Player Collector Survey: What are the hardest cards to find?

kimo75

Was thinking of this and thought I'd throw it out there. What are the 5 hardest oddball cards to find, in any condition, of your favorite player.

Parameters: 1. Raw cards only. Of course a 55 Topps Clemente PSA 9 is rare , but is a 55 Clemente? Not really.
2. Keep it before 1990. No offense to modern collectors, but I don't want to hear about how rare a
2001 SPX holo 1/100 Jeter is. That is intentionally created rarity
3. What are the 5 cards that you look for and would buy in any condition--supporting stories welcome

I've been a Willie Stargell collector for about 25 years now and these are my top 5:

1. 1967 Topps Punch-Out: I've only ever seen 2. One about 3 years ago from 707 that I could not pull the trigger on and the one that Virtualizard won a couple weeks ago.

2. 1973 Topps Comic: I've seen 3 total. One from 707 for about $1 million, one on ebay about 2 years ago, and the one I bought from Steve Verkman. The guides list the value at $125 but I'd pay 2x that all day long.

3. 1969 Jack in the Box: Seen 3 total. Bought the first at a Pitts. show. The second on ebay sold as a complete set for over $200, the third just sold about a week ago.

4. 1972 Topps Candy Lid: As yet uncatalogued. Found it at the Pitts show. Discussed it with Mike Mosier(the oddball king) and we determined that it met all the parameters of the 72s. Back,no border on front,etc. I have 2.

5. 1964 KDKA Pirates: These oversized cards were distributed by dry cleaners and used as shirt stuffers. Only ever seen 3.

Undervalued and unappreciated: 1973 Pin Up, 1974 Deckle & Puzzle, All Kahn's, All Venezuelans, IDL, Hostess, OPC

Look forward to your opinions

Kimo75
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I need a 1965 Topps Stargell Autographed to complete my Stargell auto run from 63-83

CON40

This thread begs for a response from a Nolan Ryan collector... so here goes!

1. 1970 Topps Cloth Sticker. Never seen it. It has been confirmed that it exists, but there may be no more than 3-4 of them in existence. I'd love to hear from anyone out there who knows something about this mythic issue.

2. 1972 Venezuelan Sticker. Possibly the rarest of the three Ryan Venezuelans, and the other two are no picnic to find either.

3. 1968 Topps/Milton Bradley. This is reported to be a variation of the standard Topps issue with a different copyright on the back. You could get this out of the Milton Bradley "Win A Card" board game. Though it has been confirmed that the Ryan rookie was issued with the game, no definitive copy has surfaced in the marketplace... ever!

4. 1974 Topps Puzzle. Other than one that Murcerfan (remember him?) sold on ebay a couple years ago, I am yet to see another one come up for sale... but they are out there!

5. 1974 Topps Deckle Edge. Another strange Topps test issue... it can be found with the Deckle cut, without the Deckle cut, with a gray back, or with a white back, and who knows how many combinations of these varieties... but the first step is to find one at all.... I got hit in the head by coconut 12 years ago when I saw one for sale in SCD for $80. Still my Ryan buy of the century!

If anyone out there has any idea where any of these can be located, please let me know. Even though I have finally found some of these, there are other bloodthirsty Ryan guys out there who will surely be interested!

onegaucho

I'll chime in for the Gwynn collectors (which I'm sad to say, there don't seem to be many of on this board):

1. 84 Smokey the Bear Fire Safety
2. 85 KAS potato chips
3. 85 Thom Mcan disc
4. 87 Bohemian Hearth Bread
5. 85 7-11 disc

I know 2 of them are technically 'discs' and not 'cards', but those are the 5 toughest to get (of his pre 1990) cards.

dalew

As a Mel Harder (Baseball) Collector, these are very hard to find for Harder or "any" other player:

1933 - Worch Cigar - with the exception of a Lou Gehrig listed on ebay, I've never seen any others.

1934 - Exhibits 4-in-1 - I have a 1936 one that I bought on ebay raw (came back PSA 2), but have never seen a 1934 card.

