Most Valuable Non-Star Cards
 

I was pondering this: what are some of the most valuable cards featuring relatively obscure, non-HOF, non-Star players?

Slow Joe Doyle comes to mind, who played only four years but has one of the most valuable cards owing to the erroneous attribution on his T206 card. Or the Jimmy Claxton Zeenut card.

What say you all?

Ivy Andrews R300 is another.

Ten Million Obak

Magie T206. Sherry Magee was a star at the time and arguably belongs in the HOF, but today he’s mainly known for that card.

The O’Hara and Demmitt St. Louis T206s are also up there, though not as pricey as the Magie or Doyle.

N172 California League cards

https://robertedwardauctions.com/auc...ifornia-league

Claxton ZeeNut is up there. Historically significant in the baseball card world but unknown entirely to 99.9% of people.

If anyone wants to learn more about Jimmy Claxton there is a book out there about him written by one of our own N54 members.

https://app.thebookpatch.com/BookSto...7-50825e028c13

Probably outside the realm of this thread but all of the "Cy Young" cards that feature Irv Young (E98, E97, W555).

E90 has several, Mitchell, Upp etc.

I guess a cheat answer, but every common card in every very rare set meets the criteria.

Add the T205 Hoblitzell without stats to that list.

Exhibits
 

..in the world of exhibit cards several years an "Adolph Luque" sold for so much that it started its own thread on 54 ; I know "Moses Yellowhorse" sells for a ton whenever one rarely appears , and in the '39 Exhibits Salutations set a guy named "Rizzo" has caused broken friendships and financial bloodshed........none of these names is "star" status but their cardboard surely is........Exhibits card collectors are the quiet massive wealth that you hear communists complain about..

..

Wrong era, 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken variations. Bills only other big thing is he is the brother to a HOFer. Most of his other cards can be purchased for under $1. I have sold/traded the rare 89 Fleer variations for over $500 apiece.

I'm positive someone will provide the specific player in this thread shortly...but isn't there a 1952 Topps common that some collector has been hoarding....and now supply is so noticeably lower that it commands a steep premium?

Showin' Off
 

[QUOTE=MikeGarcia;2003995]..in the world of exhibit cards several years an "Adolph Luque" sold for so much that it started its own thread on 54 ; I know "Moses Yellowhorse" sells for a ton whenever one rarely appears , and in the '39 Exhibits Salutations set a guy named "Rizzo" has caused broken friendships and financial bloodshed........none of these names is "star" status but their cardboard surely is........Exhibits card collectors are the quiet massive wealth that you hear communists complain about..

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...NTEDDY_NEW.JPG

..these would be considered "commons" to a Johnny Rizzo hunter.......

..

1914 CJ Pratt and T207 Lowdermilk are cards of common players who command a premium relative to the rest of the common players in the set

Bartirome high number. There are threads about him on this board.

He was even a member here for a while.

You could fill a phone book (oops, I mean a Contacts file) with tough T207 common players.

Ugh every time I hear about Bartirome I feel sick to my stomach. I sold a PSA 6 to that creep, because I believed his story about trying to collect the card because Tony was his relative.

Thanks for the specific player name.

I just did a search on "Bartirome" on Net54 and found some of those threads you are referencing. Unbelievable.

T207 Irving Lewis
 

T207 Irving Lewis!

Patrick

This card often sells for such a premium (at least in high grade) that most think he's in the HOF, despite his mediocre-ness:

1933 Goudey #1 Benny Bengough

All E107 common players...

33 Goudey Moe Berg

Oh, that's a good point. I think you could likely put card #1 of most vintage sets on the list, as well as the last card....due to the "rubber band factor".

I haven't followed the prices on this card, but the T212 Miller (I think that's the one) is hoarded by Whaler on the board and sells for a premium when you can find one.

Some of the T222 short prints such as Henry and Lelivelt definitely fit the bill.

Is that the guy who claimed to be a relative of Bartirome? Didn't he end up in jail?

edited to add: Here he is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cole_Bartiromo

A couple
 

T206 Shaughnessy and Adkins...

I fell down the rabbit hole of reading some of the old threads today. It was interesting.... to say the least.

Very cool thread and some great ones listed. I have all the t206s named and three Claxtons, which I am thinking is a dubious honor.

How about the 1908 Rose Co. Moonlight Graham PC. Also, not a player and not necessarily valuable, but typically more expensive than a common is the D322 Mascot.

N172 Pete Browning.

Pete Browning is a name people wouldn't recognize but if you said "The Louisville Slugger" it'd ring a bell.

