1959 Fleer Ted Williams - options for "finishing" the set
 

Have been thinking through the options for "finishing" this set now that I'm at about 70/80.

Card #68 "Ted Signs for 1959" is of course the snag for anyone hoping to complete this set on a budget. It seems there are several options for how to handle it.

PAY UP! - Ballpark $500 depending on condition. Very roughly, it seems you can multiply the PSA grade by $100 (up to about PSA 7) to arrive at price.

REAL FAKE #1 - Several hundred of the "original" counterfeits of this card circulated through the hobby in the 1970s. Perhaps because these are considered the next best thing to the real card (or at least the "most vintage"), these will still be $30+. And I suspect the chances are terrific you'd get a FAKE fake most of the time you tried to get this version of the card.

2004 FLEER REISSUE X/406 - Fleer made 406 reprints of the card, individually numbered, in 2004. One just sold on eBay yesterday for $56, which is about 5-10x more than most cards in the original 1959 set will cost you.

OTHER REPRINT/COUNTERFEIT - A variety out there, including some being passed off as real or "selling as a reprint but who knows!" and at a range of prices.

PRINT YOUR OWN TO FILL A BINDER - My current solution. Just a filler for my binder. The good news is it's free. The bad news is it's not a card.

NOTHING - Just be done at 79 cards.

Am curious what other Ted Williams collectors have done, including other options I haven't listed.

I would just wait for a “nice for the grade “ example in your price range.

Sent you a PM about it, but here's my thoughts.

If I had 79 of 80 cards and the card is under $500, I probably would buy it to complete the set. I wouldn't buy the modern numbered reprint for $50, and I wouldn't buy a fake. So I'd leave the slot empty until I bought a real one.
But as I'm going for the same set in PSA mid-grade, I'd probably wait until I could get one for a reasonable price that would at least grade a 4.
Even raw ones that are sold by reputable sellers go crazy just because this card has a story and is short-printed. I'm just 39, so I've got a bunch of time to fill the hole.

I have completed two of these sets. In my first set, #68 was the final card in the set (really after near completion of the second set). I finally saved and bought a graded PSA8 as the set1 final card. (Price was close to the $100/grade, although just a note, the PSA1 starts at about $250 and you get to the PSA5 at $500; and the PSA9 is an exponential jump over the PSA8 cost). On the second set, I again had to contemplate the card #68 dilemma (mainly as I already had one), and quickly only brought my selection to either getting a second PSA graded copy or the 2004 Fleer numbered copy. I tried early in my set collecting career to buy this card "raw" and only could find FAKES (would never buy this card raw hoping that PSA would grade it unless it was from an AH with a return policy). I was lucky to hit a beautiful PSA 5.5 for a great price and that made my decision for me.

I would recommend staying with either a low-mid grade PSA graded #68 or get the 2004 Fleer reprint. The set just isn't finished without a "real" card in it.

Dave

I do think the long-term goal is to get the real thing. Since much of my set is in pretty rough shape, my condition needs for 68 wouldn't be particularly high at all. But definitely would not trust raw.

Am curious if you know the "real" story on this one. I had assumed several had made it into packs before production halted. But then I read somewhere that none were issued in packs and that the only real ones out there were from people who wrote to Fleer complaining that they couldn't complete their set.

It's interesting to think how the price might differ had the rarity been the Williams/Ruth or for that matter a generally less desirable fishing card.

No idea if this is a real story.:) I know that 59 Fleer Ted Williams cards came in 6 and 8 card wax packs. The story I have heard is that they only got distributed in one of them early but can no longer remember what one.

Since you are collecting a lower grade set I would just stick it out till a nice SGC or PSA graded card with nice eye appeal shows up. That is what I am doing for my second ungraded lower end set.

I have thought about getting one of the stamped fakes but like pointed out earlier I would probably be buying a fake fake.

As for the 2004 Fleer official reprint set, I would love to have one but just can't bring myself to pay the price they command.

On a side note, what's the conventional wisdom regarding card #68 and the grading companies? Have there been many reprints missed and actually graded by the TPG's as 1959's? If I ever bought one, that would suck if there was a (decent) chance the slab held a well done RP. Anybody have any info to share?

fleer ted williams
 

I finished the set in psa 8 a few years ago, really waited and watched on the final card and finally bit the bullet.

I got a PSA 1 for $130 to complete my set. If you're patient, you should be able to find a card in that range. Don't know whether that fits your budget.

just buy the card, if you're ever hard up for the money you'll have 90 percent of back in 7 days

treat yourself