1934 Gold Medal Flour - R313A - never seen a Gold Medal Flour card listed for anyone on ebay.

1938 - R329 - Clopay Foto-Fun - Never seen one on ebay for any player.

1936 - E-UNC Candy - Never have seen one on ebay for any player.

Best,

Dale

speeder

for johnny bench;

1) 1968 kahns weiners (full tab)

2) 1973 topps comics, there has been only one 73 comic graded by psa, and it was a bench, psa-9.
wish i knew who had it. I have never even seen one for sale, anytime,anywhere !!

3) 1968 venezualen topps #247 (i do have this one in psa-5)

4) 1970 topps candy lid (just bought one at national show from mike mosier) i had never seen one for sale anywhere, until then.

5) tie for 5th, 74-topps deckle edge (have a psa-10) 1973 topps pin-up (sold it to jackalan) psa told me they will no longer grade this item.
1977 venezualan sticker #154 (have a psa-1) ryan and bench are the only ones to have been graded by psa. all 3 benches
(all 3 submitted by me) came back psa-1, glue issues on back.

thanks, lee

KING KELLOGG

A 1981 Kellogg's card #21 Dave Winfield, without a miscut at the lower right corner......


Seems to be as scarce as it gets........




Larry

onlychild

Here's my 2 cents from my end of the collecting world.

1962 Bell Brand Walt Alston - higher than PSA 4
1959 Morrell Meats Koufax

and then there is this oddball I have shown before, anyone ever see one like it? ..an unlisted 1924/25 rook play card Babe Ruth caricature. I have no way to determine the value, if it has any at all.

rbeaton

Here are some Jim Palmers that are extremely difficult to find:

1) 1980 Pepsi
2) 1977 Venezuelan sticker (in anything above poor-good condition)
3) 1970 Dayton Daily News
4) 1973 Topps Candy Lid (centered)
5) 77 Hostess Twinkie w/o a stain

Robert

AlanAllen

Marcus Allen:

1983 NFLPA Slide - The NFLPA sent sets of slides to media outlets each year until the late 80's. I have a couple of the Allens, but I've never been able to nail down the rookie.

1984 7-11 Jumbo Disc. The small discs are ubiquitous and I have a Jumbo '83, but not the '84. I've heard they were advertising pieces ~5" in diameter designed to be placed at the slurpee machine. I've also heard they are nothing more than overcut singles from common uncut sheets.

1985 Raiders Police - Never seen one. There is a seperate Raiders/Rams police set and a Fire set from 1985 that are both pretty common, so I don't know if these get lost in the shuffle or if Beckett just made a mistake in their listings (it's been known to happen).

1986 Brownell Heisman - Never seen one. Mike Mosier has some singles, but not the Allen.

1988 Football Heroes Sticker - Never seen one. Was supposedly issued in a kid's sticker book.

Honorable mention: 1989 Panini UK & 1989 Raiders Swanson. Since I have both, they can't be that hard, although each took me over 5 years to find.

Joe

mrc32

5 toughest T-205s in my view

1)Hobitzell No stats
2)Addie Joss
3)Ed Walsh
4)Eddie Grant
5)John Rowan

NickM

onegaucho - is the Smokey Bear Gwynn an oversized card featuring a surfboard in the picture along with Tony and Smokey?

Nick

onlychild

As hard to find as going to my garage. Yes, the Winfield is slightly miscut but not terribly bad. The 1987 Bohemian Gwynn Is creased but nonetheless found, the rest of the set has some problems as well. Now the 1985 Gwynn 7-11 disc looks perfect...but what do I know about discs?



Kevin

bobsbbcards

I collect many different players, so I won't be able to focus well enough to pick five of the same guy. Sorry about that and also apologies for the first one since it is 1990 (might have been late 1989 now that I think about it).

(1) 1990 Donruss Aqueous Test card Nolan Ryan - I am working on the set and I have a solid run of cards from #59 to #165. Who do I bump into at #166? When one of these babies comes up for sale, there will be blood.

(2) 1968 Topps Test Disc Pete Rose - Missing from the 67 Test Discs, this has to be one of his toughest cards. Book has no meaning for cards like this.

