The white whale: finding the #1 card on your wantlist
 

A while back somebody started a thread about the #1 card on the wantlist. The card I named was the W711 Livengood. Most people wouldn't even give it a second look, but I have been looking for this card literally for more than 30 years, from the moment I started collecting prewar cards when my uncle gave me his boyhood W711 collection. In all these years I have never even seen one -- not in an auction, not in someone's else collection, nowhere!

Well, tonight I got a Livengood, the white whale of my wantlist, on ebay. Paid a pretty penny, but who cares?!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:X:AAQ:US:1123

Let's hear some stories about those moments when you found and acquired THAT card -- the one at the very head of your wantlist.

Tim

Congrats!
 

Tim, nice pick-up. I missed that on ebay. My father and I have not been collecting that set for 30 years, but after picking up about 20 in the last year, that is the only card we need for the 1939 set. We only need the Grissom for 1938 completion. My hope is that someone with another Livengood will put theirs up for auction!
I guess I have a couple "white whales" because they are sets my 90 year old father started back in his childhood. We need a R303-B Foxx in sepia to finish that set and two unnumbered Orbit Gum Pins, Earnshaw and Stephenson. Those would make both of us happy!

After 30 years that must have been quite a rush as the time was counting down. A hearty congratulations to you Tim.

as a type collector
 

As a type collector I guess it would be when I acquired my T231. It wasn't really too special as I just bought it privately.

As far as the white whale I am looking for, I think there will be one at sometime in the future since Egan cataloged several of them. It is a D355. I have seen one for sale and I didn't realize how tough it was and I let it get away.

Congrats on your pickup, Tim. I bet you got the tingling feeling!! It's an awesome feeling.

the feeling
 

Actually the feeling I had as time was counting down was more like sick-dizzy-about-to-keel-over. Watching ebay auctions for cards I wanted used to be a rush; now it's more like a death-watch :)

Congratulations Tim, great pick-up. I have only been collecting this set for a little over a year or two and have been fortunate to pick up 21 of them so far. I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of capturing the image of your Livingood since it is so difficult to find. I may never own one but at least I know what it looks like.

Congrats again,

Richard (RC)

I hope to be able to reply to this posting with a story one day....

Always looking, that's what makes this fun!

Bob
AB 350 E. Collins, anyone?

Congrats, Tim. That's what its all about.

Tim -

Your collecting retirement was met with [insert platitude here]. Joining Mike P on the sidelines is an admirable achievement. I had no idea anyone spent 30 years searching for a W711 Livingood, but I'll offer my applause, too.

Actually, I realize you won't lose the itch. That's a lifetime thing.


Bill

Congrats Tim - your patience is admirable!

Congrats, I never knew there was a SP in that set.
when I saw it early on, I thought it was a Livingood family member bidding it up at first..... but never saw the final bid.

Cool, learn something new everyday. Love those tough cards :)

I've knocked the top card off my want list a few times:

--I searched for an E282 (Oh Boy Gum; Goudey's 1st card product) Jack Dempsey for years before snagging one on Ebay a few years ago. Haven't seen another since.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...%20Dempsey.jpg

--I found my #1 baseball card, a Pebble Beach Clothiers Lefty O'Doul, at the 2006 National.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...quDoul%202.jpg

--I got a signed 1951 Ringside Ray Miller in a Clean Sweep auction a few years ago.

Congrats on the great pick up after so many years of searching and waiting what a great day for your collection. I guess my white whale would be a W600 Cabinet of Chief Bender, a T208 would be cool but the W600 look amazing.

Hooray!
 

Way to go Tim on ending such a lengthy search. I am practically an infant when it comes to collecting this issue, but I do have all but the Livengood in the 1939 set. I just won the other card that I needed, but it will look so out of place (it is Vg compared to the dirt level Poor condition that each and every one of the other cards are in--I guess some day will have to find a downgrade to make all my other cards feel comfortable). I figured the Livengood would be out of reach and rarely seen...and now I know for sure that my 1939 set will always be a 'near-set'. Congrats again, and time to celebrate.

Brian

Congrats on findingnthe card ! Like others have said, amazing patience.


since I'm more of an opportunistic collector I don't usually have anything in particular I'm looking for. Finding the last 48 bowman I needed was a bit of a thrill, but a pretty easy one at the time, even on a tight budget. Going after odds and ends, I always hoped to find something special, maybe a card that was unknown or something like that. Finally happened late last year. I picked up a small batch of interesting stuff, including a few " schultes own" college cards. T49s. The back claims 20 subjects, but when I checked over on the non sports side it seemed that only 17 were known. And I had one that wasn't on the list. A very little bit of checking verified it was a new one for the checklist. Not a huge deal, but pretty cool to find an unknown card.

Steve B

This is one most enjoyable threads I've read in a while.

I've got a lot of white whales on my list, some are just financially out of reach. Those cards are just true "wish" list stuff. Over the years I've knocked a few "not break the bank" variety white whales off my list and it's a true rush everytime I get the cards in my hands.

