Callahan Hall of Fame Cards

[UKCardGuy]

I picked up an original box from the 1950s Callahan's Hall of Fame Cards in a job lot. I didn't know anything about the set but I've been doing some research. It appeals to me as a quirky item with some great artwork.

I've found a checklist, some old AH listings and I can find the cards listed for sale on ebay. But other than an SCD article from 2012 (https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...in-popularity/) I haven't been able to find much else.

Anyone here collect these? I'm interested to get thoughts on how difficult it is to find raw cards, whether there's much demand etc.

Thanks.

[Volod]

Yeah, I have a set of Callahan cards in the original box that my father bought for me on a visit to the BB HOF in Cooperstown in 1952. My box is somewhat different from yours. The HOF issued the cards starting in 1950, and also issued updates as players were inducted in later years, but I believe that the later issues stopped around 1953. Some time ago, I looked into trying to obtain the cards that were issued after 1952, but after seeing prices ranging from a couple of hundred dollars per card up to a thousand, I decided my set didn't really need the add-ons, especially since a lot of them were not players, but executives. Haven't checked prices on them recently, but you can probably find some cards on Ebay, completed listings, etc..

[swarmee]

The cards are pretty plain (printed pencil drawings on a white background), but obviously the historical Hall of Famers are pretty valuable. Since they came in a box set, many survived in high condition, and you can get the cheaper ones under $50 in very high grades.

Article from PSA in 2008:
https://www.psacard.com/articles/art...-baseball-card

There are some updates over the years, as seen on COMC and checklisted in the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. Here is their blurb:

These cards, which feature artist Mario DeMarco's drawings of Hall of Famers, were produced from 1950 to 1956 and sold by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and at major league ballparks. The cards measure 1-3/4" x 2-1/2" and include a detailed biography on the back. When introduced in 1950 the set included all members of the Hall of Fame up to that time, and then new cards were added each year as more players were elected.
Therefore, cards of players appearing in all previous editions are mrie common than those players who appeared in just one or two years.
When the set was completed in 1956 it consisted of 82 cards, which is now considered a complete set. The cards are not numbered and are listed here alphabetically. B.E. Callahan of Chicago, the publisher of Who's Who in Baseball, produced the card set.

I'm sure some of the value comes from being the lone or earliest cards of fringe Hall of Famers with either rare and expensive other cards, or no earlier cards. If they're in PSA Master Sets for those players, it would also affect the value. And there are updates/corrections to some cards over the years, as they mention when players passed away (Chief Bender) or changed careers (Sisler) during the production time frame.

Topps is always generating new subsets to add to old sets; wonder if they'll get to this one before their MLB contracts expire. Having new cards of all the Hall of Famers since 1956 would be interesting, and that re-release could increase interest in the original set.

[toppcat]

I seem to recall the later year (of election) subjects in this set are considerably scarcer, as it was reissued each time a new class of HOF'ers was elected.

[Exhibitman]

They are real gems.



My uncle went to the HOF in 1955 and gave me his set three decades later.

There are some major SPs, most significantly Joe D., who was a 1955 member. There are also some SP variations, mostly to reflect deaths. The old Standard Catalogs have good checklists of the variations.

[nwobhm]

Prices are all over the map on these and demand appears to be near zero. IMHO the asking prices on the higher grades are ridiculous and there is little to no ebay sales to support them. It looks like a couple people attempting to manipulate the market. I own 1 card from the set with no intention of buying more.

[sealmark2]

Hello All:
First let me say it sure is nice for a collector since 1945 to see listings for collectables other than gum cards, cigarette cards etc. Especially pins, pennants, odd ball and regional issues, publications and so forth.

Now to the Callahans. Yes, Bob's SCD effort was pretty much on the money. He lists 84 different including a number of the variations. I purchased my missing variations from a collector in Florida about ten years ago and my collection now numbers 91 different. Therefore 7 more than in SCD.

There were also at least three booklets published (I believe around 1952) which contain the pix of each HOFer front and reverse up until that time. Two have the Babe on the cover - one blue and one red.

Despite some good and bad comments on this set I am sure pleased with mine.

Sealmark

[UKCardGuy]

Thanks for the replies guys.

It sounds like a neat set. I'll keep an eye out for them and buy them slowly over time.

My preference is to pick them up as raw cards. I like the idea that I could assemble a full set of the cards and store them in the original box as they would have been in 1950-53.

[riggs336]

"Now to the Callahans. Yes, Bob's SCD effort was pretty much on the money. He lists 84 different including a number of the variations. I purchased my missing variations from a collector in Florida about ten years ago and my collection now numbers 91 different."

The PSA checklist also lists 91 different cards.

