Personal Pre-War Set and Collector Survey

todeen · #1 06-14-2021, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obcbobd

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?

About 1972,I bought a few T206s, got some 33 Goudeys a few years later. Stopped around 1980 and picked up again in the early 90s

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've

ever owned at any one time? ~1300

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

~1300

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?

(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

1921 Exhibits Babe Ruth, which is in a 1 cent Exhibit machine

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you

currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only

counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the

percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or

2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

1921-22 E121 about 90%

1923 W515-2 75%

1931 W517 complete

1933 Goudey missing Lajoie

1934 Goudey complete

1934-36 Diamond Stars missing two (low numbers only)

1936 National Chicle �Fine Pens� missing four

1939 Play Ball missing one

1940 Play Ball missing two

1941 Play Ball

1941 Double Play

I love the 1921 exhibits! Great Ruth card and display!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

steve B · #2 06-14-2021, 12:34 PM

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?
Since late 1977 or early 78. I'n not sure exactly when I bought my first prewar card.

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

I'm not sure, maybe 3-400 ish?

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

Pretty much the same, I seldom sell any.

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

It's hard to say. I have a handful or T206 with more difficult backs, and a few oddities. It's hard to choose one, as there are a few maybes, but significant for different reasons.

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

None. I don't think I'm even close to 75% in any of them.
One of the hazards of being a not focused collector and more an opportunistic generalist.

Ricky · #3 06-14-2021, 01:34 PM

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?
I think I bought my first one, a 1933 Goudey common, around 1980.

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

I would guess around 500.

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

Same as above, I very rarely part with any cards.

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

Probably my 1933G Ruth and 1933 and 1934G Gehrig, along with two T206 Cobbs, Wajo portrait, and 14CJ Wajo. But others could be up there, too.

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

I'm a type collector with an eye towards stars and HOFers, so I really don't concentrate on building sets, but I do have:
W551
1933 Delong
1935 Goudey
and postwar, 1948 Bowman
complete.

BobC · #4 06-14-2021, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?
I think I bought my first one, a 1933 Goudey common, around 1980.

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

I would guess around 500.

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

Same as above, I very rarely part with any cards.

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

Probably my 1933G Ruth and 1933 and 1934G Gehrig, along with two T206 Cobbs, Wajo portrait, and 14CJ Wajo. But others could be up there, too.

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

I'm a type collector with an eye towards stars and HOFers, so I really don't concentrate on building sets, but I do have:
W551
1933 Delong
1935 Goudey
and postwar, 1948 Bowman
complete.

Rich,

Great cards and collection. Noticed we have the W551 set in common. I think a sorely underappreciated set, and not that hard to complete at only 10 cards in the set. And a lot of bang for the buck with 8 of those 10 players being HOFers, including the likes of Ruth, Cobb, and WaJo. Very nice.

Ricky · #5 06-14-2021, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobC

Rich,

Great cards and collection. Noticed we have the W551 set in common. I think a sorely underappreciated set, and not that hard to complete at only 10 cards in the set. And a lot of bang for the buck with 8 of those 10 players being HOFers, including the likes of Ruth, Cobb, and WaJo. Very nice.

Thanks Bob! I probably should have listed my E95 Wagner and 41PB Williams and DiMaggio as well. And I'm drooling over your collection! Absolutely amazing.

BobC · #6 06-14-2021, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky

Thanks Bob! I probably should have listed my E95 Wagner and 41PB Williams and DiMaggio as well. And I'm drooling over your collection! Absolutely amazing.

