Favorite personal vintage "find" or research story

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Posted By: Rob Fouch

I'm a relative newbie and don't post that often, but I'm always curious when I hear about finds you guys have made. How they came about. How often it happens. What it was like to stumble onto a rarity or a treasure trove of cards.
I'm also intrigued whenever someone talks about the research he or she did on a particular rare card. How exactly do you research a card that maybe no one's ever seen before? What does it entail? Anyone care to share a personal experience involving such a scenario? I, for one, would find such stories fascinating.
Thanks.
Rob

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I came across seven "colorized" 1940 Play Ball cards at a recent show. The seller figured they were hand-colored. The were cheap and attractive, so I picked them up. When I got home and looked them closely, I realized the artist's handiwork was so precise it didn't seem possible that it could have been achieved at that scale. Also, it seemed logical to me a 1940 color prototype could exist, since Play Ball switched to color the following year.

I posted a thread about the cards a couple months back, and a couple board members sent encouraging responses. One member said two color 1940s — graded by SCG I seem to recall — sold in an auction in December. About two weeks ago, I sent two of the cards into GAI for grading. As you can imagine, I'm waiting on pins and needles for their response. I understand they'll be bringing the cards to this weekend's Philly show ...

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Posted By: Rob Fouch

I remember that thread. Those are beautiful cards. Congrats and good luck with the grading.

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Posted By: Mike H

Best card find. I found a near complete set of Scrapps about 5 years ago for $200 at an antique shop. I steamed them off the paper. They had glue stains, some nicks here and there, and some curling. I had plenty of takers at the last Cleveland National for the group.

Best memorabilia find. The Gehrig Batrite I just sold in REA. Antique show...$250.

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Posted By: Joe Jones

I am very new to prewar collecting but I just found this e104-2 Miller, which is supposedly the first found with a Nadja back. It is not a big discovery by any means but for me it is my first.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

It hasn't been delivered yet. When it comes in, I will post if it merits it.

The internet is the greatest resource ever created for purposes of researching obscure cards, players, teams, etc. I simply cannot believe what I dredge up sometimes. Here are a few:

I purchased a pristine Ruth stereoview and found out all about it from a library here in California that was given the archives of the company. They had information not only on the card but on the circumstances of its underlying photo shoot.

I found a Zeenut of a light-hitting 1st baseman with the Seals in the late 1920s. After extensive research on the net I was able to add a new name to my list of Jewish ballplayers with cards. I think Old Cardboard will soon run a story on it.

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

I started a thread on this a while ago and received very few responses. I for one would be fascinated to read posts about finds

My only find was about a year ago at an estate auction which advertised three old baseball cards. At the sale I could not even identify them, but the looked like cards so I bought them for 20 dollars each. They turned out to be blank backed Pinkerton post cards of Tinker, Jennings and Nap Rucker. I was happy to have something "new to the hobby" even though they are in terrible condition.

The Pinkertons are some of my favorites pieces in my collection since I was the one who found them and "rescued them" from people who really didn't care about them!

Jeff

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Posted By: James Feagin

Not sure if you could consider it a "find", but I asked a card shop in Reno for some "old baseball cards". The owner waddled back with three E94's and a 1933 Goudey. Wanted $150 "firm" for the lot. I happily obliged, they have since been traded.

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Posted By: Keith O'Leary

I got a horizontal Big Eater in a box lot of cards several years back (paid $300 for the lot, still have the cigar box they came in).

The Big Eater now resides in a Network54 members collection. I initially traded it for a T3 Bender that ended up grading a PSA 5.

Another from the lot is the famous Jay Behrens T206 die cut Johnson portrait.

I got my $300 back several times over.

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Posted By: jay behrens

I've been fortunate enough to make a few discoveries over the past gerw years. The most prominent being the e90-3 Hofnlan (Hofman) the recently sold in the REA auction.

Jay

I like to sit outside, drink beer and yell at people. If I did this at home, I would be arrested. So, I go to baseball games and fit right in.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I have "discovered" a great variety of vintage boxing cards from major sets, including:

T220 Mike Donovan silver border: my favorite, since it dispelled the myth that 25 of the 50 cards in the set had been issued in silver.

N150 John L. Sullivan portrait pose variation

N266 John L. Sullivan pose variation

Numerous exhibit cards