T206 prices in 1962 (including Wagner and Plank)
 

I've found two articles in hobby publications of 1962 that discuss the prices of T206s, and I thought people might find them interesting. The first is in the February 28, 1962 issue (volume 2, no. 5) of The Card Collector, which was published by the Card Collectors' Company (founded by Woody Gelman, well-known collector and creative director of Topps). The article by Mike Adams (in his "Oldies" column) is a brief overview of T206, mentioning Wagner and Plank, and how Wagner had recently sold for $250 despite being valued in the 1960 American Card Catalogue at $50. Adams notes that the ACC values common T206s at 10 cents, but says he has never seen them that cheap -- "the Card Collectors' Co. charges 50c each for them".

The second article appeared in the September-October 1962 issue of Sport Hobbyist, published by Charles Brooks, and it was written by Charles "Buck" Barker, a very prominent collector for many decades who really knew his stuff. Barker discusses the various T206 backs and series, though he missed Broad Leaf and Drum. Like Adams, he mentions the ACC values of $50 for Wagner and $10 for Plank, and the rumor of a $250 sale of Wagner, though he also gives some historical background on the prices of the two cards. He also discusses the values of the various lesser rarities, mentioning that a Demmitt St. Louis had recently sold for $6. For T206 commons, Barker uses recent auction results from Card Collector's Bulletin to figure a market value of 10.2 cents a card, and 18 cents for minor leaguers. He mentions that "some dealers have been asking, and I suppose getting, 50c for these cards from kids who know no better." I strongly suspect that Barker is referring here to the Card Collectors' Company, and that he had read Adams' article a few months earlier, especially given that he repeats the rumor of the $250 Wagner. I guess the Card Collectors' Company was the 1962 equivalent of Dean's Cards.

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In the following issue of The Card Collector (March 31, 1962), Mike Adams has an even briefer overview of T205. He lists the main rarities and says that commons are valued at 10 cents each in the ACC, but adds that "rarely are the T205's found for sale at catalogue values! They usually sell for around 30c or 35c each." In the next issue of The Card Collector (April 30), there is an ad from The Card Collectors' Company selling T205s for 60 cents each.

That Barker article is amazing, especially the first paragraph.

Agreed. The last sentence is also good.

And note that here we see recognition in 1962 of a premium for the tougher backs.

As a pure hobby he was absolutely correct. However I think part of the staying power of the vintage cards is due to their value. Something worth a lot of money is, to a lot of people, more interesting.

To me the hidden gem is the Morey article, which I just forwarded to him for his review and comment. Imagine that's where a lot of the signed Max Carey cards were sourced, and Tommy Leach as well...

Here's another column by Morey from the June 30, 1962 Card Collector. He gives the address of another T206er, Hans Lobert.

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The fellow willing to pay $5.00 for a "Ty Cobb" back was a wise fellow.

Paying 5x book for a Wagner --- ludicrous !!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

"some dealers have been asking, and I suppose getting, 50c for these cards from kids who know no better." ---- Wish I was one of them :rolleyes:

Fun stuff.

Why don't we just all pool our resources and hire Dr. Emmett Brown to convert an old Delorean....

fun stuff
 

I'll go up to $250 for the Wagner :)