Ricky,

Thanks, but don't start drooling too hard. I'm definitely a lower end collector, and have to be when you start looking at all the Cobb, Ruth, Wagner and other superstar cards out there. So I have a preponderance of 1's and 2's (and even a fews A's) amongst my many HOFer and pre-war star cards. Occasionally I mess up and somehow end up with a nicer condition card, but I try to not let that happen too often. LOL

Truth be told, I'm not really into grading cards and would prefer buying them raw, if possible. But when dealing with pre-war cards, especially the HOFers and stars, you generally only find already graded ones for sale. Most sellers get them graded to maximize the potential sales price, and also calm buyer fears of possibly buying fake or reprint cards, especially when being sold online. I've been collecting and handled enough different pre-war cards over the years that I have no real concerns looking at cards in person at a show and determining if they are real or not. Online purchases, unless from a known and trusted seller like a DavidB or Howard, are a completely different story. Another potential benefit of buying lower condition graded cards, besides being able to afford them, is that they are less likely to have been doctored or tampered with. Already enough threads about those concerns and issues out there so no need to comment further on that topic.

Ricky · #7 06-14-2021, 05:15 PM

Bob, I�m an old school collector and agree with you. Most of my pre-war cards are raw and I also will collect 1 s and 2s if I really want the card. I try for cards that present well but if it�s a card I need from a tough set that�s normally fairly expensive, like D311s, I�ll buy an affordable examples with creases. Navigating this great hobby on a modest budget can be a challenge but it can be done.

jefferyepayne · #8 06-14-2021, 05:31 PM

Great reading through this thread! I'm mostly a football guy but have dabbled in baseball through the years if I see something that strikes my fancy. If I was going to pick two sets I don't currently have a card from that I'd really like to have they would be: Turkey Red and Rose Postcards.

Also have a project to collect baseball cards of pre-war professional football players (Thorpe, Neale, Nevers, Abbaticchio, Charlie Berry, Walter French, Paddy Driscoll, Pat Flaherty, etc.) which is a lot of fun.

Here are the answers to your questions

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?

I picked up my first pre-war baseball card as a kid in 1978 (t206 common and a 1927 strip card). Didn't collect between 1983 - 2008 before getting back into the hobby in 2009. Been active ever since.

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

I'm at around 400 pre-war baseball items at this point. Over half are t206 cards as I'm at 214 of the monster but haven't actively worked on this set for a few years now. The rest are type cards or cards of pro football players who have baseball cards.

I have cards from these sets: N172 Old Judge, N284 Buchner Gold Coin, 1889 ER Williams, 1895 Mayo, t206, t205, E92 Dockman, E90-1 American Caramel, T201 Mecca, 1914 Cracker Jacks, 1915 Cracker Jacks, 1916 M101-5, 1917 Boston Store, 1919-1930 Zeenuts, W514 strip, 1923 Willard's Chocolates, 1933 Sport Kings, 1933 Goudey, Diamond Stars, 1936 National Chicle Fine Pens, 1939 Play Ball.

Also have some RPPCs as well. Also a few Pittsburgh Pirates memorabilia items from their pre-war World Series wins. Go Bucs!

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

See above. I'm a hoarder, not a collector so don't sell anything ;-)

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

Probably one of my Thorpe cards ... but I don't track prices so don't know which one is currently the highest.

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

None.

jeff

BobC · #9 06-14-2021, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve B

1. How long have you been collecting pre-war cards?
Since late 1977 or early 78. I'n not sure exactly when I bought my first prewar card.

2. What is the approximate largest number of pre-war cards/items you've
ever owned at any one time?

I'm not sure, maybe 3-400 ish?

3. Approximately how many pre-war cards/items do you currently still own?

Pretty much the same, I seldom sell any.

4. What is/are the most significant card(s)/item(s) you currently own?
(Not what you may have owned at one time.)

It's hard to say. I have a handful or T206 with more difficult backs, and a few oddities. It's hard to choose one, as there are a few maybes, but significant for different reasons.

5. What complete sets or near complete sets (say 75% or more) do you
currently own? (Again, not counting sets you used to own, and only
counting the baseball cards in multi-subject sets in determining the
percentage complete. And not including as sets any issue with only 1 or
2 listed baseball cards/items in it.)

None. I don't think I'm even close to 75% in any of them.
One of the hazards of being a not focused collector and more an opportunistic generalist.

Steve,

I'm not really a focused collector either, but if you saw my set list you can see what trouble it has gotten me into. LOL Great collection, keep it up.

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