Early Hobby Baseball Card Collectors

[Leon]

I was going through the proverbial boxes of "stuff" pushed aside for another day and found this postcard. My guess is circa 1980s? (maybe a little earlier)...
Reading about the early hobby days is interesting. This excerpt was taken from an SCD article, written by esteemed hobby researcher, George Vrechek, on Frank Jock.

"1896-1968 FRANK JOCK

Jock was an avid collector since his boyhood. He stored 1,500 pounds of sports memorabilia in a cottage behind his house. He was an admired collector, and Bob Jaspersen started an award which was given annually after Jock’s death to collectors who had improved the hobby."

[MK]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was going through the proverbial boxes of "stuff" pushed aside for another day and found this postcard. My guess is circa 1980s? (maybe a little earlier)...
Reading about the early hobby days is interesting. This excerpt was taken from an SCD article, written by esteemed hobby researcher, George Vrechek, on Frank Jock.

"1896-1968 FRANK JOCK

Jock was an avid collector since his boyhood. He stored 1,500 pounds of sports memorabilia in a cottage behind his house. He was an admired collector, and Bob Jaspersen started an award which was given annually after Jock’s death to collectors who had improved the hobby."

I never heard of a collection being described by weight before. Makes me wonder what mine weighs.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by MK

I never heard of a collection being described by weight before. Makes me wonder what mine weighs.

Everyone please remember that the plastic slabs of graded cards should not count toward your hobby weight.

You will also need to subtract your own weight when standing on the scale while holding this hobby material.


Brian

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Everyone please remember that the plastic slabs of graded cards should not count toward your hobby weight. Brian

Brian, you may not count your slabs in determining your hobby weight, but I sure do. And, I have far more of the heavier SGC slabs than I have PSA slabs, which gives me a leg up on all the PSA affectionados.

[brianp-beme]

SGC slabs also have the additional advantage of taking up more space.

Brian

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

SGC slabs also have the additional advantage of taking up more space.

Brian

I’d still take an SGC slab over that ugly PSA one any day of the week.

[Leon]

I was hoping this would be about early collectors. Things don't always go according to plan though.

[butchie_t]

Originally Posted by MK

I never heard of a collection being described by weight before. Makes me wonder what mine weighs.

Sure you have, " I have TONS of DUPES. I have TONS of junk cards. etc." we always discuss our excess of cards in TONS.

[FromVAtoLA]

My weight is up since I started collecting…oh, wait, are we just talking about the weight of the cards…

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was hoping this would be about early collectors. Things don't always go according to plan though.

James Cagney approves of Buck Barker's creative use of pen and available space on this Zeenut.

Brian

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was hoping this would be about early collectors. Things don't always go according to plan though.

At least we’re consistent, if not infuriating!

[Bobsbats]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

At least we’re consistent, if not infuriating!

+1

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

At least we’re consistent, if not infuriating!

Infuriating is kind of harsh. More like annoying ....We almost all do it and I am as guilty as the rest.

For our PCL fans.....

[Jay Wolt]

two hobby pioneers Lionel Carter & Frank Nagy's T201 cards

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Leon

For our PCL fans.....

]

Nice Dick Dobbins postcard. I have something somewhat related to Dobbins, a Zeenut with Buck Barker's writing, and at the bottom border is a notation by Buck that indicates he obtained the card in 1975 from Dick Dobbins.

Brian

[T206Collector]

Very proud to have a signed T206 card from the John D. Wagner collection…

[T206Collector]

And a signed T201 from the Jefferson Burdick collection. I have a theory that Wagner traded with his friend Jeff for the T201 and then sent it to Leifield for the signature.

[EddieP]

WWII spy and saboteur, Edward C. Wharton-Tigar was voted in the Card Collectors Hall of Fame in 1971. At the time of his death, Wharton-Tigar held the Guiness Book of World Records of the largest collection of cigarette cards. His collection now resides in the British Museum.

Here is his bio from the British Museum:

“Mining engineer, SOE operative, director of the Selection Trust, and collector of trade cards, especially cigarette cards. Began collecting in 1920, and by his death had formed the world's greatest collection which he bequeathed to the BM. It is registered as a group under 2006,0201.1. He was the founder in 1938, and president of the Cartophilic Society of Great Britain, and his index system and the cards in his collection form the basis for the 'World Index of Tobacco Cards' in many printed volumes.”