[IndyDave]

The only "find" that I purchased was back in 1982-83 shortly after I got out of college and had a real job (and real money).

A friend of my Dad's sold my brother and I his childhood collection. Wasn't a lot of cards but some high quality 1952 Topps and 1953 Bowman Color (a lot of them graded out in the 7-8 range years later) , some 1952 Red Man and a set of the Callahan's in a box (that I'm pretty sure looked different and had a cellophane window to let you see the cards.

We used to set up at shows a few times a year back then. I thought the Callahan cards were not at all attractive - so I sold the entire box at the first show we set up at after I bought them. I'm guessing I probably sold the entire set for about $20? Sigh.

[sealmark2]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

Thanks for the replies guys.

It sounds like a neat set. I'll keep an eye out for them and buy them slowly over time.

My preference is to pick them up as raw cards. I like the idea that I could assemble a full set of the cards and store them in the original box as they would have been in 1950-53.

Gary:
I just came across some correspondence on this set of Callahans from about 2010 which among other things lists the collectors views on the harder to find cards etc. It's really helpful info. If there is a way I could send you a copy I will do so.

Take care,

Sealmark

[sealmark2]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

Thanks for the replies guys.

It sounds like a neat set. I'll keep an eye out for them and buy them slowly over time.

My preference is to pick them up as raw cards. I like the idea that I could assemble a full set of the cards and store them in the original box as they would have been in 1950-53.

Gary:
I just came across some correspondence on this set of Callahans from about 2010 which among other things lists the collectors views on the harder to find cards etc. It's really helpful info. If there is a way I could send you a copy I will do so.

Take care,

Sealmark

[UKCardGuy]

I thought I'd come back to this thread after just over a year and summarize my journey with the Callahan HoF set since I started in Sep 2021.

A huge thanks to sealmark for the guide that he mailed me that gave all sorts of valuable info about the Callahan set.
SCD also has a good article about the set here: https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...in-popularity/

In summary, there are 82 different cards in the Callahan set + 9 variations. I decided to stick to the 82 cards (and not the variations). I'm trying to find the cards raw. I like the idea of storing them in their original box as they were 72 years ago.

The set as originally released in in 1950 with 58 cards and expanded with each set of new inductees until they ceased production in 1956. Those inducted in 1955 (e.g. Dimaggio, Lyons, Hartnett, Schalk and Vance) are the hardest to find. The first release of the set also included Happy Chandler, the Commissioner of Baseball in 1950. He was voted out of office in 1951 so his card was pulled making it and the Dimaggio the key cards in the set. Ironically, Chandler wasn't in the HoF until 1982. As the man that approved Jackie Robinson's contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, I like the man.

My journey started in Sep 2021 when I picked up an original box from the Callahan set in a job lot. That piqued my interest. Research and feedback in this thread, convinced me that it was a cool and quirky set that was right up my street.

So here's my journey...month by month. I hope you enjoy it.

In Dec 2021, I picked up my first Callahan card. An EXMT Mel Ott for the princely sum of $15. That's 1 down and 81 to go.

Then in Jan 2022, I found a lot of 27 Callahan's in EXMT/NM condition for $150. This lot got me the following cards:

• Cap Anson
• Mordecai Brown
• Morgan Bulkeley
• Jesse Burkett
• Alexander Cartwright
• Henry Chadwick
• Fred Clarke
• Eddie Collins
• Jimmy Collins
• Candy Cummings
• Ed Delahanty
• Hugh Duffy
• Johnny Evers
• Buck Ewing
• Frankie Frisch
• Clark Griffith
• Hughie Jennings
• Ban Johnson
• Willie Keeler
• Nap Lajoie
• Kenesaw Landis
• George Sisler
• Ed Walsh
• Baseball Hall of Fame

I also picked a lot of 8 in NM condition on ebay in Jan for just over $17. There were a few dupes with the lot of 27, but I added these new cards an average price of $2.23 each:

• Dan Brouthers
• Charlie Gehringer
• Harry Heilmann
• Tom McCarthy
• Joe McGinnity
• Wilbert Robinson
• Rube Waddell
• George Wright

33 down. 49 cards to go.

Feb: I picked up 3 more off ebay for just over $11:

• Jack Chesbro
• Herb Pennock
• Hoss Radbourne

46 cards to go.

Mar: I added another 8. I paid up for some of these because Gehrig, Dean and Klem are more expensive. Bill Klem is a difficult card to find (fairly short print). Dean is a little bit scarce and Gehrig costs more because...well because he's Gehrig.

