1941 Play Ball

1960toppsguy

It would seem to me that this set would be much more popular amongst collectors than it is. I have almost built the entire set in PSA-6 and PSA-7 in less than 3 months and quite frankly it hasn't cost me an arm and a leg as I thought it might. I put together a 1960 TOPPS baseball set in PSA-7 and there were numerous times when I had to pay 5-10 times SMR for common cards making the set terribly expensive and nerve racking considering the size of the set. I may have overpaid for a few of the 1941's but no where near to that extent. That just seems perplexing to me, is there some sort of logic?

JeffSherman

I just finished my 41 PB set, in 7s and 8s. In 7s and below, its not that expensive and not that scarce. In 8s or above, prices are highly variable. I've gotten PSA 8 commons for under $200 as recently as last summer, and now they can go for $400-500 easily (witness recent Goodwin & Memory Lane auctions, among others). Its like most pre-war cards... in 7s and below, there are still cards to be had that look great and are just not that expensive (except for killer cards) and just not that scarce. Supergrade pre-war cards are just not plentiful enough for demand including those racing to assemble Registry sets and "win." I've actually downgraded a few 8s to get a bunch of 7s because the investment in the 8s was keeping me from finishing the set, and 7s could be had that had just as good eye appeal except under 10x power (and who admires their cards under 10x power anyway?).

ArnyVee

I've been thinking of going after the '41 Playball set for some time. Now, with these comments it's very encouraging to see that the prices aren't all that bad. What percentage of SMR are the 6s and under going for, off hand?

1960toppsguy

expect to pay full SMR, but rarely more, depending upon the card of course and not the case as many of the older graded cards that begin with the # 0, are inferior in quality and would never be candidates for regrading.

ArnyVee

Interesting. I got the wrong idea from another collector. Maybe just trying to keep me away from the set!

I'm going to do some extra research into the set and check out some recently completed auctions and such.

1960toppsguy

YEP, suprisingly easy, especially in 5 or 6 grade. I was honestly expecting it to be a wallet breaking, mortgage the house, possibly lose the wife and definitely give up the golf type experience. It has been none of the above as of yet.

Davalillo

Easy????

Yikes--not in psa 8 or better. I need 7 commons plus Joe D to finish the set. I believe I bid $900 per common in the Goodwin auction(?) for each of the seven commons and lost them all.

Set is beautiful but certainly not easy and expensive in psa 8 or better.

1960toppsguy

No question, the price is steep at that level, but it just seems odd that 1 grade lower and SMR is an accurate guide, then you look at the 8's and all the big money steps up and it gets fun to watch. The Joe D. and Dolph Chamil or however you spell it are definitely 2 of the toughest cards in my opinion as they share the same background and are almost always slightly out of focus and severely off center. I have never seen a pretty one of either in person. The Williams is not a big deal, you just have to pay the going rate.

helionaut

I've always liked the set, but it comes and goes. I bought my first '41 PB over a decade ago, and just entered my first card in a registry set, but it's a kind of love-hate thing. The pastel art is beautiful, and mainly the portraits stand out. But some of the batting poses are so crudely drawn the faces are just smudgy shadows. The uneven art quality, the toning that they are prone to, and the small checklist compared to previous years makes it kind of the afterthought set in the run. But the quantities are out there, so unless you're going for a premium grade of 7-8 or more, I imagine it's fairly easy and not terribly expensive, which is a great niche to be in for a pre-war collector. More people, I think are going after 50s-60s sets because it was a golden age of baseball (though '41 certainly was a golden year), Mickey, Mays, the Duke, the Topps name, and because most collectors with the means to collect them actually collected them on release, too.