Old Judge Poll

[Fred]

The opinions of the following:

• "the best looking OJ of all"
  
• "the worst looking"
  
• "silliest pose"
  

Could best be answered by opening the Bible on OJs that was just released last year and going through all of the pictures.

As far as the rarest OJ goes, that's a tough one because the rarest one is probably still out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

I'd have to agree with Kevin about Hotaling (236-2) as one of the more silly poses. I'm kind of partial to the Connie Mack pose (285-2) where the ball is set up to be coming towards him and it looks like it's going to hit him square in the chest (as he watches it).

I also like the Radbourn 377-1 where he's flipping the bird at his waist. That one reminds me of the (I think it is 1974 Topps) Billy Martin that shows his middle finger extended down the bat.

[rhettyeakley]

The Hotaling is certainly a strange pose. It looks like he just ate some bad food and is getting ready to throw up, but he has a strange smirk on his face as he is doing it.

[DixieBaseball]

I think there is only 1 Charlie Krehmeyer (Cali) card known to exist. He played for Nashville in 1886 and I think it is safe to say, I won't be adding him to my Nashville Collection anytime soon.

[quinnsryche]

Originally Posted by Fred

The opinions of the following:

• "the best looking OJ of all"
  
• "the worst looking"
  
• "silliest pose"
  

Could best be answered by opening the Bible on OJs that was just released last year and going through all of the pictures.

As far as the rarest OJ goes, that's a tough one because the rarest one is probably still out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

I'd have to agree with Kevin about Hotaling (236-2) as one of the more silly poses. I'm kind of partial to the Connie Mack pose (285-2) where the ball is set up to be coming towards him and it looks like it's going to hit him square in the chest (as he watches it).

I also like the Radbourn 377-1 where he's flipping the bird at his waist. That one reminds me of the (I think it is 1974 Topps) Billy Martin that shows his middle finger extended down the bat.

What is this "Bible" and where would I get one?

[Fred]

I call it "the Book" or the "OJ Bible" because it's a very comprehensive book about the N172 offering. This is one of those "must have" hobby books. You'll enjoy "the Book", even if you don't collect OJs. There's a lot of history in "the Book". Short player bios are just another feature.

The authors and other contributors to this incredible effort are N54baseball board members. In the acknowledgement section of "the Book" you'll also find the name of one of the contributors to this thread. Sorry Kevin, you're now exposed.

I'm sure someone here will be able to provide the information you'll need to get this amazing OJ reference. The price paid for the book is really nothing when you realize the amount of time and selflessness that it took to get this book published and into the hands of hobbyist that were begging for something like this (for years).

[barrysloate]

I was just flipping pages in the Old Judge book and found a card I have never seen or heard of before: Horner and Warner, Milwaukee. That has to be a very rare card.

[E93]

The book is called "The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company (1886-1890) by Jay Miller, Joe Gonsowski, and Richard Masson. All contribute to this forum. You can contact one of them to get a copy.
JimB

[oldjudge]

You can order the book via Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=all

Hope you enjoy it!

[felada]

Barry
I believe the horner and warner double player card is described in Lew's book. At the time he wrote the volume it was a relatively recent discovery along with a few other double player cards, which are also not easy to come by.

[E93]

FYI, the amazon link says they are out of stock and don't know when they will get a new one.
JimB

[Joe_G.]

As already stated, the book will be your best single source to study the set. There is a chapter dedicated to set rarities including a list of the top 100 most difficult subjects to obtain. The book is rich in photography with over 2,500 images allowing you to study the set in detail not previously possible.

If interested in a copy, there are a couple options outside of Amazon including California Sportscards, sometimes eBay, or even from Richard Masson himself in a pinch. Here is one that ended a couple days ago, I'm sure another will be listed before long.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Judge-Photo-...item2c5274b239

California Sportscards:

http://www.californiasportscards.com...-p-324679.html

Back to your original post, the most difficult players to obtain are the 19 catalogued members of the California League. Some of the cards are unique with all but Veach having only a single Old Judge pose (Veach also has some tough poses with St. Paul). I should note that McDonald also has a second pose as a Gypsy Queen portrait (a unique card). Outside of the California League cards of 1889, many of the sets rarities reside with some of the players only issued 1888 Fb cards and 1886/87 Script cards. If you extend rarities to individual poses or even team change variations, the list of unique examples grows considerably including some of the 1890 NL/PL cards. My favorite unique pose is the portrait of Deacon White (496-9).

Kevin Cummings listed most of the poses I find interesting and silly. One that I don't believe has been mentioned yet is the "Long & Short" of Nicol & Reilly.

Barry, how could you miss the Horner / Warner card, you proof read an early draft for us? That is a rare two player card you don't see everyday. I too like the composition of Milwaukees pitcher and cather.

[PolarBear]

I know nothing about the N172 set. The books looks like an excellent read though, even if you don't collect them.

Just curious, how many different Indianapolis cards are there and are any rare?