1934-1936 BATTER UP CARDS
johnny1976
Posts: 440 ✭
Hi there. I was wondering if any of you here collect these cards and if you do what are your thoughts? I am looking to start a set of the batter up cards in psa 3 or 4. I was wondering if this is a good set to collect. I think they look great and are a little different for a pre war card. Also wanted to know if they can be found easily, or are they rare to find in the 3 or 4 condition due to them being pop ups? Also wondering about price, are the expensive or could they be picked up at a decent price? Thanks for the help in advance.
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The toughest card looks like the #149 for Mo Berg. High-grade examples routinely sell for more than the others. Low-grade examples (like a 4) are currently averaging at $251.75.
As of today there are only 388 3's and 727 4's graded. That's out of the whole set. The GRAND TOTAL pop (all grades) is 4,571. So I'm going to make an assumption and say that these dont come up every day.
Again, I know nothing about this set, just figured I'd crunch some numbers for you. If there are other experts on here with experience, I'm sure they'll chime-in.
Good luck and keep us updated!
First off, the R318s are not an easy set to put together, there are many sets far easier from that era, even the Goudey sets are easier.
The R318 high number cards are far tougher to find than low numbers (high number cards make up over 1/2 the set). But they also are found in slightly better condition because they are smaller in size (1/4" shorter).
Collectors also collect this set by color sometimes, there are many different color tints with the red cards being in higher demand.
I have about 50 of the cards, all raw........... You cant go by pop reports on PreWar sets because many (commons) are not graded. Old school collectors dont like to get $25-$50 cards graded, it makes no sense having some grader tell them what they already know.
Also of the cards graded, many are graded by SGC (top dog for many vintage prewar sets).
If I was to recommend to someone who want to star this set, I would tell them to buy most of the common cards raw (in VG/EX) in 1-3 large bulk groups to save $$ (usually a major auction house will sell groups of these cards). You can buy the HOFers graded, but raw would be far better. R318's are rarely trimmed or recolored, the most common problem is the background removed/detached (poor), or the background was popped and then a small piece of tape was put on back to support the card.
R318s are one of the more attractive sets of the era and are under valued IMO compared to the far more common R319s.
Some random thoughts:
As previously mentioned, it is a set that requires much patience. I picked up my first a little over 3 years ago and I'm still 60 short. The majority of the examples that show up on eBay are either raw or graded by PSA. Although the advice to pick up lots is good, you have to wait a while before you find groups on eBay. Typically they are listed as singles unless they are in pretty rough shape. An auction house is a better place to find lots.
You can't really build a set in one color unless you choose black and white or brown. Although it looks like only two series 1-80 and 81-192, it really seems to be three, 1-40, 41-80 & 81-192. You won't find any red or green examples in 41-80. Also, the blues and pinks differ greatly between 1-40 & 41-80.
Some cards present very well for their grades. I once bought two PSA 2s from the same seller without scans. One looked like a 5 and the other looked like garbage. I also picked up a PSA 1 Mickey Cochrane that looked like a 5 but had some paper loss on the back. Since the cards are blank backed I didn't care.
Here's a link to my set. I have scans of all my PSA graded cards: Zodiac's Batter-Ups
It's a fun set to build but it can be very frustrating. Good luck if you choose to do it.