Investment Q...

[FrankWakefield]

I here can offer a meaningful opinion...

The Cobb will be appreciate more, relative to the appreciation in price of the Demmitt.


Cobb is a top tier HOFer. Demand for cards contemporary with when he played increases, at an increasing rate. The Demmitt card is only sought by those who are attempting some level of completion with T206s (520 or more). It seems to me that while some folks attempt that, or pace themselves in that direction; there isn't a growing number of serious T206 set collectors. Folks chase HOFers, a team, portraits, all of one back...

Mr. Lipset's vol 3 of The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards has mention of values of T cards in a Price Guide on page 110. These prices are circa 1986.

Wagner 22,000
Plank 4,500
Magie 2,000
O'Hara 500
Demmitt 500
Elberfeld Wash 225
HOFer 25
Cobb red 200
Cobb green 300
Johnson 100

Somewhere I have a list, based on price lists and sales lists for the white border tobacco cards; that show prices from the 50's to the 90's. Green Cobbs have overtaken Demmitt's in value.

Now if almost no new collectors enter the hobby, and we die off, then we may well get back to Demmitt's being worth more. I think there are fewer of them, than the green Cobb's, but it isn't simple supply and demand. Folks are after Cobb even though they might not know much about him. There's lots of demand for his cards. Few folks, even among collectors, know about the college boy from Illinois who hit .301 under Hughie Jennings with the Baltimore Orioles in his first season of professional baseball. Or that out there in that Orioles outfielder was another guy who'd be depicted in those great white border tobacco cards... Bill O'Hara. Now who here knew Demmitt and O'Hara were team-mates?

Demmitt's card is less plentiful than the green Cobb. But the green Cobb has MUCH more demand, it'll sell for more.