Posted By:
Hal LewisIt is all about scarcity.
In 1915 ... kids probably all fought over the Ty Cobb cards ... but nobody wanted the "Babe Ruth" cards and they got tossed or lost.
By 1933 ... it was pretty obvious that Ruth was a "keeper" ... and so EVERY Ruth card from that year was probably not only kept but also PRESERVED and PROTECTED.
The same is probably true for EVERY baseball player, so finding the rookie cards in good condition is ALWAYS a LOT harder than finding the cards from later in their careers.
Why is it SO HARD to find Bid McPhee Old Judge cards???
Because he was NOT enshrined in the HOF until 2001 or so!!!
People were probably trading them for peanuts as late as 1995!!