Slabbing OBAKs?

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Posted By: runscott

I really like the high-grade OBAKs - color and registration seems unbeatable (especially the 1910's). I only have a few high-grade ones and I'm thinking about slabbing them to protect my investment (SGC of course since they will probably stay in my collection). I tried to re-sell a few really nice ones a few months ago and they went way CHEAP. Does anyone else ever slab OBAKs?

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Posted By: Jeff Obermeyer

While I don't have any of my Obaks "professionally" graded, I can recall seeing a few on eBay a while back... I think they were done by PSA, but I could be wrong. I have also seen a couple of the 1911's in Mastro auctions that were PSA graded.

The thing that hurts the value of Obaks the most is the lack of interest. They are considerably more difficult than a lot of more expensive issues (T206, T205, T207 in particular), but other than Gandil and Weaver there are no "stars". The only other cards that seem to really carry a premium are Peckinpaugh, Bodie and Ten Million (due to his name, I'm sure).

I really don't think that it's worth the money to grade Obaks unless it's Weaver or Gandil (and maybe Peckinpaugh). I just don't see you being able to get that much more for them, unless you receive a really high grade.

Jeff

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Posted By: MW

Jeff,

I don’t agree. Over the past two years, the hobby has seen a resurgence in vintage minor league, northern league, and pacific coast league issues. Of particular interest has been the Obak series –- the PCL equivalent of the T206s. And while some collectors have become bored with seeing the same old T206 cards time and time again, Obak cards create a sense of scarcity and excitement among many vintage collectors. The prices paid for some of these cards, particularly the 1909 issue, has been reflected in aggressive price increases both in terms of Internet sales and Standard Catalog listings.

Also, I think runscott would have done much better had he submitted his Obaks to SGC for grading before selling them. Whether or not some hobbyists like “slabbed” cards, there’s no denying that an SGC 6 or SGC 7 T212 McArdle is going to invite bids from some collectors who might never considering buying that same card in a “raw” state. SGC is rapidly becoming the grading company of choice for vintage collectors and getting high-grade Obaks graded could only enhance their legitimacy & appeal.

And no, I don’t have any graded Obaks for sale

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Posted By: Jeff Obermeyer

MW - You bring up valid points... I guess we just agree to disagree. However, I acknowledge that you probably have a better feel for the market than I do, as I don't go to a lot of shows and don't sell anything on a regular basis.

Personally I feel that Obaks have been undervalued for a long time, regardless of whether or not there value/interest level is fairly stagnant (as I feel) or is on the rise (as per MW). The fact is that they are very tough to find... even the most common series (1910). I don't think that you can go wrong with these beauties for the prices that they are at right now... the 1909's are just about impossible.

As for grading and value... I would again probably defer to MW on this as I really don't do much in the way of graded stuff. However I still feel that if you're going to have 'em graded, either make sure it's one of the popular players or that it's in really nice condition. I don't see a lot of people buying a PSA 3 1910 Shea...

Jeff

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Posted By: runscott

I recently finally gave up collecting them and put a few on ebay just to see how they'd do (I got these cheap anyway). Six months ago the 1911's were at least bringing book, but now they've gone the way of the 1910's. The 1909's are bringing more than book if you can find them - I finally found an EX one for my type set, horizontal Martinke, that I'm very happy with.

Interestingly, the SCD Catalog doesn't list the 1909 Martinke at all, and the Lipset Guide has it as a 1910 card! Pretty weird that they would both get it wrong. There's also no mention of the horizontal pose. Uh oh, just checked the Vintage Cardboard OBAK site and it also fails to list Martinke in the 1909 list! What kind of animal did I buy?

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Posted By: Jeff Obermeyer

Scott,

The only correct published Obak checklist that I'm aware of is the one in VCBC issue #3. It was put together by Mark Macrae, and I doubt that anyone has handled more Obaks than him.

The Lipset Encyclopedia has a couple of errors in the Obak checklists, and SCD continues to provide incorrect lists year in and year out despite numerous attempts by me (and I'm sure others as well) to provide them with the correct information.

BTW - Macrae's checklist does list Martinke with Vernon in the 1909 set.

Jeff

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Posted By: Plastic Dog

It's a weird Obak market these days. I remember bidding on a T212 Weaver (ungraded) last year on EBay that ended up going for close to $600. Seemed like a really high price. The card had VG corners and a stain on the front. But two months ago, I purchased a PSA 5 Weaver from Mastro's auction (centered, full size, looked more like an SGC 5 than a PSA 5). Anyway, the cost was just over a thousand, and I thought it was a really cheap price (especially considering the premium that Mastro's lots seem to command). Seems like a better time to buy Obaks than sell.

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Posted By: MW

Plastic Dog,

I agree again. There has been a great degree of volatility in the vintage card market as of late. Some material that has been relatively dormant has been selling for strong prices, and some popular and traditionally strong-selling items have been realizing rather weak prices.

Can I put in another plug for SGC and write that most vintage SGC-graded cards have been doing quite well???

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Posted By: Plastic Dog

I always prefer SGC cards, so plug away. My only complaint with their grading has to do with centering. I have seen several severely off-center cards that I would call miscut receive SGC 60 or 70 grades. Some of the caramel cards currently on EBay fit that description. I called SGC and talked to their grader, and he indicated that as long as you can still see a sliver of the edge border (along any part of the side), then it's not miscut. Personally, I try to stay away from 99.5-.5 L-R centering. I don't care what card it is.

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Posted By: runscott

Those old issues are great.

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Posted By: MW

edited