19th Century Memorabilia

[jcmtiger]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

Where has all the great 19th century memorabilia gone. Major auction houses used to regularly have more extensive offerings in this area. This is no longer the case. Other sources are also lacking. Since most 19th century collectors are generally holding on to what they have, does this just show how rare this stuff is?

I have about 40 N172 old judge which includes all 26 poses of the 1887 Detroit. Still Need some tough Detroit players, but no luck lately. I have gone thru many collecting phases, complete sets 1960’s thru 1990’s. Detroit sets T206, T207, 1952, 53, 55, 57 Topps and much memorabilia for Detroit. Now waiting for more Detroit 19th Century which collectors seem to be holding. LOL

[perezfan]

Ever since the advent of eBay and on-line auctions (becoming prevalent around the year 2,000), much of the good stuff has found its way into collections. And because of the extreme rarity, most advanced collectors are hesitant to let their best pieces go. Same applies to me personally... I would much rather sell or consign a piece that has a chance of resurfacing some day. It's very difficult to part with ultra-rare items that have defied Father Time against all odds.... especially when in nice condition.

This phenomenon largely explains the dwindling number of 19th century offerings seen at auction. There are other factors as well, such as those mentioned previously in this thread.

When 19th Century collectors start "aging out" and some of these items start to reappear in the marketplace, I'm confident prices will be quite strong. There will always be a demand for truly rare and landmark pieces that were instrumental in shaping the game.

On the rare occasion something turns up these days (such as a Trophy Bat, Pillbox Hat, Lace-front Jersey, Workman's Glove, Thayer Mask, etc.) I seemingly always get outbid now. Back in the 1990s - early 2000s, I had a far better "wining percentage" on these antique items. There's simply more demand and far less supply these days.

The recent escalation of card prices (especially for items that aren't even rare) has been beyond impressive. But sooner or later, that bubble will inevitably burst. Truly rare artifacts will realize a more steady and stable rise over time.

That said, we may be in for a few more years of this dry spell.

[bgar3]

It seems like most of us have similar thoughts.
To go along with Jonathon’s suggestion I am posting my last pickup, a circa 1865 cdv of Archie Bush and James McClure. An expanded version of my Net 54 post on this was just published on John Thorn’s Our Game blog if anyone wants to learn more about Archie.

[GaryPassamonte]

I've read Bruce's article and it's well worth reading. The history of the game's early players is always of great interest.

[bgar3]

Thanks Gary.

[GaryPassamonte]

There is not one piece of 19th century memorabilia in the new REA. I guess this validates what is being said here.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte

There is not one piece of 19th century memorabilia in the new REA. I guess this validates what is being said here.

Well to be fair, it is strictly a card auction. REA is now doing these lower-grade events periodically for collectors with smaller budgets. They'll still do their premier events, but have now added these smaller auctions, similar to what Hunt does monthly and Heritage does weekly.

The next REA premier event will be much more telling.