Tim's pick up has got to rank way up there as far as hobby highs go. That's just awesome!

'Wishlist' is more like it for me as well, a nice T208 Bender in the REA right now and all I can do is watch and wonder if another one will come up in the next 5-10 years. It is fun knowing they are out there and maybe someday could own.

For me a T222 Alexander would rank up there.

With the help of a forum member I was able to get a D381 Brad Kocher. He only appeared on 2 cards and one exhibit but it is mislabled Earl Smith. Its not to fill in a gap for a set or anything like that. I had wanted this one because Kocher was born and lived in my home town, operating a funeral home after his short career. Unfortunaly I was born about 25 years too late to have the chance to have meet him but I am very happy to be able to loan the card to the new library in town if they follow though with plans to have a small section on the towns history.

If anyone has any other items such as a game bat or know the where abouts of one please let me know.

Do you mind posting a scan of this card, I am not familiar with this card.

Regards,

Richard.

A Great Feeling
 

When you can take a big card off your list either because it is are or expensive. I just did this recently and it was a great feeling that's for sure.
Here's hoping we are all able to cross something big off our want lists soon.

Congrats

James G

for me, i love the way the E120 caramel cards look , and i have yet to see a Babe Ruth version, i know it is out there, i just haven't stumbled on it yet... so for me, thats probably the most financially obtainable card i will probably never get but hope to.

Whie Whale
 

Tim--Congrats on finding the Livengood since I know this card has vexed you for years. And as Bill Cornell alluded, my white whale was the T222 of John Henry which I finally found last year, thanks to the largesse of a board member. And although I didn't break out in a sweat as I followed an eBay bid, I did almost fall over when this board member mentioned to me, at the Valley Forge Show, that he had a Henry and would be willing to trade it. That set off a series of interesting emails and negotiations, and now Henry resides in my collection. (BTW, Henry is far more difficult than either Alexander or Johnson, and, like so many difficult cards, he was a marginal player who had an unremarkable eight year career mostly with Washington: .207 lifetime BA. Another difficult card, also of a minor player, is the T3 of Rhoades.)

The fact is, though, that I have a number of white whales, and these are my want lists. I only need three cards to complete my Grignon postcards, and seven to complete my Obaks 150 subjects backs. But, until I get to that one last card, these won't qualify as white whales.

Even Melville would be happy for you, Tim. And I hope you celebrated with one of your favorite martinis!

Cheers,
Mike

Thanks all!
 

(Mike, you know I did -- does this mean I am going to have to start drinking yours too? I don't know if my liver can handle it...)

Thanks for all the good wishes, guys. I didn't want this thread to be all about congratulating me, so I was hoping (still hope) to hear more of your own stories about finding *that* card-- keep them coming!

Tim

Not a set collector. Still...
 

Tim,

I collect Washington players rather than sets, so for me the "have to have" usually means something I've never seen or heard of before. I'm one card/item away from a complete Washington subset on about 40 prewar sets. Some, like the Elberfeld portrait T206, I can get just about any month on the Bay. Others, like an L1 leather or PM1 ornate pin, are so far out of my league that there's not much point in having them on my list at all. My favorites are the things like this BF-unc felt of Ainsmith. More like a big fish than a white whale--I didn't know it existed until I saw it, but then I went after it.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...nsmithfelt.jpg

My goal at every card show (the few I go to, anyway) is to finish one Wash subset and start another. Sometimes I can do both with a single card, when I hit on one like the E92 -101 -102 -105 Schaefer where he's the only player in the set.

Someday the T222 Henry will be on my list, too, but for now I'd be happy with a McBride or a Morgan. My National want list right now is for some type items, like a W600, E107, Rose postcard, etc.

Bill

Not Quite a "white whale" but...
 

Today I secured a deal to pick up my first example of a T206 Hindu back Southern Leaguer. I know its VERY rough, but it fills a type card spot for my collection, and Im happy! I've only been trying to find one that I can afford for around a year! Thanks D.!
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=1961http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=1962

Mike - Congrats on completing the T222 set, and thanks for the kind words. Enabling you to complete this set gave me satisfaction as well. And, I am still in love with the card you traded me for the Henry!

Bill - I live near you, and I suspect that we are competitors for some of the same cards of Washington players. But, I can help you with the T222-McBride, as I have a couple of them. I'll send you an email.

Val

Congrats Tim!
 

Congrats Tim!

Thirty years is a long, long wait. Here's the thread you mentioned in your post:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...ht=White+whale

Be well,


Patrick

Great thread and what collecting is all about. Congrats Tim on the W711.

As for me, well I have this grandiose crazy idea that I can complete an E-107 Boston AL subset. The allure for me is they are the first cards ever issued for the team and the year of issue coincides with the team winning the first ever modern WS. I am a little less then half way there and I have been on the case for about 15 years :). So you could say that every time I pick one up, it is somewhat of a white whale for me. I am pushing middle age so the clock is ticking but it sure is fun when I can find one.

Happy collecting to all.

Congrats.. nice looking card too. :)