What's the market like on the Moonlight PC?

The 8 one of a kind Southern League non-issued proof T206 cards, if they were to come up for sale again.

Brian

Contentnea Uncle Sam

There is a Bartirome autographed '52 card in the current REA auction.

Mitchell and Upp. O'Hara and Demmitt. Claxton. I like those choices.
N172 Browning... I coulda bought one of those 30 years ago, but bought other cards, and reading his name has me recalling that unfortunate decision.

I like the call on Jack Lelivelt's T222 Fatima card. 85-90 years ago he was well known in Seattle, having managed the Rainiers, winning the PCL Championship in 1939 and 1940. He was from the Netherlands. Years ago most guides listed the Colgans Lelivelt as being Jack. I recall communicating with editors about that and most all now show that as Bill.... And I had really hoped it was Jack, I just wanted one of his cards. Never got a T222 of him, they sell for 8 to 10 times what I'd wanna pay.

This guy has already been mentioned, I like the card, the set, his team...


https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=28580

The 1910 COUPON and the T3 cards of Rhoades are virtually impossible to find. When either of these two gems do show up, be ready to pay big $$$$ for them.

https://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan...Willett25b.jpg


https://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan...T3xRhoades.jpg .


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

I think there are only two - one is an A and the other has a numerical. A board member had both and posted the numerical grade on BST for at least $5k (can’t remember exact price). I responded within 5 minutes but it had been sold already, and I wasn’t the only other interested party. I think it could fetch well north of $5k if brought to auction.

Here is a Scranton PC with graham

Intentionally limited production to limit redemption, makes this otherwise common card very expensive!

.

Pics of some cards named so far

Here's my T222 Lelivelt in all its pristine splendor.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4413/3...891566d8_b.jpg

T205 Hoblitzell no-stats is one y'all may have already mentioned.

Ted, I believe the Rhoades coupon is the "with glove" picture. Here's one from the gfg website, that I missed about 10 years ago. It would be interesting to see what a Rhoades coupon would sell for. I have it at about the 8th most difficult to find, based on the pop reports. The T3 set has a lot more collectors, which could drive the price. I know I picked up the Murray KC on ebay for $60.50, even though it was a holy-grail type card that had been on my want-list for 20 years.

1964 Topps Curt Flood #103 / Several 1959 Topps cards
 

A couple of different categories here: Hoarded cards like the 52T Bartirome, and condition sensitive / hard to find centered cards.

There are a few mainstream media reports about the Curt Flood. Not terribly expensive but more expensive than it should be.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-baseball-card

As to condition sensitive cards, there are examples at the high end of grades in many of the sets from the late 40's to the 60's. The Gibson RC in 59T is very hard to find centered. But that's a star card. A few examples of non-HOF's or non-star cards of that vintage include:


1953 Topps Dick Groat, non-high number - the PSA 8 is something like 6X the PSA 7 and 60X the PSA6, where usual multiple is more like 2x more than the 7 and 4X more than the 6. It is the a non-high number and is the eighth most expensive card in a set at high grades, while there are about 20 HOF cards in the set.

1954 Topps Chuck Harmon and Ben Wade. Same story - exponential increase at PSA 8. These two are the 8th and 9th most expensive cards in a set that includes about 20 HOF cards.

Another set of anomalies can be found in 1959 topps. The #330 Gus Triandos comes in at the 11th priciest card in that set in grade 8+. Not in the high number series either.

Also, look at the last card in the set. Billy Pierce #572. It's really condition sensitive.

Hi Rob

You are absolutely correct, I posted the wrong pose of Rhoades for his 1910 COUPON card in my post #38 here. My bad.

Here is my simulated 48-card sheet of the Major Leaguers in this rare set.

1910 COUPON (T213-1) Major League (48) subjects

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...sSheet12xx.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...Sheet12xxx.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...sSheet12xx.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eSheet12xx.jpg


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

The 1933 Goudey Bengough and 1952 Topps Pafko belong on this list because of the set they are in. Just like the t206s mentioned, all would be much cheaper if they were in a different set. When talking about common players, Pafko not Bartirome is the first card that comes to mind for 52 Topps.

Hey guys,

Of course Eddie Mathews is a star card; however, in the Fall of 1952 us kids didn't know that. And,
since he was the last card (#407) in this set, his card was subject to the "rubber-band treatment".

https://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan...Mathews407.jpg



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

nice ones.....

And here is Thompson...

https://luckeycards.com/thompson.jpg

for post war...1963 Pepsi John Bateman is pretty tough...

Ricky Y