Jeannette Tolstoi

[Tao_Moko]

My apologies to you Tolstoi collectors. I'm hoping for a complete JJ run and now down to only the error card. It's proving to be tough to track down. This was not much easier, but I got lucky and completed the back run last night.

What are my odds of finding the error?

[G1911]

You got lucky, my snipe didn't go off .

The error card is MUCH easier than the Tolstoi, not even close. The error is on 100% of Hassan, Factory 30 backs without the series 2 notation. It's no different from any other Hassan 30 back scarcity wise. You should be able to get it cheap

[Tao_Moko]

Originally Posted by G1911

You got lucky, my snipe didn't go off .

The error card is MUCH easier than the Tolstoi, not even close. The error is on 100% of Hassan, Factory 30 backs without the series 2 notation. It's no different from any other Hassan 30 back scarcity wise. You should be able to get it cheap

For what it's worth, I set a $617.21 max bid. I knew I would get sniped otherwise.

The Hassan 30 no notation has eluded me. I check everyone on ebay and all auctions. Not come across one this year.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Tao_Moko

For what it's worth, I set a $617.21 max bid. I knew I would get sniped otherwise.

The Hassan 30 no notation has eluded me. I check everyone on ebay and all auctions. Not come across one this year.

In that case I’m glad my $606 didn’t go off and just run you up!

Hassan 30 no notations can take some time, but they all come up and usually don’t carry much of a premium. Good luck on it, I got a couple the last year for normal prices at ~$15. It will come. I love the bright yellow background, makes Jeanette’s cards one of my aesthetic favorites in T218.

[Exhibitman]

It is a great image. I think it is my 4th favorite of the set behind these:

[RCMcKenzie]

I was following along, ready to swoop in with my $77 top all bid. I guess I underestimated Jeanette's star power. From y'all's over $600 talk, I would think Jeanette is the 2nd most valuable T218 Tolstoi, behind Johnson and ahead of Jeffries, Langford etc. What are y'all's top 5 Tolstoi?

[G1911]

Jeanette ain’t worth anywhere near $600 in reality, I’m just a desperate junkie to finish the master set I’m getting close on and inflating values on the handful of cards I still need. He should rank far below Johnson. Langford, Gans and Jeffries are “easier” Tolstoi’s but more popular names. I’d think Jeanette should be worth 15% more or so than Langford.

Everyone else is a common, really.

[Tao_Moko]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

I was following along, ready to swoop in with my $77 top all bid. I guess I underestimated Jeanette's star power. From y'all's over $600 talk, I would think Jeanette is the 2nd most valuable T218 Tolstoi, behind Johnson and ahead of Jeffries, Langford etc. What are y'all's top 5 Tolstoi?

$600's would have been top dollar for sure. I think I picked it up for a pretty good deal. I dont have a lot of experience with Tolstoi backs, but here are my thoughts:
1. Johnson *seems to be fairly obtainable
2. Jeanette
3. Jeffries
4. Langford
5. Gans

[RCMcKenzie]

Thanks for the feedback. I had Gans in there also. Still need a Jeanette, maybe a couple more will turn up soon. Now at 26/50.

[G1911]

I paid $160 for a raw Good Langford recently, which I thought was a fair deal to both ends.

I paid ~$300 for an SGC 30 Johnson in 2019. It’s probably a grand today or something.

I paid about $84 for a Gans in 2018, I think.

Jeffries was like $70 5 years ago, but I got a good deal.

[Tao_Moko]

I passed on two Johnson's that were each around $1000. Made an offer to a board member for another one, but didnt happen. I think there's another up for auction now. I've seen more Johnson's than any other.

Picked up a beater Jeffries for $24.

I actually dont typically persue them due to those of you trying to complete your sets. I just needed the Jeanette for a run. *still looking for the misspelled version.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Tao_Moko

I actually dont typically persue them due to those of you trying to complete your sets..

I sincerely appreciate this very, very much, finishing this set is going to drive me nuts one day.

