANTE QUAKER BAD >>
Had to chuckle a little after reading your reply, goodrid.
Looked like you couldn't type that out & reply fast enough.
It takes a true collector to display such subdued, discreet enthusiasm!
<< <i>I really thought you were going to drop the $750 Gerry wanted for the one he just had up, Will. >>
eh i dont have $750 laying around. plus, he usually sells graded cards, which scared the hell out of me since this was raw.
so blah. the c56s have some life and some color to them.
but I've never been wrong
it seldom turns out the way
it does in the song
once in a while
you get shown the light
in the strangest of places
if you look at it right
Sat with you at the Set Registry luncheon last year in AC. (is your wife still the lead grader?) Ha Ha. I started pre-war just after the National. They are so intriguing to me. I agree the C57's are blah, but oh so tough to find.
Tom
<< <i>Hi Vinny,
Sat with you at the Set Registry luncheon last year in AC. (is your wife still the lead grader?) Ha Ha. I started pre-war just after the National. They are so intriguing to me. I agree the C57's are blah, but oh so tough to find.
Tom >>
I kind of like the cards. I like that you have an actual photo from way back then. It gives you a "real" feeling. Like the player is there with you. I like the c56/5 as well, for different reasons, but it is so rare to find a non colored in photo from before 1920. I almost have the complete set of c57 with a bunch of extras. I only have a few of them graded. I'm going to submit the rest to PSA soon. They will probably be mostly PSA 1's 2's and 3's. I just hope PSA grades all of them. Isn't it ironic that the least proced of the three imperial sets has the most cards. It's almost like they planned it to screw everyone else over 90 years later. A big HA HA from the grave.
I sat next to Vinny and his wife too.
I believe teemu and his brother were at our table.
How would I remember you ? For some reason I can not.
I remember Vinny and his wife, because we live 5 minutes
from each other and have dealt with each other in the past.
marc
Misread the thread.
Anyway, yzerman19c would have the best advice about your question.
Hopefully he will respond.
marc
<< <i>Newbie,
I sat next to Vinny and his wife too.
I believe teemu and his brother were at our table.
How would I remember you ? For some reason I can not.
I remember Vinny and his wife, because we live 5 minutes
from each other and have dealt with each other in the past.
marc >>
Sorry about that. i wasnt saying i was there. i had the other post quoted in my response. sorry
<< <i>will I find any c57's at all? I will buy every single one I see. >>
hey, is that your set on the registry? ive heard little about this set, and it must be a bear to put together if only one set is registered. also, do you (or anyone else on here, for that matter) have a scan of one of the cards? ive never seen one.
<< <i>
<< <i>will I find any c57's at all? I will buy every single one I see. >>
hey, is that your set on the registry? ive heard little about this set, and it must be a bear to put together if only one set is registered. also, do you (or anyone else on here, for that matter) have a scan of one of the cards? ive never seen one. >>
I'll see if I can figure out how to post a picture.
<< <i>thanks. i think you need a website to host the pics. i dont think they allow uploaded images from your hard drive. maybe as attachments >>
I'm clicking on the link on my post above and can see the pic. Am I missing something, or is it only showing up on my computer?
they aint the most beautiful cards, but i like the fact that they actually have uncolored photos
<< <i>oh it works now. i replied before you added the scan, sorry.
they aint the most beautiful cards, but i like the fact that they actually have uncolored photos >>
That's what I've always thought is cool with this set, they are real photos. It makes me feel like I'm there with them. I would guess that those are some of the oldest printed hockey photos.
<< <i>
<< <i>oh it works now. i replied before you added the scan, sorry.
they aint the most beautiful cards, but i like the fact that they actually have uncolored photos >>
That's what I've always thought is cool with this set, they are real photos. It makes me feel like I'm there with them. I would guess that those are some of the oldest printed hockey photos. >>
The only thing that sucks is that even in bad shape these cards always go for a lot. I've spent a ton of money thru the years on mine, even though more than half are in bad shape. I'm almost complete, then I start the upgrade.
The ones I am missing from the C57 set are:#3 Clint benedict, #16 Joe Hall #23 Gordon Roberts, #31 Fred lake, #32 Alex Currie, # 37 Goldie Prodgers, #39 george Broughton, #41 lester Patrick
I also need a c56 Lesuer to complete my c56 set.
If anyone has these please let me know!