(3) 1973 Topps Comic Johnny Bench - Coming off his second MVP season, it seemed like Johnny was in every issue that came out in 73 and 74 (PinUps, Candy Lids, Comics, Puzzles, Deckle Edge...) This is the toughest of the bunch.

(4) 1967 Topps 3-D Prototype Brooks Robinson - I passed a bunch of years back on a complete 1968 Topps 3-D set which included the 3D Bart Starr card (never seen since), a wrapper, 12 perfect 68 3-Ds, and (drumroll please) a 1967 Brooks Robinson 3-D all for only $25,000. At the time that was about double book (again, burn the book).

(5) 1975 MSA Test Disc Tom Seaver - Tough card. Have seen one in auctions but never in person. Not exactly a card that I would pay any amount for, but I have been looking for quite some time.

Bob

WinPitcher

the ones that I need

speeder

thanks for reminding me bob,

1975 blank back disc. never seen or heard of a bench, but the book says its out there.

tuff x 10

lee

mudflap02

Hey Bob-

What ca you tell me about the Aqueous test cards? I've heard of them as well, but no description. On the bright side, I won a full run of 1990 Donruss previews today for $50, so that's one off the list.

mikeschmidt

Mudflap:

I have a Donruss Aqueous Test Von Hayes, graded SGC 86/7.5 NM+. Basically - they look like a regular Donruss card, but the back has the words "Aqueous Test" printed on it, over the stats, somewhat large and angled. That's the only difference I can tell from a cursory look over the card. I imagine that they were trying some sort of new production technique - although I cannot tell exactly how this process is different. I am sure that Bob has better and more complete information. Best-

~ms

speeder

websters says,

aqueous ;1) of, like, or containing water; watery, an aqueous solution.

were they testing a water based ink ??

does that help or confuse ??

your friend, lee

67standup

<< <i>Mudflap:

I have a Donruss Aqueous Test Von Hayes, graded SGC 86/7.5 NM+.
~ms >>



Does the SGC Pop report differentiate between "regular" 1990 Donruss and the Aqueous? It's late and I can't seem to find it on their site.

peterredshoes

Toughest Trammell oddballs, excluding tests/proofs and "cut-outs" such as square versions of discs made by chopping up uncut sheets. Ranking them is tough because I've seen 2-5 copies of each available for sale online (eBay or otherwise), but in some cases duplication is due to a single seller having duplicates available, meaning that if you missed that opportunity you'll be in for some hunting. Such cases are rated higher accordingly.

1. '90 U.S. Playing Cards Silver Edition
2. '89 Star Glossy Ad Card
3 '85 Thom McAn
4 '89 Star Platinum Promo
5 '92 Stadium Club Atlanta National Promo

The other Star promo/ad cards are also reasonably tough, as are some of the Slurpee discs. Ranking them is tricky because they aren't really old enough to be "miracle" finds so much as just scarce and odd enough that their eBay appearance frequency is very, very low.

Peter G.

onegaucho

NickM, Smokey the Bear Gwynn card has Gwynn and Smokey holding baseball bats. Card is oversize by just a touch.

onlychild, That 85 disc probably has a good chance at a 10. The one I submitted came back a 10!

>Edited to correct typo

bobsbbcards

Sorry about the hit and run post. I was tired, and couldn't stick around to follow up.

I can't find my 75 Test Disc Bench (in the middle of BB card housekeeping), so here is Rose. Picture the same thing but imagine that the player in the middle had less of a gambling problem. I saw a Bench at the show in an unopened bag of 1976 Safelon Lunch Bags so I am now questioning whether '75 is the correct year for these (still might be). Lee, I might be able to give you a lead on one.



As for the Aqueous Test cards, MS gave you about as much information as I have. New printing technique (using water instead of cardboard). Another tell-tale sign is that the INC. following © 1990 LEAF INC. in the upper right is missing the period. My thinking is that Donruss printed the first 283 cards + BC 1-9 with this new method. The checklist for the issue is still sketchy, but I have sent Bob Lemke a list of all of the cards I have, and the next Standard Catalog should show more than 240.