• Charles Comiskey (paid $6)
• Dizzy Dean (paid $25)
• Lou Gehrig (paid $50)
• Lefty Grove (paid $15)
• Rogers Hornsby (paid $5)
• Bill Klem (paid $27)
• Rabbit Maranville (paid $14)
• Christy Mathewson (paid $6)

53% Complete. 38 cards to go.

May: I added 6 Callahans for $22.

• Connie Mack
• Roger Bresnahan
• John McGraw
• Eddie Plank
• Al Simmons
• Pie Traynor

32 cards to go.

June: I picked up 16 Callahans from a Net54 member for $86 including a couple of which are a little harder to find:

• Jim O'Rourke
• A.G. Spalding
• Tris Speaker
• Bill Terry
• Joe Tinker
• Paul Waner
• Cy Young

16 cards to go. I'm into the final 1/4.

Aug: Now we're getting in to the meat. By this point, I've acquired most of the "commons" in the set. What's left are a lot of the heavy hitters. In Aug, I picked up nice EXMT Ruth for $40.

15 cards to go.

Sep: A quiet month as I was doing a lot of travelling. But I manged to pick up 1 card - Bobby Wallace for all of 50 cents. :-)

14 cards to go.

Oct: An expensive month. I found 3 of the hard to find cards at a big auction house many of use frequent for $420+bp.

• Happy Chandler
• Ted Lyons
• Museum Interior

11 cards to go.

So at this point, I'm approaching the finish line but the cards I'm missing are hard to find and very short prints.

Nov: It was lucky that I spotted a number of Callahan's in a set break at a big Ebay consignor. I picked up 4 of the big guns of the set for just over $750.

• Home Run Baker
• Chief Bender
• Joe DiMaggio
• Ray Schalk

Phew. I was really happy to get the Dimaggio. According to the guide that sealmark shared, it might just be the hardest Post War card to find. I believe it.

That leaves me just the 7 cards below to complete the extended set.

• Tommy Connolly
• Gabby Hartnett
• Walter Johnson
• Kid Nichols
• Dazzy Vance
• Honus Wagner
• Harry Wright

Of these, Connolly, Hartnett and Vance will be the hardest.

So 1 year on, the set is 91% complete. After selling dupes that I picked up along the way, my average cost per card is ~$20.

I could have focused on just the 58 cards from 1950 and saved some money but where's the fun in that.

I'm still waiting for my Oct and Nov purchases to arrive. 2 of them are graded and I'll probably leave them like that. The rest of them will sit nicely in the box.

Here's the other 68 cards at home in their original box as Callahan originally intended. :-)

[Volod]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I thought I'd come back to this thread after just over a year and summarize my journey with the Callahan HoF set since I started in Sep 2021.

So 1 year on, the set is 91% complete. After selling dupes that I picked up along the way, my average cost per card is ~$20.

I could have focused on just the 58 cards from 1950 and saved some money but where's the fun in that.

I'm still waiting for my Oct and Nov purchases to arrive. 2 of them are graded and I'll probably leave them like that. The rest of them will sit nicely in the box.

Here's the other 68 cards at home in their original box as Callahan originally intended. :-)

Nice work, Gary. So, my question is: if the original box you have was sized to hold just the first 58 cards, how are going fit an extra ten or more into it?

[sealmark2]

Hi Gary:

Nice compilation on your Callahan journey. You are really doing well. It took me years to get all variations but once accomplished it was really satisfying.

Thanks for the kind words on the help I was able to give you long ago to aid your passion.

Mark K. Bowers
AKA Sealmark

[UKCardGuy]

One final update...I've now completed the full 1950-56 Callahan set plus the Mickey Cochrane with his name spelled correctly.

I completed it in March and I've been meaning to find the time to post an update.

December 2022
I picked up Walter Johnson for $30
6 Cards to Go

Jan 2023
I picked up another 5 cards including some tough short prints for $273

• Tommy Connolly
• Kid Nichols
• Dazzy Vance (Graded)
• Honus Wagner (Graded)
• Harry Wright

1 card to go

March 2023
I finally managed to pick up the Gabby Hartnett in a PSA 7 case.

Extended set is complete.

Then I happened to come across and Mickey Cochrane (correct spelling) and I picked that up for good measure.

That's me all done. 18 months from start to finish. I don't think I'll chase the other 8 variations but if I come across them....you never know.

[gonefishin]

Congrats on completing the set. I really enjoyed reading your process. I have always enjoyed the Callahan set as it has always appealed to me and I don't understand why - the cards are pretty plain. I've never tried to complete the set, but would kind of hang on to ones I came across. There was a time when the cards were really cheap, but I guess times have changed. I do have a couple of the "No Bottom Border" short prints; Heilman in a Beckett 7.5 and a Waner in a 6.

Maybe your thread will inspire to work on the set!

Again - congrats!