[GasHouseGang]

A couple of cards from the Lionel Carter collection.

[Leon]

I have around 20 letters, plus some other cataloging things, from Wharton-Tigar. Interesting reading...

Originally Posted by EddieP

WWII spy and saboteur, Edward C. Wharton-Tigar was voted in the Card Collectors Hall of Fame in 1971. At the time of his death, Wharton-Tigar held the Guiness Book of World Records of the largest collection of cigarette cards. His collection now resides in the British Museum.

Here is his bio from the British Museum:

“Mining engineer, SOE operative, director of the Selection Trust, and collector of trade cards, especially cigarette cards. Began collecting in 1920, and by his death had formed the world's greatest collection which he bequeathed to the BM. It is registered as a group under 2006,0201.1. He was the founder in 1938, and president of the Cartophilic Society of Great Britain, and his index system and the cards in his collection form the basis for the 'World Index of Tobacco Cards' in many printed volumes.”

[dbrown]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was going through the proverbial boxes of "stuff" pushed aside for another day and found this postcard. My guess is circa 1980s? (maybe a little earlier)...

No zip code, so probably pre-1967 when that became mandatory/generally used. And issued while Jock was alive.

[oldjudge]

Great stuff, Leon! Thanks for posting these. After all these years we are becoming hobby old timers.

[BabyRuth]

A Ruth from Lionel Carter

[brianp-beme]

Here is a T206 with a stamp of prominent collector Lawrence Kurzrok, along with a photo. A writeup of Kurzrok is on this excellent website by our own Andy H. about T206 back stamps:

https://thegreatt206backstampproject...kurzrok-md.php

Besides being a doctor and professor, as a young man Kurzrok was quite an advanced amateur tennis player in the 1920's and 1930's, at some point ranking 10th in the nation.


Brian

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by Leon

I have around 20 letters, plus some other cataloging things, from Wharton-Tigar. Interesting reading...

E.C.Wharton-Tigar seemed to be an interesting character. He was the president of the Cartophilic Society of Great Britain until his death in 1995. I’m waiting for my copy of Wharton-Tigar’s catalogue on cards produced by the British American Tobacco Company. And I’m currently on the fence whether to buy Wharton-Tigar’s autobiography.

[qed2190]

Image (4).jpg

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by Leon

I was hoping this would be about early collectors. Things don't always go according to plan though.

That picture of him reminds me of my next door neighbors, the Burdicks, on Janet Drive, where I grew up from 1965 to 1971 in Syracuse. I mean the resemblance is strikingly similar to that of a boy in that family by the name of David, who at the time was a couple of years older than me. I am pretty sure they were related to old Jefferson himself in some fashion.

[BeanTown]

First Net54 Dinner or close to it.. Many still collecting

[Leon]

Lot's of old hobby friends there....
.

[EddieP]

Benjamin K. Edwards. His cards currently reside in the Library of Congress. The collection was featured in the CBS Evening News in 2012

This collection from the Library of Congress features early baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914. Cigarette card collector Benjamin K. Edwards preserved these baseball cards in albums with more than 12,000 other cards on many subjects. After his death, Edwards' daughter gave the albums to noted poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg, who donated them to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division in 1954.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/bas...m-1880s-1910s/

From the LOC Website:

.

This collection presents a Library of Congress treasure—2,100 early baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914. The cards show such legendary figures as Ty Cobb stealing third base for Detroit, Tris Speaker batting for Boston, and pitcher Cy Young posing formally in his Cleveland uniform. Other notable players include Connie Mack, Walter Johnson, King Kelly, and Christy Mathewson.
Cigarette card collector Benjamin K. Edwards preserved these baseball cards in albums with more than 12,000 other cards on many subjects. After his death, Edwards' daughter gave the albums to noted poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg, who donated them to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division in 1954.

[T206Collector]

16 years ago I did a couple of interviews with hobby legends Lionel Carter and Jeff Morey. You can listen to those on my website at:

https://www.signedt206.com/lionel-carter-interview

https://www.signedt206.com/jeff-morey-collection

I also visited the Leopold Morse Goulston collection of T206 cards at the New York Public Library and wrote an article about it (and even donated some missing T206 cards to that collection). Goulston had a gorgeous Wagner which is still in that library.

You can see the article here:

https://www.signedt206.com/goulston-t206-collection