Most Significant Hobby Find

[ErikV]

Over the years there have been numerous finds. In your opinion which of these was the most significant to the hobby?

[ullmandds]

While all of these finds were incredible in their own right...many such as the OJ find and T206 find we're ultimately absorbed into the hobby with no long-term repercussions. And while the recent lucky seven find is incredibly significant to those looking to add a Cobb Cobb to their collection... The majority of collectors can never hope to own such a card . For these reasons to me the black swamp find has been the most significant From a standpoint of forever affecting e98 values and perceptions due to the sheer quantity and quality of cards found.

[ZachS]

I'm familiar with pretty much all of these finds except 2004 National/1914 Crack Jack Collection Find. Could someone provide some background on this one?

[ErikV]

This was the press release from Mastro Auctions regarding the 2004 National/1914 Cracker Jack set:

There’s still a prize in every box. And so it seems, a few surprises still left in the world of sports card collecting. An exhilarating find of pristine 1914 Cracker Jacks, still in the original company envelope, surfaced at the recent National Sports Convention in Cleveland, OH. The set’s discovery and subsequent sale has taken the value of vintage baseball card sets to an unprecedented level.

In 1914, Cracker Jack sought to entice young buyers by including a baseball trading card in every box. Most existing 1914 Cracker Jack cards, long coveted by sports card collectors, display notorious staining from insertion next to the caramel candy and were further damaged by eager hands grabbing for the card. The recently sold set, however, features none of these defects.

“Our guess is that the cards came directly from the factory, were placed in a Cracker Jack company envelope and kept in the same family for all these decades as a keepsake. These cards were never inserted in any Cracker Jack boxes,” said Doug Allen, president of MastroNet, Inc., the auction house that represented the seller of the set.

Allen says the discovery of the cards represents a monumental event in the sports card collecting industry and provides some valuable insight. “There’s this impression that all of the great vintage material has been found. And then this fresh set of amazing cards walks in the door at the National. You just never know when the next “attic find” is going to show up,” said Allen. Allen’s excitement of being involved in the record sale is fueled not only by the high price and previously unknown existence of the cards, but also by their condition.

Sportscard Guaranty (SGC), a leading authentication and grading source, was chosen to assess the condition of the 144 cards in the set that features players such as Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson and Honus Wagner. “It’s hard to find words that would do this set justice,” said Dave Forman, president of SGC. “The Joe Jackson card , which grades Gem Mint 98, is the finest pre-war card our firm has ever graded. In my opinion it is the best pre-war card in existence period,” said Forman. The rest of the set, according to Forman grades overall near mint to mint or better. “Phenomenal is all I can say,” said Forman. “I see great cards every day. But this is definitely a career highlight. Sportscard Guaranty was honored to be selected to grade this monumental set.”

[ZachS]

Originally Posted by ErikV

“The Joe Jackson card , which grades Gem Mint 98

[Al C.risafulli]

In terms of sheer value and "wow" factor, I don't know how anything could eclipse the collection of CJs that walked into the National in 2004 and wound up being auctioned by Mastro.

In terms of what's interesting, I'm always drawn to finds of really rare, one-of-a-kind items that show up in insane places. The New York Knickerbockers photo from 1845-50 that was discovered in the attic of a cottage in upstate New York comes to mind. Not the most valuable piece by any stretch, but what a story! I love that stuff.

-Al

[RaidonCollects]

How about the 1952 Topps High # Mr. Mint Find?

-Owen

[atx840]

The T206 proofs that walked in to a show, including the Collins and 8 unissued SL players was pretty significant for the set.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by atx840

The T206 proofs that walked in to a show, including the Collins and 8 unissued SL players was pretty significant for the set.