Kid4hof03

Anybody got an agueous test Gary Carter they want to part with? That's one of the few Gary Carter's I'm still hunting for. By far though, the toughest Gary Carter items are 1976 and 1977 Red Path sugar packets. These were used in a Monteal coffee shop. They had packets with each player on them. Of all the Carter collectors I know, nobody has one. I have only seen them once, on ebay a few months ago there was a large lot of 30 or so, I put in my snipe and thought it was plenty high because Carter wasn't listed in the title just the description and there had been no action on the lot during it's entire week. Unfortunately, my $250 wasn't enough and I'm still searching.

Abe

theBobs

1909 T212 Chick Gandil
1911 Obak Premium Buck Weaver

CuseSteve

Eddie Stanky 1951 Topps Current All-Stars #11.....would just be happy to actually see a picture, scan, ect of the card

gregm13

1988 Pro Set Test Dan Marino - there aren't many out there. I've only seen a few in my lifetime.

Also very rare is a 1993 Topps card issued to the winner of a fantasy sports challenge.

Regards,

Greg M.

Golfcollector

My turn....

Bobby Jones


1. 1928 Rogers Peet (Lew Lipset had all of the cards for sale 1-2 years back, still kicking myself for not jumping on that one.)
2. 1932 Abdullah Sport Rekorde. I have seen 1 up for auction in 9 years and a second which I bought from a guy in Germany!
3. 1927 Kraj Ziggaretten - never seen one
4. 1928 Crescent Confectionery - never seen one
5. U. S Carmel (hey at least these are available - if you have the $$$$)

DAve

theplasticman

<< <i>I collect many different players, so I won't be able to focus well enough to pick five of the same guy. Sorry about that and also apologies for the first one since it is 1990 (might have been late 1989 now that I think about it).

(1) 1990 Donruss Aqueous Test card Nolan Ryan - I am working on the set and I have a solid run of cards from #59 to #165. Who do I bump into at #166? When one of these babies comes up for sale, there will be blood.
Bob >>



Bob,
If you have doubles... Im looking for the Will Clark and Eddie Murray cards from the set. Raw is fine.

Tough cards for me so far have been...

Eddie Murray
1985 OPC/Topps Mini test issue regular back (very nice, definitely a 9 possibly a 10)
1985 OPC/Topps Mini test issue blank back (very nice, definitely a 9 possibly a 10)
1980 Topps Super white back (finally found one a few weeks ago, missed the auction and the guy never wrote me back)
1984 Orioles English's Disc
Any of the Orioles team issued postcards in general. They are tough to tell the difference from any other years. Apparently they used the same photos or similar ones.
Any of the Orioles French Bray cards. Still dont know what they look like.

Will Clark
1990 Donruss Aqueous test
Several discs from 1988-1990. Weis, Key Food, Our Own tea, Tetley. Weis seem to be toughest as I need the 88 and 89.
Most sample and promo cards

riccaboni

<< <i>Several discs from 1988-1990. Weis, Key Food, Our Own tea, Tetley. Weis seem to be toughest as I need the 88 and 89. >>



The Weis discs were HUGELY abundant in my area, Allentown, PA, in the mid 90s. I had about 10 of the Schmidts because the dealers couldn't give the things away.

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

-Ian

Pinchdatail

1. 1972 Comspec #21 Pete Maravich (my current Holy Grail)
2. 2000 Upper Deck Legends Maravich #44 Gold 1/1
3. 2003 Upper Deck Finite Maravich #188 Platinum 1/1
4. All of the 1/1 and 1/2 Maravich PSA 10's from 1970-80 (mainly owned by Dr. Bryant and the Museum of Sports History). Hoping that a raw one gets graded (and sold to me)!

I've also heard about a 70's Maravich card that was inserted into Keds shoeboxes. Trying to get a scan of it to know what I'm looking for. I'd love to get a scan of the 2000 and 2003 Maravich 1/1's just to know if they've ever been found!

WinPitcher

an authentic raw 52 topps Mantle on ebay seems to be the hardest card to find for me......


