Complete/Near Set Builders- Toughest Card?

[Tim Kindler]

Attention those who have completed sets or are near completion of a set! Seeing Ed's T206 Completion Thread got me thinking about a couple of things that might interest those of us who are starting towards or near completion of various sets:
1. What was the MOST DIFFICULT card that you came across in completion of your set?
2. What was the MOST EXPENSIVE card that you purchased towards your set.

Please list the set and the answers to questions #1 and #2.

I've listed some of the more popular sets below, but please feel free to INCLUDE any set that you have completed or are near completing. I think this thread can be especially valuable to the many new vintage collectors joining the forum lately or those of us like myself who are thinking about going towards the next goal in our collections.

Example sets: T205, T206 (Excluding the Big 4- Wagner, Plank, Magie, Doyle), T207, E93, E94, E95, E96, E97, E98, E101, E102, E103, E106, M101-4-5, N28, N29, M116, D304, T3, T200, T201, T202, 33-34 Goudey, etc.

Can't wait to see some of your answers.

I'll start out:
SET- E98
MOST DIFFICULT-Bill Dahlen
MOST EXPENSIVE- Ty Cobb

[jim]

T202 - toughest one is "Too late for Devlin" with Devlin (Giants)/Matty. PSA 1 just sold for $400 I think.
T3 - toughest is a tie between Doolin error card and Tenney (Bost/NY) variation.
1935 Goudey 4 in 1 - Dean and others with puzzle back #6a and #7a - still looking.

[Leon]

Can it be a subset, like the E94 Overprints? The Oh You Fan is the one I have only seen 2 of and therefore is probably the most difficult. And that being the case I would think it would garner the strongest price. Still waiting to see a different E94 overprint, and if I were a betting person, I would say there are one or more different ones still to be discovered.

[Kawika]

I have put together a few pre-war player sets (as distinguished from master sets - I don't have the jam for errors, variations, traded cards etc - if all the players are represented, I'm done).

D304:
Most Difficult: None impossibly tough. Tenney has that reputation but I saw at least a couple available after I got mine.
Most Expensive: No surprise here. Cobb. Matty, Wags & Young pretty spendy, too.

T3:
Most Difficult: Rhoades and Bransfield were supposed to be the toughies. Didn't have a hard time with Rhoades but have seen very few for sale. Bransfield seems to come around on a regular basis.
Most Expensive: Cobb again. What is it about that guy?

T209-1 Contentnea Colors:
Most Difficult: Probably Lane and Bourquise. Never, ever saw them until I won a lot with all the remaining cards I needed at one go.
Most Expensive: I'd be guessing here. Maybe Martin. He is one of your scarcer cards and as good of a poster boy for Contentneas as you'd want.

E97 C.A. Briggs:
Set still in progress. Kinda hot right now and any that show up besides the BIN dregs command crazy money.

Most Difficult: Maybe Hemphill, maybe Keeler.
Most Expensive: "Cy" Young. Never mind that the player depicted is Irv Young. Most sellers fail to make that distinction. It's a nice card; love to find a cheap one.

[jcmtiger]

Probably not part of a set but any Proof card.


Joe

[jim]

David, I think the calling the RHoades and Bransfield is more a myth and passed down legend. I hunted for the Doolin error and Tenney variation for a couple of years without even seeing one available, much less even being able to bid on it. Now it might be that they were not that scarce but rather not just being offered. Have seen a couple of the Tenney cards recently, finally got it, but the Doolin error still hasn't surfaced. The Cobb is very abundant but a little pricey, along with the Matty. no surprise there. The second tier hof'ers like Waddell don't come out that often too. There never seems to be a lack of Ames though; go figure.

[Exhibitman]

Salutations Exhibits: Gehrig is likely to be the most expensive, Rizzo the most difficult.