I believe the eight unissued SLers were in a separate find from the Collins and other proofs. The latter walked into the fall 1973 New York show, while the eight SLers only came to light in 1999. See this article by Keith Olbermann:

http://t206resource.com/Article%20VC...0Men%20In.html

[tedzan]

Hey guys....Yes were in the pre-WWII section of this forum; however, I agree with all the folks who posted here regarding Al Rosen's tremendous find in the mid-1980's
of the 1952 TOPPS Hi#'s (and Semi-Hi #'s) cards. Can you imagine 40 near Mint Mantle cards ! Including 21 complete runs of Hi#'s (#311 - 407). Furthermore, 37 runs
of Semi-Hi#'s (#251 - 310). If you do the math, this find totals approx. 5000 cards.

I remember this "happening" very well; and, the significance that I am trying to convey to all of you is......this post-WWII card find affected the value of all cards across
the spectrum (1887 - 1967).

For example......prior to this find you could purchase a T206 Cobb (Ex) for less than $100. Within a year (or two), vintage cards doubled and tripled in value, as a result
of this find.


TED Z
.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hey guys..Yes were in the pre-WWII section of this forum; however, I agree with all the folks who posted here regarding Al Rosen's tremendous find in the mid-1980's
of the 1952 TOPPS Hi#'s (and Semi-Hi #'s) cards. Can you imagine 40 near mint Mantle cards ! ?

Including 21 complete runs of Hi#'s (#311 - 407). Furthermore, 37 complete runs of Semi-Hi#'s (#251 - 310). If you do the math, this find totals approx. 5000 cards.

I remember this "happening" very well; and, the significance that I am trying to convey to all of you is....this post-WWII card find affected the value of all cards across
the spectrum (1887 - 1967).

For example....prior to this find you could purchase a T206 Cobb (Ex) for less than $100. Within a year (or two), vintage cards doubled and tripled in value, as a result
of this find.


TED Z
.

My recollection is that Rosen quickly sold 15 complete runs of the Hi #'s (97 cards) for $15,000 per run.

And, you'll love this....I was acquiring near mint Hi # commons for "pennies". I had hoarded 1984 Topps Mattingly and Strawberry rookie cards.
And, I was trading them to dealers for the 1952 Topps Hi #s from Rosen's find. For example: four Mattingly's for a 1952 Topps Burgess.

You just have to love this hobby....and, certainly back in the 1980's.


TED Z
.

[111gecko]

Great topic. Knowing about all of these 'finds'; I often wonder about the ones that weren't public. I can imagine over the years collectors have picked up monster deals that either 1) didn't want to flood the market with cards, or 2) bought the deal for virtually nothing and don't want anyone to know about it.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by tedzan

And, you'll love this....I was acquiring near mint Hi # commons for "pennies". I had hoarded 1984 Topps Mattingly and Strawberry rookie cards.
And, I was trading them to dealers for the 1952 Topps Hi #s from Rosen's find. For example: four Mattingly's for a 1952 Topps Burgess.

You just have to love this hobby....and, certainly back in the 1980's.


TED Z
.

I don't mean to derail the thread, but for some reason this post reminds me of an eBay listing I saw a couple days ago. Look at the article in the background. A dealer purchased 40,000 Gary Sheffield rookies for $30K. As Ted said, "You just have to love this hobby....and, certainly back in the 1980's."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1988-Donruss...p2047675.l2557

[glynparson]

The Rosen 1952 high number find. Nothing even close to it IMHO.

[Griffins]

Agree with the '52 Topps find, but the Tango Eggs find should rank up there as well. An issue that hadn't really been seen for 75+ years and then pops up.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Griffins

Agree with the '52 Topps find, but the Tango Eggs find should rank up there as well. An issue that hadn't really been seen for 75+ years and them pops up.

ya but practically noone cares about tango eggs!!!

[doug.goodman]

I agree with the 52 Topps Rosen find...

[GoldenAge50s]

When I saw the list of choices, I quickly hit "Other", as I consider the Rosen Topps find #1 all-time!

His subsequent 1954-55 Bowman find was quite a deal also, and would be even more important if they weren't roach-infested!

[Griffins]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

ya but practically noone cares about tango eggs!!!

This is what makes people anti dentites!

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Griffins

This is what makes people anti dentites!

you anti dentite bastard!

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Griffins

This is what makes people anti dentites!

Next, you'll be saying they should have their own schools.