Johnson’s are coming out because of the INVEST stuff going on with him, I think. His Green card is a super print, but I don’t think the blue Johnson Tolstoi is. I think he’s as common as half the set, but of course I can’t prove it…. Maybe one day we’ll uncover some uncut material. I keep hoping.

[scooter729]

Just curious - for those of you going for a full Tolstoi run - are you doing just the boxers, or the other athletes as well?

I had been going for the run of all Tolstois several years ago, but stalled out around 27-ish and haven't really chased them in the past few years at all. I haven't sold them since I enjoy having them, but think I've been priced out of pursuing any others at the current rates, it seems!

[G1911]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Just curious - for those of you going for a full Tolstoi run - are you doing just the boxers, or the other athletes as well?

I had been going for the run of all Tolstois several years ago, but stalled out around 27-ish and haven't really chased them in the past few years at all. I haven't sold them since I enjoy having them, but think I've been priced out of pursuing any others at the current rates, it seems!

I'm going for all 50 of them including the track stars and swimmers, as a necessary subset of the 630 card true master set. 2 of us here have significantly increased the values up over the last couple years. Probably a poor financial move, as the buyers market is also very small on them and I will not recoup the inflation on the ones I need down the line should I sell. But as I intend to never sell, finishing my favorite sets (T218-T220) in master form is the priority. It will take years still to cross off the handful of cards I need.

[Tao_Moko]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Just curious - for those of you going for a full Tolstoi run - are you doing just the boxers, or the other athletes as well?

I had been going for the run of all Tolstois several years ago, but stalled out around 27-ish and haven't really chased them in the past few years at all. I haven't sold them since I enjoy having them, but think I've been priced out of pursuing any others at the current rates, it seems!

I am working on a master set(85%) complete of fighters only. I never planned on including Tolstoi backs aside from Jeanette unless one falls in my lap. I like to buy lots and sometimes get lucky in those(off ebay). No interest in the other sports of that series so I leave them alone.

[RCMcKenzie]

My main focus is baseball. I'm running out of cards to collect that I can afford, so I may start to focus more on T218. Really like the Track and Field for the prices. I may get to the Track and field subset before I hit the boxers. I can't imagine I'll pony-up for a Johnson unless it's the last one I need.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

My main focus is baseball. I'm running out of cards to collect that I can afford

That was one of the major reasons I went to boxing cards in the first place. Even the 1948 Leaf Graziano: I guess I could afford it but don't want to spend that much on a single card.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

That was one of the major reasons I went to boxing cards in the first place. Even the 1948 Leaf Graziano: I guess I could afford it but don't want to spend that much on a single card.

Me 3. I could get several boxers or 1 baseball player with my T card money. I picked the several boxers.

I have no idea what a Graziano would be worth these days in this market, but pretty much every being card is something I can realistically afford (I'm too much of a cheapskate to do) or is an attainable goal one day, unlike the top end of the baseball market that I can simply never play in or realistically hope to acquire even a beater example of. A lot of stuff I would consider the "elite boxing cards" can be had for a couple thousand or less, if you can find them

[Exhibitman]

Finding them...that's the rub. My want list is more like a unicorn hunting list at this point.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Finding them...that's the rub. My want list is more like a unicorn hunting list at this point.

The unicorn hunting is what makes it fun. It's a lot more satisfying to find a card that's been on my want list for 15 years because it rarely ever appears, and tracking one down is a challenge, than because it costs a lot of $$$.

Or maybe, this is how my poor a@@ rationalizes it....

[G1911]

So who got the PSA 4 with the F***ed up case that hammered at $280 today?

I picked up another copy as the result of this thread, probably the most Tolstoi Jeannette's in circulation at once ever.

[RCMcKenzie]

I didn't see it. I have searched "T218" and "newly listed" a few times in the last week, and it did not show up. I just searched "T218 Tolstoi" "Sold Listings" and I saw the sale. I guess 'T218' didn't pull it up because they called it "T-218". I guess no one contacted me because I said I wanted to pay $77. I can go to $200 if anyone has one for sale. It makes me think that more T218 Tolstoi will pop-up for sale at these prices.