[bbcard1]

From my experience in building a front set of T205s:

Last card: Young (wasn't hard to find, but I had several kind of slip through my fingers)
Most expensive card: Wilhelm
Toughest card: There isn't really anything truly difficult unless you are building the back set, but there are several cards that are incredibly easy and several that are a little tough...I think the one that was tougher than its reputation for me was the Crandall t crossed. Dahlen and Walsh are comparatively tough...Collins and Bresnahan mouth open seemed tough to me as well. Magee was the unaccountably tough card that was not a variation or SP.

Joss is fairly tough, but more expensive just because of its unusual nature.

A few cards like Chance, Huggins, Evans, Oakes, etc are VERY easy and you see them at a significantly greater rate than others.

My set is very low grade and I got a good start that included some SPs so my take may not be accurate in some circumstances.

[ChiefBenderForever]

1934 Goudey

1. Kiki Cuyler was the toughest and also the last card I needed to complete set. Although one was always available it was way overpriced so I waited until the right one came along.

2. Any common low number very inexpensive, some HOF'ers as well.

[Griffins]

T200
By far the toughest card is Boston NL.
Most expensive was based on condition, and timing of the auction. All things being equal I'd say Detroit or Cleveland, based on the inclusion of Cobb and Jackson.

'15 Cracker Jack
Alexander the toughest overall, Barry the toughest to find centered.
Jax the most expensive.

[uffda51]

T207-most expensive, Irving Lewis (no distinction made for arm patch), last to acquire, Donnelly.

T200-most expensive, Detroit, last to acquire, Boston NL. I agree with Anthony on this one.

D304-most expensive, Cobb, last to acquire, Tenney.

George C. Miller-most expensive, Gehrig, last to acquire, Melillo.

N566 Newsboys-most expensive and last to acquire, Ward, arms folded.

D322 most expensive, Wagner, last to acquire, Dreyfuss, before he was a HOFer.

T209 color, for me Lane was the easiest. I had two for a while. Pope was the toughest for me.

E103 -most expensive, Cobb, last to acquire, Crawford.

N300-most expensive, Anson, last to acquire, Kinslow (no team).

N43 -most expensive, Ewing, last to acquire, Miller took years although I have no reason to believe he is more rare than the others.

No wonder I feel old!

Edited to add that I went with a cancelled Andrews for my R300 set, otherwise that would have been the toughest (near impossible) card in that set. Like the 33 Goudey set with Lajoie, there is no question which are the toughest cards in these sets, and what the reason is. Others are much nore nebulous.

[Tim Kindler]

Bruce,
With a collection like that and the cards that you must have seen completing those sets; you may feel old, but you are like a Collecting God to me!

We're Not Worthy!
We're Not Worthy!

[frohme]

Same experience as Bruce above, only *significantly* more limited

T207 - most expensive - I. Lewis. Last to acquire - Donnelly.

--
Mike

[ullmandds]

bruce...is there a george miller Gehrig?

[caramelcard]

Hard to name just one for each but I'll try.

Experience for sets I've completed or almost completed:

E90-1 - $ and Hardest were Wagner throwing, Speaker, Mitchell Cin.

E90-2 - $ Wagner and Hardest Wagner

E90-3 - $ Gandil and Hardest Hahn and Payne and Tinker Blue

E93 - $ Wagner and Hardest for me was Brown

E94 - $ Wagner and Hardest was Cy Young and Lobert

E95 - $ Wagner and no hard cards

E96 - $ Mack and my last card was McQuillan

E97 - $ Keeler, Youngs, and never had the Youngs and Sullivan variations

E98 - $ Wagner and Walsh, Dahlen were toughest

E104 - $ Plank and Plank

T206 $ Cobb Green (fronts) and last card was Booker

T207 $ The five I have left and hardest were the five I have left

T209-1 $ and Hardest for me Fullenwider, Cooper, Armstrong, Booles, Cowell, Gilmore, Martin. They're all hard except Hofman and Walsh and Crockett.

D322 - $ will be Dreyfuss and hardest is Dreyfuss

D304 - $ Wags, Matty, Young, Cobb and hardest is Herzog blocked out

M116 - $ and hardest for me Joe Wood

[Matt]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

bruce...is there a george miller Gehrig?