NickM, Smokey the Bear Gwynn card has Gwynn and Smokey holding baseball bats. Card is oversize by just a touch.


unless their are a few different sets the smokey the bear sets I have the cards are post card sized.

theplasticman

<< <i>

<< <i>Several discs from 1988-1990. Weis, Key Food, Our Own tea, Tetley. Weis seem to be toughest as I need the 88 and 89. >>



The Weis discs were HUGELY abundant in my area, Allentown, PA, in the mid 90s. I had about 10 of the Schmidts because the dealers couldn't give the things away.

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

-Ian >>



Regional issues are fun... if you live near that region Had it been during Ebay times Id have them all Im sure.

onegaucho

WinPitcher, do you have a scan of the postcard of the Smokey the Bear Gwynn? I'll try to get one up later of the one I have.

KalineFan

Kaline fan says the following Al Kaline cards: (not in ANY particular order of rarity)
*****************************************************************

1968 OPC Leader card #2 with Frank Robinson and Tony Oliva

Obviously any Venezuelan cards in EX/MT or better with NO back damage

1967 Stand Up

1959 Home Run Derby in EX/MT or better (NO, not the reprints!)

1960 Post Canadian in NM or better

1967 OPC #30 in NM/MT

1974 OPC #215 in NM/MT

1961 Dice Game (Goes without saying)

1972 Milton Bradley

1964 Auravision Record (JUST KIDDING!)

1960 Post Cereal

Those are a few that are desirable! Certainly not the ENTIRE list!

Tony

jrdolan

Some of the rarest cards in the entire hobby, any sport .... (there may be less than 10 of each in existence)

A card sold by jodi-mo that was not previously in a different holder at a lower grade.

A card sold by tonis-cards (and his many eBay manifestations) that is actually in his possession.

carew4me

Rod Carew:
1968 Topps Disc #4 rare test issue
1968 Topps Action-Allstars
1968 Venezualen
1974 Deckle (White Back)
1976 Red Barn MSA
1977 Venezualen
1983 Star Coin Set

bobsbbcards

ttt

I like threads like this, so I assume other people do too. Let's add some more entries!

Bob

boggs301012

It is a good thread. I found my card since this was started 1982 Boggs Bostan herald stamp. I found 2 they have been at psa since last year...lol


James

gregm13

Hmmm....Dan Marino 1991 Pro Set sample - Very tough. Another tough one I just picked up - the 1987 ACE Fact Pack.

Regards,

Greg M.

CON40

CON40

These impossible issues have eluded me for years:

5. 1992 Stadium Club Dome Set. Just try to find this set with the stadium-shaped box intact... I dare ya!

4. 1987 Topps Glossy All Stars. The Bonds rookie is the key card in this premium issue. On those rare occasions when one turns up it's always in PSA 10 condition. But, much like the 1968 Topps 3Ds, when will the next one turn up?

3. 1991 OPC Premier Baseball. Another one of those desirable "north of the border" sets that never made it "south of the border".

2. 1991 Score Baseball. A monster 900+ card set issued in a television-sized box. How does a manufacturer hide this much cardboard from the public?

1. 1988 Donruss. Simply put, a ghost. Someday, Mr. Mint will unearth a hoard of these from a barn in Arkansas. Until that day, we'll just have to guess what these must look like.

If you run across any of these rarely seen issues in your travels for Venezuelans, Candy Lids, Topps Dice Game, Punchboards (or Punchouts), or any other equivalent rare release, please let me know. I am throwing out the Beckett guide on these when if any actually do turn up.

bobsbbcards

Keith,

I saw a pack of the 1988 Donruss at one of the tables at the last Ft. Washington show. I'm not sure it was even for sale...looked like a museum piece. If you want, I can ask around and see. Maybe it'll be in the next MastroNet auction?

I think there's a rumor that all of the 1991 OPC Premier Baseball that's currently circulating in the marketplace actually came out the back door of the OPC plant. The few examples that can be found are almost always in sheets or in singles (both of which imply they were never actually issued).

Bob

MajorDanby

still searching for a 54 johnston cookies hank aaron. Saw one on ebay a few months ago, none before and since.

54 ted williams wilson franks and 47 Bond Bread. That wilson franks card is a beauty!

