Popularitly of N172/N173 Old Judge vs T206

[oldjudge]

The old judge set is the first major baseball card set, the T206 set the second. The T206 set is more popular since the players are better known, and with enough money a front set is easy to complete. Excluding California League cards (many unique), the old judge set can be completed, if you define completed as one card of each member of the set. One set has been completed, one is one card away, and several others have made it to within ten cards or so. However, this is not easy, and in our current immediate gratification world, not something often tried.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

The old judge set is the first major baseball card set, the T206 set the second. The T206 set is more popular since the players are better known, and with enough money a front set is easy to complete. Excluding California League cards (many unique), the old judge set can be completed, if you define completed as one card of each member of the set. One set has been completed, one is one card away, and several others have made it to within ten cards or so. However, this is not easy, and in our current immediate gratification world, not something often tried.

I would think money would stand in the way of many with the desire to complete the set. There is also the fact that many players never come up for sale. We can't all have a Taylor Shafer gifted to us by a careless collector who passes it up for a mere $350

[GoCubsGo32]

Is there a list of rare Old Judge cards N172/N173? I know of the rare cards in T206.

I figured T206 would be more popular but, I always thought Old Judge held a high value since they were older.

[oldjudge]

John--Did something like that really happen? Hard to believe that someone would be so penny foolish.

Old Judge rarities listed in the Old Judge book (The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company 1886-1890)

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

John--Did something like that really happen? Hard to believe that someone would be so penny foolish.

Old Judge rarities listed in the Old Judge book (The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company 1886-1890)

It's been so long now since I heard that Shafer story that I can't remember if it actually happened or it's just an old wives' tale

[oldjudge]

Yah, it has been a long time. The way I heard it, some poor guy named Devin, or Kelvin, or something like that, passed on the card. I think it has to be urban legend--no knowledgeable collector would do that.

[kkkkandp]

Originally Posted by z28jd

It's been so long now since I heard that Shafer story that I can't remember if it actually happened or it's just an old wives' tale

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Yah, it has been a long time. The way I heard it, some poor guy named Devin, or Kelvin, or something like that, passed on the card. I think it has to be urban legend--no knowledgeable collector would do that.

Please promise me that the two of you will come to my funeral and tell everyone there that story (one more time) so they will feel even more sorry for me.

BTW, Jay - you neglected to mention who was the the beneficiary of that decision (which was made by a guy who was on a very strict budget at the time and long before the Old Judge book documented the scarcities).