[G1911]

Odd, I thought it might have been you. "T218" pulls up "T-218" listings as well, I got it through my several times daily "T218" search.

I bid $207 just as a placer before I got the other one, and never retract a bid, so I'm glad I didn't win it. $77 will be hard to do. I sure hope more come out of the woodwork, I've never seen more than maybe 10 of any one front. No clue how many there are actually are or how many are 'known' to the hobby instead of being squirreled away somewhere. 2 of these 3 at least aren't "new"

[RCMcKenzie]

Maybe I didn't scroll back far enough on the newly listed setting, or maybe I just scrolled past it. It was almost certainly listed because of the price of the first sale.

I looked to see if I could tell anything from the bid history of the 2 sales, and it seems that the under-bidder of the first auction won the second auction. I'm sure I will find one eventually.

I bought this Steinert in 2018 on eBay. I don't remember what I paid, but I think it was around $20. A few days later, another Steinert turned up in a group of 3 Track Tolstoi, and I won that group for around $60. A week later another Steinert turned up, but I did not bid. Then, another turned up and I wish I had bid on the third, to have four in 2 weeks. I still have this one, and an upgrade.

[G1911]

I’ve owned 2 Steinerts as well. I think T218-2 was probably produced on 2 sheets (possibly a separate run of Johnson’s, I’m pretty confident Johnson Green with him facing the opposite way was it’s own sheet in the late series 1 production), and one of them is notably more common in Tolstoi (these same cards do not appear to be super printed in other backs). I’m pretty sure the Tolstoi scarcity disparity is a big clue to the sheet layouts but the lack of a single miscut (at least I’ve never seen a T218-2 that one can tell what the adjacent card is) is a pain for figuring much out.


I’ve got rid of all the dupes I’ve come into over the last few years, and sitting at 41 uniques. Even the more common half is darn tough. There’s a group of them that just seem to change hands every couple years and come up for sale over and over. I don’t think I've seen more than ten unique examples of any card, though there’s surely much more than that. I often wonder if we see 5% of the extant examples crop up on the forums and in sales venues, or if it’s 50%. Relative scarcity is a lot easier than true scarcity. The T218 Tolstoi’s have an entry in the ATC journal but must have had a very brief print run. Tolstoi is not that tough of a back in all the other sets it produced (T79, T206, T220, probably forgetting some), and fairly common for some (T80).

[Exhibitman]

Wasn't me; just watched as it soared.

[G1911]

While we're asking who won what, who ran me up $250 on the Red Cross Papke tonight? I forgive you

[Tao_Moko]

Originally Posted by G1911

While we're asking who won what, who ran me up $250 on the Red Cross Papke tonight? I forgive you

Sorry. I set a max bid at $303.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Tao_Moko

Sorry. I set a max bid at $303.

My surprise was that the third bidder was at only $55. I was hoping it would go closer to 200 than 400, but pricing this stuff is always tough. I’m up to 2 Red Crosses now. 48 to go…

Also just noticed the Red Crosses are a physically smaller card than the other 3 backs.

End hijack, back to the Tolstoi’s gentlemen

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by G1911

the Red Crosses are a physically smaller card than the other 3 backs.

other 3 T219 backs? Miners Extra, Honest Long Cut and ____?

I've not noticed the size disparity; gonna have to check that out.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

other 3 T219 backs? Miners Extra, Honest Long Cut and ____?

I've not noticed the size disparity; gonna have to check that out.

Miners Extra, Honest Long Cut Black, Honest Long Cut Green. 2 brands, 2 backs people care about, but 3 actual backs.

I haven’t had a Red Cross in hand until recently, and just realized it is notably smaller left-right and it’s shrunk a bit from the other 3 back types. With it raw in hand to stack with my others, my Conley Red Cross is definitely a physically smaller size. Never noticed from images before. Presumably this is why the border is missing on back too…

[Exhibitman]

Got it. Ink variation = different back.