Was going to ask the same; pretty sure Bruce got mixed up on that one.

[terjung]

Originally Posted by Matt

Was going to ask the same; pretty sure Bruce got mixed up on that one.

I'm guessing that he meant Foxx instead of Gehrig.

[barrysloate]

I was thinking Bruce meant Andrews, clearly the most expensive and rarest card in that set.

[bijoem]

I agree with Anthony and Bruce

T200 - toughest - Boston Nationals.

There are 'four toughies' in the set with the Boston Nationals definitely the toughest. Next toughest is the NY Americans, followed by the two St. Louis cards.

T200 - most expensive.... for me I believe it was Boston Nationals. It might have been Cleveland. I think all things being equal, again I agree with Anthony and Bruce - - - a top notch T200 Detroit would probably be the most expensive.

[uffda51]

If I had a George Miller Gehrig that would be something! What I had was a brain cramp. I meant to say the Delong Gehrig.

[chris]

T200
Most expensive - Detroit and NY Americans
Toughest - I think without question is the NY American. I have owned several Boston AL and NL and St. Louis and hardly ever see the NY Amer.

R312
Most expensive - Dimaggio
Last card aquired - Mack/Grove and Wagner/Vaughan

1971 Topps Greatest Moments
Most expensive - Reggie Jackson
Toughest - Harrelson and Pepitone

[bbcarddan]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Salutations Exhibits: Gehrig is likely to be the most expensive, Rizzo the most difficult.

Ditto on that one Exhibitman!At least I can say I`ve got Gehrig,don`t know if I will ever find a Rizzo.

[tbob]

Experience for sets I've completed or almost completed:

E90-1 - Hardest to find was Shean. Most expensive Joe Jax.

E93 - Hardest to find was Davy Jones. Most expensive was Cobb.

E94 - Hardest to find was gold Ty Cobb. Most expensive was olive Wagner.

E95 - Cards not that tough, Wagner was most expensive.

E96 - Hardest to find was Mack. Most expensive was Mack.

E97 - Hardest to find was Keeler. Most expensive was Young variation.

E98 - Coombs and Vaughn were hardest to find. Most expensive was Wagner.

T200- Hardest to find Boston NL (only one I need). Most expensive NY AL.

T205- Hardest to find "suffered" variation. Most expensive was Cobb.

T206- Hardest to find was Lindeman. Most expensive was Demmitt St. Louis.

T207- Hardest to find was Donlin. Most expensive was I. Lewis no emblem.

T210- Hardest to find Series 6 cards. Most expensive- Joe Jax (don't have)

T212- Hardest to find in 1909 Obak set was Carson. Most expensive Gandil.
Hardest to find in 1910 Obak set were the 150 series cards. Most expensive were the small group of fronts which were different from the 175 set.
Hardest to find in 1911 set Million. Most expensive Weaver.

D322- Hardest to find Patterson. Most expensive Peckinpaugh.

1911 Zeenut- Hardest to find Fullerton. Most expensive Weaver.

1912 Zeenut- Hardest to find Altman. Most expensive Bancroft.

Delong- Hardest to find Gehrig. Most expensive Gehrig.

R305 Tattoo Orbit- Hardest to find Levey. Most expensive Dean.

M116 Sporting Life- Hardest to find and Most Expensive McConnell White Sox.

C46 Imperial Tobacco- Hardest to find Fitzpatrick. Most expensive Gandil.

[Tim Kindler]

Speaking for myself, but I'm sure many others feel the same way, I am in awe of some of the collections that collectors like tbob and others that have posted in this thread of the sets in which they now own or at one time completed but no longer have. Amazing ans helpful information for those of us who love to build sets and may be looking at our next adventure in that realm. I know we have have a thread years back about the differences in set builders and type card collectors, but for whatever reason...I love building sets. Don't ask me how I got like this!

[whiteymet]

Got all of the Salutation Exhibits, but when I collected them in the 1970's Averill was not even known. Always thought he was the hardest.