Posted By:
Ryan ChristoffMW,
Thanks for your response. You bring up some interesting points that I'd like to address. I'll do them in the same order:
1. First, I understand your point using the examples of Goudey distribution and how many of them are still around, but do you really think any of the Cuban issues from the 1920's were initially produced in any kind of comparable numbers? I wish we had accurate production numbers for some of these issues (maybe the number of Goudeys produced is known?) but I have a hard time with the Goudey comparison simply due to the "apples and oranges" factor.
Next, I found it extremely ironic when you wrote: "Am I to imagine an American citizen buying up collections left and right while on an extended travel visa? Or perhaps there are some island denizens or other Latin American visitors who have sufficient financial backing as well as a good working knowledge of vintage Cuban issues and have already scoured the island buying up all the 'good stuff.'" --- That is actually almost exactly how it happens. I know you meant it somewhat facetiously, but it turns out that it's true!
3. I believe you are correct that most Cuban cards that are now in the United States didn't get here prior to Castro assuming power. In fact, it seems that only within the past 20 years, and more specifically the past 5 to 10 years, have the great majority of those cards made their way here. It sounds like we disagree the total number of Cuban cards that were there in the first place. As far as the "attic finds" of Cuban collectors, or them not knowing what their cards are worth, that was true a few years ago, but these days even Cubans have access to the internet. Unless a collector has never told a soul about his collection, it is likely he has been told what it is worth and had offers to help him sell it (from the island denizens you spoke of). I get e-mails on a somewhat regular basis from people IN CUBA who say they found my website on Cuban Baseball cards. They follow ebay religiously and have a good idea about how much things are selling for.
4. The eBay market wasn't flooded from one "find". It was after the first group of cards sold that more and more started to surface. This happens to other vintage cards sometimes as well. If someone sees a rare card they own sell in a major auction for an incredibly high price, they're more likely to part with theirs and thus another one becomes available. Sometimes you see 4 or 5 of a truly rare card sell at auction within the same year. Then nothing for years to come. That's basically what happened to the Cuban cards on eBay. Why don't we see them any more?
5. Yes, cards are safer when they were pasted in albums. That was the exact point I was making. I think you might have misunderstood, or I might not have been clear enough in what I was saying. On this point we agree.
6. While there are definitely several large collections left in Cuba (not as many as you might think), there are also several large collections in each of those states I mentioned. Also in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, etc. These are just the ones I know of, mind you, who knows what the real numbers are. I certainly don't, so all I can do is make educated guesses and speculations, which really don't mean much of anything when it comes down to it. I'm not trying to sway your opinion because it sounds like I have my theories and you have yours and they happen to differ. By the way, there was a time when I did believe that once Cuba opened up we'd see tons of vintage material flow out. That is no longer what I believe, although I truly do hope it happens.
Keep in mind that I am not talking about the issues from the 1940's. My interest is in the earlier stuff.
Oh, and about the Beckett article, the second part is in the June issue. It talks more about specific issues from the 1920's.
-Ryan Christoff