Cool article by PSA on Top 20 rarities

[veloce]

Originally Posted by tennisguy

I was surprised the T206 Magie error didn't make the list?

Maybe PSA is embarrassed that they actually lowered the population of Magie by one.

[BeanTown]

All great cards and would have been nice to put a postcard/Exhibit on the list. I'm thinking Rose Cobb or 25 Exhibit Gehrig

[GaryPassamonte]

It's interesting that all four 19th century cards on the list were also our picks from a thread way back in 2009.

[Shoebox]

This will probably be a minority opinion but things like the Mantle Dice game and the Robin Roberts 51 AS are very rare/scarce but the fact that they were never actually distributed to the public even in a very limited form puts them in a different (less desireable/appealing) category for me. The same for T206 proofs and scrap cards. They are interesting and certainly have a lot of historical significance but just isn't the same to me as a rare regional item that survived out in the wild.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by Shoebox

This will probably be a minority opinion but things like the Mantle Dice game and the Robin Roberts 51 AS are very rare/scarce but the fact that they were never actually distributed to the public even in a very limited form puts them in a different (less desireable/appealing) category for me. The same for T206 proofs and scrap cards. They are interesting and certainly have a lot of historical significance but just isn't the same to me as a rare regional item that survived out in the wild.

Right on, Dustin.

When researching my E-book on a CD, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, as I traced the provenance of some of the banzai regionals, I found the far majority trace their heritage to a significant find of unsold stock, where these leftover prizes were squirreled away by someone who either worked for the company who printed the cards, or worked for the company whose promotion distributed the cards or coins.

In such monumentally rare instances, these eventual PSA 9s did not have to survive out in the wild, but were spared the wild. Then, many years later they were brought to a show, or a dealer was contacted, or the guy got in touch with an auction house and consigned them.

Really, finds are all miraculous in and of themselves, because extremely few people at said factory or printing companies back in the day would have the inclination to save a few of these as souvenirs of the promotion. After all, until the advent of the organised adult hobby around 1969, these little "free prize" trinkets were seen as just "junk" to 99 people out of 100.

For what it's worth, the most cherished pieces in my own collection do trace to one of these "finds". I wrote at length about some of them. Amongst which was the occasion from whence came the hobby's only graded MINT 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams. This particular once intended "free prize" sold back in 2002 for $109,638, a world record price for a regional, and deservedly so.

So Dustin, your opinion is by no means a voice in the wilderness. I'm right there with ya. ---Brian Powell

[mrvster]

can't believe "Magie" is not on the list????????????

Dustin, you make some good points.some of these cards on the 20 list are just rarities, and not really issued....even the balty ruth imho

...but when it comes to T206 scraps, I can't see anything(issues or cards) surviving "more of the wild" than a DUMPSTER"

t206 scraps,although not issued, were literary plucked out of the garbage!

where as the T206 proofs were actual "prototypes" and are part of the concepts/design pieces.....these are like you said, more of "pieces of history" like rare cabinets......or small pieces of art, far to rare to have been issued.....it's like comparing one of the "yoda" protypes figurines to one of the mass produced ones bought in walmart in a package

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by mrvster

Dustin, you make some good points.some of these cards on the 20 list are just rarities, and not really issued....even the balty ruth imho

Out of curiosity, how to you figure that the Ruth was not really issued?

[Shoebox]

Originally Posted by mrvster

can't believe "Magie" is not on the list????????????

Dustin, you make some good points.some of these cards on the 20 list are just rarities, and not really issued....even the balty ruth imho

...but when it comes to T206 scraps, I can't see anything(issues or cards) surviving "more of the wild" than a DUMPSTER"

t206 scraps,although not issued, were literary plucked out of the garbage!

where as the T206 proofs were actual "prototypes" and are part of the concepts/design pieces.....these are like you said, more of "pieces of history" like rare cabinets......or small pieces of art, far to rare to have been issued.....it's like comparing one of the "yoda" protypes figurines to one of the mass produced ones bought in walmart in a package

Don't mean to disparage T206 scrap as I know you and others love it dearly. But like you said in your Yoda comparison its something from a different category of collectable.