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Info on Old Judge baseball card - UPDATE - GRADES IN! 1887 Honest John Kelly

pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,336 ✭✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
12/10/10*Update* - sent the coin to SGC. Just got it back today - Graded VG 40 (3). I'm happy! What's the best way to sell this thing? The auction later in this thread was for a PSA2 and sold for $440. Any guess on the value of this thing as a 3?

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Original post below...

Hi all, I'm a coin guy but have a couple baseball cards in my collection. One is an Old Judge baseball card with an 1889 copyright date. Can anyone provide any info on it such as background info, value, condition, is it worth getting graded, etc? I couldn't find any others of this card online. It's for "Kelly" who was an umpire (for the "Western Ass'n"?)...

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

1st image is with flash on
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Back of card
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Comments

  • scooter729scooter729 Posts: 1,730 ✭✭✭
    Great card, and the image is strong (hasn't faded as some Old Judge cards do). I would say it is definitely worth grading, and a rough ballpark estimate would be $200. I am not sure if it is a rarer image (I am not sure I am familiar with umpire poses before!), so you may want to check on Net 54 for Old Judge experts who may be more familiar with the specific pose. Good luck!
  • fkwfkw Posts: 1,766 ✭✭
    The umpires name is Honest John Kelly in catalogs, he has a couple different poses, yours is called "Umpire WA", its listed for a bit more than the commons.... books for $1800 NRMT, $800 EX, $450 VG.

    Id say about $400-450 on yours if graded by SGC or PSA.

    Id get it graded by SGC

    Here is one with a lighter image, better corners and a small spot of glue residue that sold a couple months ago for $444 with buyer premium
    N172 Kelly Umpire WA PSA-2
  • pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,336 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The umpires name is Honest John Kelly in catalogs, he has a couple different poses, yours is called "Umpire WA", its listed for a bit more than the commons.... books for $1800 NRMT, $800 EX, $450 VG.

    Id say about $400-450 on yours if graded by SGC or PSA.

    Id get it graded by SGC

    Here is one with a lighter image, better corners and a small spot of glue residue that sold a couple months ago for $444 with buyer premium
    N172 Kelly Umpire WA PSA-2 >>



    WOW! Not bad for a $25 purchase about 15 years ago! Since I've really only dealt with coin TPGs... why would SGC be better than PSA in this case? What do you guys think it would grade?

    Thanks for the info!
  • mikeschmidtmikeschmidt Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭
    Great card. I would say that it would grade in the 3-4 range. Probably closer to 3, because of corner wear.

    Honestly, for what it is worth, the vast majority of Old Judge collectors are not into the graded card game. So you may not make much of a premium by getting a card like this graded. It is clearly authentic.

    I would suggest you try a straight sale on Net 54 B/S/T, or even a fixed price sale on Ebay.

    OJ is a fickle set -- it is too large to complete, and there are too many extreme rarities that most would not even attempt. There are a number of subset collectors, and the Umpire subset is one of the more popular ones.

    Good luck, whatever you do.
    I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
  • scashaggyscashaggy Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭

    Old Judge.


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  • SDSportsFanSDSportsFan Posts: 5,152 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I agree with Mike Schmidt. I see the card as a 3 due to the corners and the crease/wrinkle at upper-right.

    As far as PSA vs SGC goes, either would be good. It's just that SGC seems to be more popular with the pre-WW1 card crowd.

    Also, I would definitely get it graded. I'm going after the N172 hall of famers as money permits, and one thing I'm concerned about is trimming, and "rebacking" (which is where a card that was "skinned", or had it's back removed, is then remounted on newer cardboard). If the card is graded by PSA or SGC, more collectors will feel safer with a potential purchase.

    Good luck with it! image

    Steve
  • fkwfkw Posts: 1,766 ✭✭
    some have already mentioned this...

    N172 is not a set you can Not complete, there are far too many different cards...

    It it were from a set than can be completed ie R319, T205, T206 etc. I would have recommended PSA because of the set registry hype.
    But like others said the more popular place to grade the "others" will be SGC.
    In PreWWII and especially 19th Century SGC is King, except for cards that are popular with set registry collectors (thus PSA would be the better choice).

    Like others said, the card can easily be sold raw too, with clear scans of front and back. The collectors who collect these can tell its authentic. Many N172 collectors dont like slabbed cards, so its one of the only sets you can sell cards "raw" easily.
  • pcgs69pcgs69 Posts: 4,336 ✭✭✭✭
    Thanks everyone for the info, it graded a 3 at SGC!
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