Exhibit Cards

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Posted By: Phil Garry

How would you rank each issue of Exhibit Cards from the 1920's and 1930's in terms of scarcity?

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I don't know the answer, but I'm curious as well. I'm guessing the first set in 1921 is the most common. I see by far more of them than any other exhibit set. The PCL exhibits are clearly very scarce, perhaps the scarcest of all. Another card I'm curious about is the Gehrig that is listed on the "1939-1946" exhibit checklists. After over three decades of collecting, I've never actually seen one. If someone has one, could you post an image of it?

[Archive]

Posted By: Frank Wakefield

I think the 1934 4in1 Exhibits are generally the most difficult to locate, followed by 1923-4, then 1933, then 1929, then 1925, then 1931-2, then 1936.

Most folks wouldn't rate the 1934s first, they may be right. Some folks think the 1923-24 cards should be first with the 1934 cards jammed in the middle of those.

Frank.

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

Where do the 1922 Eastern Exhibit postcards rank?

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Posted By: Chris Counts

A board member, Adam Warshaw, has put together a very informative page on his website ... here's the address:

http://imageevent.com/exhibitman/interestingexhibitcards

He lists the 1923 set as the toughest of the major league Exhibit sets ...

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

The Standard Catalog prices the set around $15,000, which is huge for a small group of nobodies plus Earl Averill and Jimmy Reese. It is off the charts rare, especially the version with the stamped back coupon intact. Lew Lipset sold off a set some years ago.

As far as the rest go, I'd break it down as follows: The 1923-24 is really rough, and I'd put the 1926 right after that. Until a nice find surfaced this year I'd never even seen some of the HOFers in the 1926 set. The PC back set is a real hairy one to collect because of a number of short printed cards. Then 1925 and 1922. The 1921-27-28 are all about the same. I am not an expert on the 4 on 1's (never really cared for them) but I'd not quarrel with an assessment that the stuff from the mid 30's is the worst to find. Of course, that also excludes master set considerations on the 1929s, which is a miserable set to try and master because there are so many color variations.

There are also some single cards that are really hard to find. The 1929 Star Picture Stamps Babe Ruth card is not common but isn't that tough to come by. The 1930's portrait card of Ruth is very tough; an SGC 50 just sold for over $1,100 on ebay. The 1925 Ruth in the champions series is tough also. Finally, there is a really weird card of Ruth and Baby Snookums that has only come up a few times. I am not even sure it is an Exhibit; it may be a rival company's product. I haven't seen one for a while.

The Gehrig from the Salutations (1939) set is a rarity because it is a short print owing to his retirement in 1939. However, it does surface with some regularity for sale on ebay and in other venues.

[Archive]

Posted By: Frank Wakefield

I agree with that stuff about the PCL Exhibits... few out there in collections, not many surface for sale, they'd be at the top in terms of most difficult to obtain. Didn't think about the minor league stuff.

[Bernie M]

I came across a couple exhibit cards of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. I suspect them as reprints, and I believe I obtained them in a box of old baseball cards about 7 years ago. For years, I didnt know these were rare, and in some cases valuable. I was recently asked about them and decided to research these, and I saw an article stating that there were no pre-war reprints of Exhibit cards known of. I cant believe these are genuine, but could you possibly take a look at the attached pics of these cards and maybe help me identify whether these are reprints or not? Again, I think they are reprints, there is no way I could be so lucky to come across something like this by accident.

I believe, from research, that the Babe Ruth is a 1921 Exhibit, probable reprint, and the Gehrig is a 1925.

I want to submit these for authentication to PSA, but since I am so unsure, I dont want to do that and pay their prices for them to possibly come back as reprints.

What do you think?

[Leon]

Last go round on guessing I didn't do so well but hopefully someone can chime in on their thoughts. It is hard for me to tell from the scans but someone might know of a "tell" on them. Good luck.

[BeanTown]

Without having the cards in hand, its almost impossible. Thats a lot of aging on them. Did they survive a fire with smoke? Did they survive a dip in tea or coffee? Is there a smell to them? Cant hurt to submit to get an unbias TPG for opinion. Hope for the best and prepare for the worse.

[tschock]

My 2 cents. Given the condition of the cards already, take a corner of one of the cards and pull it apart slightly (ie split the corner of the card a bit). If the previously unexposed interior is tan or cream, it's likely legit. If the interior is of a gray card stock, I would be inclined to say a fake.