Posted By:
Martin Neal I will post a copy of some notes I took on the auction. I remember it was listed as some baseball cigarette enclosures or some such heading. Sorry about the scan, but from looking at the original scan , it was very hard to determine what cards were in the stack. Twice , I asked the seller for more scans as I guess everyone did. The only thing he sent me was a scan of the Joss and the Cobb. From the scan, I figured out there was probably two Bresnahan (open mouths) and two Hoblitzells.
If I remember correctly, I bid $1330.00 at the last second, thinking that someome else would probably bid it up to $1300.00. One of the few times a bidding plan has worked. I won it at $1325.00. Call me a sniper, I guess.
I also remember driving home from the post office after picking up the package. I quietly chanted "Hoblitzell no stats" over and over to myself. Opening that package at home was definately the most fun I have ever had with this hobby (no pun intented). The first Hoblitzell I came to was the Cin. variation. The other Hoblitzell was down near the bottom of the stack and I had sort of figured that it would be the Cin. variation also. I was sort of stunned to flip it over, my mind did not register mainly because I don't think I had ever seen the back of the no stats before. Pretty exciting stuff. The rest of the cards were great also, I think 28 of the 30 were Hassan 30 Backs.
I was extremely curious as to where the seller got the cards, but did not want to make him feel bad about what he had sold. I finally emailed him and told him I really loved the cards and would probably keep them in my collection. I asked for a little history of the cards ( which is always great to get if you can) and he told me his son had purchased them from an octogenarian and asked him to sell them for him. He had a stating bid of $10.00.
I think it is really hard to dertermine the value of the Hoblitzell, but the only psa 6 sold at the Sotheby's december auction for $33,000.00+, and the SMR states that a Psa 3 sold for $12,000.00+ plus in 2004.
Thanks again to the board for letting me rattle on about these cards. T205 ebay listing, Hoblitzell front, Hoblitzell back