MorrellMan

I finally got my '59 Morrell Koufax; now I'm looking for another one!

Just started looking for a '63 Pepsi Cola Bateman - I gotta feeling this is gonna be a long search....

jwasserman

one of the original posters on this was looking for an 1985 711 gwynn- there's one on the bay right now: link

and though it's an old thread, ill throw in my 2 cents (which is actually worth considerably less on the open market).

Dwight Gooden
1983 Tidewater Postcards- there's 2 variations of these. Both show a b&w Doc in his minor league duds with a generic Kodak postcard backing. I've only seen 2 copies of each of these and they've both been autographed so I'm willing to bet Dr. K had them done to handle fan letters (he was hot stuff even back then)

1985 Mets Colla- this stupid postcard eluded me for 19 years. It was the first year of release for Colla and unlike previous years where you could buy them in sets through the Mets or at the stadium, the only way to get these was to write the player.

1985 Nike Promo Cards- two variations again. These are laminated, postcard-sized versions of their popular and colorful line of posters (remember Gooden and Dale Murphy playing stickball in the street?) that were used as "dealer samples". Since they were never intended for hobby consumption they're next to impossible to find. Two of my favorite cards of all time.


1985 O'Connel and Son Ink- this was a collector issue and, if memory serves, a very popular one that hit at the height of Gooden/Mattingly popularity. It took me 19 years to get one and it came from the guy who put out the set!

1985 Topps Mini Counterfeit- this is kind of cheating as it's not an official release but back in 1985 this card made headlines. The FBI raided the National and carted off boxes of mini countefeit rookies (including Ripken Henderson Mattingly, etc.). A few escaped. It actually resembles the 1985 Topps Mini Test issue in size and stock

67standup

<< <i>Rod Carew:
1968 Topps Disc #4 rare test issue
1968 Topps Action-Allstars
1968 Venezualen
1974 Deckle (White Back)
1976 Red Barn MSA
1977 Venezualen
1983 Star Coin Set >>



I just sold a PSA 3 '68 Carew Venezuelan on Ebay for $49.99

67standup

<< <i>
I think there's a rumor that all of the 1991 OPC Premier Baseball that's currently circulating in the marketplace actually came out the back door of the OPC plant. The few examples that can be found are almost always in sheets or in singles (both of which imply they were never actually issued).

Bob >>



I have a '91 OPC Premier BB set (132), what's it worth?

RedHeart54

Here's one for hockey collectors- Swedish Semic stickers. They made stickers from the early 70s to the early 90s and they are rather difficult to locate. I was able to win an '89 Gretzky but I still need all the Yzermans. I've also been looking for the Tretiaks from the early 70s. They don't look too different than anything Panini ever produced, just 20 times more scarce!

Also-

1985-86 Provigo Montreal Canadiens Patrick Roy sticker. Never seen one listed for sale.

1980 Topps Pepsi baseball promos- we all know how rare these are.

rjd

how about a 1960 Bell Brand Klippstein, SP, even missing from most of the set registries. Bob

AISAVDBBALLINPHILLY

Awesome thread!!!

1. 1948-52 Exhibit Chuck Bednarik with the green tint variation supposedly with a checklist on the card - I have never seen this card on Ebay or at any show nor have I talked to anyone that hdas ever seen one! If anyone has it or knows where one can be had, I'd appreciate an e-mail.

2. 1948 Topps Magic Photo Bednarik in mid to high grade (1 PSA 4 - mine). Tough to find one with the whole photo developed.

3. 1982 Topps #434 Lawrence Taylor PSA 10 - So many graded. So few 10s. No, I don't have one.

4. 1962 Post Cereal Bednarik with the black borders all intact enough to get a grade - again psa only graded 1 which is a 4 - mine

5. 1948 Leaf Bednarik RC - Tough to find in mid to higher grade without an O/C or M/C qualifier.

rjd

Again in the 60 Bell Brands: Klippstein has 2 (6's) Zimmer has a 5 and a 6. many Bells have been graded recently, still at about 100 total for the 20 different 1960 cards. Bob