Hey Shaun,
Your thread response regarding the rare Bond Bread Jackie Robinson set has been on my mind off and on for days. I want to sympathize with you over your frustration and chagrin that your favorite Jackie Robinson set has not zoomed in value as you believe in your guts it should have. The set has a lot going for it. For a set composed of black 'n white pictures devoted to one player, it is highly significant that the player is Jackie Robinson, and the years of issue were his rookie year, and a few thereafter.
You express the feeling that the set is "sub-par" because of its regional nature. I well remember you revealing some of your research on the subject of the distribution area; to wit, they may have been offered not only in the predominantly Black-American community in Brooklyn near their Bond Bakery, but other areas of the country with a heavy Black-American population where Bond bakery items were sold.
Historically, this set has always been very rare and extremely hard to get, Shaun. I know for a fact it intrigued serious collectors in a big way in the 70s and 80s when our hobby was becoming a mammoth. But you very well know this. What your beliefs may not have embraced is the faulty reasoning that because a card is not mainstream, it is less appealing, less popular, less desirable, and therefore less valuable.
Some regionals are immensely desirable. Some are not. Some are immensely popular, well-documented and well-covered in hobby literature (and hobby chat forums) and thus well-known. Others are seemingly as well-hidden in a wilderness as an American sniper.
A vast majority of post-war collectors go for the mainstream; tis so true. The few who take a different brook, and wind up loving the beauty and extreme challenge of regional cards are equally fulfilled, to a point. Their collecting of regionals is frequently unfulfilled because those cards are so dreadfully difficult to track down---EVEN WITH MAJOR AUCTION HOUSE OFFERINGS AND EBAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The regional collectors will often not talk much about their prizes, nor write about them. It took me a long time to figure out a prime reason why after decades of frustration over the fact the tough regionals were not adequately covered in Sports Collectors Digest during its heyday. It requires of lot of time and effort to write a good article about a difficult set such as a regional. One of the prime factors is whether or not you can locate a collector, former collector, dealer, or individual who was a part of the original promotion that was offering the free prizes to goose sales of their product.
Back in the day they were issued, it wasn't that big a deal. Nobody paid much attention to any of it. Even some pioneer collectors did not retain much knowledge of the original promotion, and all the ins and outs us regional collectors would dream of knowing.
So, to find someone who knows something interesting and pertinent about a given set, AND IS WILLING TO SING LIKE A BIRD ABOUT ALL THAT THEY KNOW, is as rare as the cards themselves. Then again, we're at 2015, most of the people and kids who collected the free prizes from what I term, "THE GOLDEN QUARTER CENTURY 1947 - 1971" are quickly becoming a part of The Paul Revere Foundation seen in the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, "HOT CROSS BUNNY", whose motto is "Hardly a Man is Now Alive". I'm 61, started collecting in '61, and my earliest baseball card memories involves the Post Cereal. The ten-year-old kid in '47-'50 who collected those Bond Bread Jackies are now 75-78 years old. Most men die before then, even if they're living a little longer.
Remember when I said that to find someone who has great knowledge of the Bond cards and something great to share may be rarer than the cards themselves? A key reason for not sharing is because they're trying to collect the cards as well, and if they share what they know, the cards will increase in popularity, and zoom in price more than they are, and it will become nigh unto impossible for them to get those Bond Bread Jackie Robinsons.
Rob Lifson speaks very highly of them, as you probably know.
Most collectors are still pretty unaware of the set. They're also so obsessed with rookie cards, and cards of the major stars. They like and respect Jackie Robinson, but would just assume get their Robinson fix from a Topps or even a Leaf. The Bonds have it all over a Leaf in eye appeal. Again, collectors dig rarity, and a superb story. Shaun, keep building the Bond story, and present it to the hobby. I'm rootin' for you.
As a parting shot, a regional is a rare gem worth a havin', if it's beautiful. Think of Baltimore News Babe Ruth, Washington Times Ty Cobb, Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle, Wilson Franks Ted Williams, Bell Brand Sandy Koufax, Mother's Cookies Henry Aaron and a few other cards made much later that I don't have, still want, but don't wish to divulge---because I still feel I have a chance at them!
Kind regards, Brian Powell