When commons are not commons - the end

JimC · #1 06-26-2022, 03:11 PM

My only rebuttal to this would be that I think high grade pre war commons can do very well. The level of grade varies based on the set, but if less than 10-15% of a set can be found in a particular grade or higher then the demand for those cards is likely to be there. Just my two cents.

Vintage Vern · #2 06-26-2022, 04:21 PM

I think over time rarity will have value, and no name commons will have a place especially ones that are few, and far between. All it will take is change of thinking from a different generation of collectors.

I'll give an analogy between my Dad. myself, and my son. All have a passion in cars. My dad was all about street rods 20s to 40s and try five Chevrolets. While I enjoyed them, and had a few I wouldn't mind having my heart was into 60s- the early 70 muscle cars, and I also love the pro street rage. My son may feel the same as me but he's totally into 90s Camaros and Japanese tuners. Values of some cars will be there, but others die with different generations. As time passes popularity changes to the next in thing, and when things get too expensive people start to get attracted to other things. It's a strange thing for every hobby to watch things you thought would always hold value that don't, and something else takes over. Hell, old cards may be used for noise makers again that once had 6 digit value at one point. While the Verne Clemons of the world may not ever have the value of Ruth it sure is harder to find. I like that challenge. I just hope I can get them before they're the next big thing. At some point the obscure rare common may have more value if the new breed of collectors shift their focus.

Republicaninmass · #3 06-26-2022, 06:11 PM

I see more people collecting signed cards and signed sets. Commons are just boring

#4 06-26-2022, 06:34 PM

My 2 cents is due diligence of a player that is considered to be a common, but the information and or background of that player tends to be be a part of the team history and name and not being a common

JLange · #5 06-26-2022, 06:53 PM

Commons definitely have their place in the hobby. Having too many is bonkers but having the right ones could make all the sense in the world . There still could be premiums to be made in the following situations:

-Player collectors and family members. Not necessarily predictable in terms of which ones, but player collectors and family members might pay up for that common card of a favorite or loved one. Maybe focus on semi stars or known family collectors. I don�t know from personal experience but I would imagine buying a card of grandpa has to still be a thrill for the family.

-Team collectors. It doesn�t have to be all Yankees and Red Sox. Plenty of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, etc collectors out there that would pay up for a common of their favorite team. Especially vintage.

-Type collectors. Sure it seems everyone wants a HOFer or star card for a type card collection. But there are plenty of sets where having any example makes one feel lucky to have a card at all. Also, there is no substitute for a real example common when you are thinking of making a much larger purchase for a HOFer or star from that set. Having an example in hand gives you a lot more information and confidence that what you are looking to buy is real and worth the asking price. I have passed on countless items that were suspect or flat out wrong due to having had a common in my collection for comparison.

JLange · #6 06-26-2022, 07:08 PM

...and to show that people actually do buy commons, here are my latest two pickups.

-E97 Joe Birmingham

-W503 Guy Morton

Thanks Brian!

#7 06-26-2022, 07:58 PM

Adding to the commons I bought this because of living in Eastern North Carolina at one time, being in the area of Rocky Mount, Wilson, Goldsboro and Raleigh of the Old Eastern Carolina League, more than likely Cabrol or Carrol was a Phantom Player

Chuck9788 · #8 06-28-2022, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLange

...and to show that people actually do buy commons, here are my latest two pickups.

-E97 Joe Birmingham

-W503 Guy Morton

Thanks Brian!

Commons are not "common" people. Joe Birmingham was the reason Napoleon Lajoie was dealt away from Cleveland to Philadelphia.

Joe Birmingham was named the Player/Manager of the Cleveland Naps in 1912 at the age of 28 and stayed at the helm for three more seasons.

His tenure was marked with a bit of controversy in 1913 which would be his best finish as manager (86-66, 3rd place). Nap Lajoie, who was Birmingham's former manager, struggled through a hitting slump in mid-season and Birmingham decided to bench the future Hall of Famer at one point. Lajoie who had no love for Birmingham was outraged and cursed out the young manager to his face and in the press. The feud only ended when Lajoie was sold back to Philadelphia after the 1914 season.

His next season would be a disaster, as the newly named Indians lost 102 games, and in 1915, Birmingham was fired after only 28 games.

Guy Morton called "Moose" died of a heart attack at age 41.

BioCRN · #9 06-28-2022, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck9788

Commons are not "common" people.

Putting together my collection of Cubs all-time greats and notables over the past couple decades (nothing individually extraordinary, all 1900s+ currently) has allowed me to really dig into personalities that make up the club's history.

A slew of these guys are players that joined the Cubs post-RC and they're commons because their main Cubs contributions are simply they got a big chunk of innings/games/at-bats regardless of results. Some guys are just interesting and never did anything in their careers that stand out, making their RC's pretty much commons.

Hal Jeffcoat has a 1951 Bowman RC that's never been in much demand that I know of. He was a cruddy CF'r for some cruddy Cubs teams 1948-1953 and became a cruddy pitcher for the team from 1954-1955 until being traded to CIN to pitch for them. Nothing in his stats make him a Cubs great, but the guy went from the field to the mound with only an off-season in between his change of career path.

Poking around in the history of the team has sent me on the hunt for cards of all kinds of vintage that would seem to be forgettable commons.

JLange · #10 06-28-2022, 08:43 PM

As a Cleveland Baseball Fan I absolutely love these guys, Joe Birmingham and Guy Morton. Both played their entire MLB careers with Cleveland.
I picked them up specifically because they were alumni of my favorite team.
I try to give players a wide berth when it comes to characterizing their playing days stats as HOF quality, Star, Above Avg, or Common.
One such measure I use is WAR. By this standard Joe Birmingham's lifetime WAR of 3.2 just doesn't register. I agree his colorful managerial career makes him interesting, but I would lump his playing days exploits into the common category when viewing it myself. Guy Morton on the other hand with a lifetime WAR of 16.3 ranks well for pitchers, in the top 600 all time. That is well above average, making him arguably not a common player. In any case though, I am thrilled to have added both of these players and their cards to my Cleveland Type Card Collection.

I would also like to add that highlighting stories about the players, as you have done with Joe Birmingham in his dustups with Nap Lajoie, brings life to these guys and makes the pursuit of their collectables all the more interesting and rewarding. Thanks for sharing this story!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck9788

Commons are not "common" people. Joe Birmingham was the reason Napoleon Lajoie was dealt away from Cleveland to Philadelphia.

Joe Birmingham was named the Player/Manager of the Cleveland Naps in 1912 at the age of 28 and stayed at the helm for three more seasons.

His tenure was marked with a bit of controversy in 1913 which would be his best finish as manager (86-66, 3rd place). Nap Lajoie, who was Birmingham's former manager, struggled through a hitting slump in mid-season and Birmingham decided to bench the future Hall of Famer at one point. Lajoie who had no love for Birmingham was outraged and cursed out the young manager to his face and in the press. The feud only ended when Lajoie was sold back to Philadelphia after the 1914 season.

His next season would be a disaster, as the newly named Indians lost 102 games, and in 1915, Birmingham was fired after only 28 games.

Guy Morton called "Moose" died of a heart attack at age 41.

Casey2296 · #11 06-26-2022, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimC

My only rebuttal to this would be that I think high grade pre war commons can do very well. The level of grade varies based on the set, but if less than 10-15% of a set can be found in a particular grade or higher then the demand for those cards is likely to be there. Just my two cents.

+1, T206 Rucker portrait in a 5 just went for $500, beautiful "common".

RCMcKenzie · #12 06-28-2022, 01:47 PM

Without my glasses, this one looks like Babe Ruth after hitting a home run. Bescher was actually really good, as most of the set of 50 images were of contemporary stars. They are unknown commons today. I think of this card as rare, but there are 3 more on eBay. Going for a Bescher back run, instead of buying an e102 Cobb.

ALBB · #13 06-28-2022, 03:26 PM

I know of many long time collectors who stopped the " complete set " insanity ,now ignore all the commons and just call sets " done " with stars, specials, etc..

GasHouseGang · #14 06-28-2022, 03:55 PM

While it can be very fulfilling to complete a set, it can also be prohibitively expensive. I'm done collecting sets. I still collect "semi-stars", but I'm done with commons.

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