‘Rarest’ doesn’t always equate to ‘most expensive’
Articles
50 Fast Facts from the T206 Set
Here are 50 basic facts about the world’s most popular set of baseball cards
Punctuation Matters (Or Not): A Look at the Messy Formatting in the E90-1 American Caramel Set
The E90-1 set is full of formatting oddities and errors
Rare Rittenhouse Back Details Company’s Unique Promotion
A rare E285 Rittenhouse variation explains their unique promotion
The Final Days of Noted Collector Jefferson Burdick
A look at the famous collector as well as his final days
The N-Card Designation Has Caused Some Confusion
Because Jefferson Burdick cataloged 19th century cards differently, the N-Card categorization can be confusing
E98 Old Put Cigar: When Caramel Cards Become Tobacco Cards
A rare variation of E98s has turned some caramel cards into tobacco issues
What’s the Real Prize in the T212 Obak Set?
A closer look at the Big Three in the massive Obak minor league set
Dots Miller E90-1 American Caramel ‘Sunset’ Variation Remains a Tough Find
A rare variation in a popular caramel card set is selling for big money
Tale of the Tape: T205 vs. T206
Comparing the two behemoth tobacco sets
Monthly Site Updates (February 2019)
Here’s a look at the site updates for February 2019
(In)famous Shotwell Babe Ruth Card Remains Unauthenticated
A supposedly legit and valuable Babe Ruth card hasn’t yet been graded. Shocker.
Red Grange: From College Football Star to Football Card VP
In only a few days, Grange went from being a college football player to an executive
The 1941 Play Ball Set is Short, Sweet, and Relatively Simple
This war-time set is a painless venture for vintage baseball card fans
Comparing COMC vs. Sportlots
I placed some orders on COMC and Sportlots. Here’s how I rate the two sites.
It’s the Dog, Stupid — Art Whitney N172 Old Judge Card Popular for a Canine
This card’s prices have been driven up by the inclusion of a dog
E91 American Caramel Cards – Generic Players or Not?
Jefferson Burdick said the E91 American Caramel cards had a ‘faked design’ — but what’s the truth?
The Wide, Crazy World of Collectible Ink Blotters
A look at one of the more unique types of pre-war cards
A Timely Visit Likely the Only Reason this Babe Ruth Tobacco Card was Printed
Without Max Schmeling, this Babe Ruth card might not exist
N154 Duke Presidential Candidates is the Ultimate Nonsensical Presidents Day Set
These 19th century cards are rare … and incredibly dumb
The New Pre-War Cards Site is Up and Running
Here are the ins and outs of the new website
Vinegar Valentine Postcards Included the World of American Football
Here’s a Valentine’s Day look at a rather odd genre of pre-war sports cards
The Virginia Brights Baseball Nine Cabinets Were Hard to Find — Here’s Why
The interesting cabinets are rarely seen today
A Temporary Adjustment
Website changes are coming
A Cigarette Card Marriage
The story of how a tobacco card started a relationship and ultimately led to a wedding
This List of Most Valuable Baseball Cards from 1977 will Surprise You
An old list revealed the most expensive cards more than 40 years ago
1897 Marked the Temporary Death of the American Tobacco Card Industry
Two reasons were at the forefront of a ban on tobacco cards
Monthly Site Updates (January 2019)
Here’s a look at changes to the site made this month
Wagner, Doyle, Plank, Magie … and Bug(g)s?
When T206 cards were released, one town had trouble finding a relative common
Thou Shalt Not Collect: The Warnings and Perils of Early Tobacco Card Collecting
Here’s why early card collecting was viewed as a bad thing by many adults
The Mythical Type 4 1932 Sanella / Astra Margarine Cards
After years of looking, it’s pretty clear these cards don’t exist
Ten of Babe Ruth’s Most Unique Baseball Cards
Today is the Babe’s birthday – here are some of his more interesting cards
Where are All of the R318 Batter Up Premiums?
A misunderstanding has led to these cards being wrongly identified
Tale of the Tape: How does Allen Ginter’s N28 Set Stack Up with the N29 Release?
Let’s compare these two iconic Allen & Ginter sets
Tracking Pre-War Cards Against Major U.S. Historical Events
How did the release of certain sports cards coincide with major American history?
Yuengling Used Ice Cream (and Pre-War Baseball Cards) to Help Survive Prohibition
The popular beer producer turned to sweets during the ban on alcohol
Has a Second Blue Old Mill T206 Card Surfaced?
The rare variation would prove to be a valuable card if authentic
What does Mail in Bolivia have to do with the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics?
The connection between a non-sports set and a rare baseball card issue
Team Sets are an Idea as Old as Card Collecting Itself
Team cards and sets have been around since the beginning of collecting
Dating the Overland Candy Wrapper Series is a Challenging Task
This rare issue has been proven to span several years
Parallels Exist Between 1936 Goudey and T207 Baseball Card Sets
The two sets are often viewed as unfavorable and share several similarities
Green-Bordered Cards are a Unique Find in the T205 Set
The T205 set is known for its gold borders … but some of the cards have borders of a different color
Is the Underappreciated 1901-02 Ogden’s Tabs General Interest Set King of the 20th Century?
This UK tobacco set is among the best of the pre-war era
Golf’s First Stars Depicted on Early Tobacco Cards
Some of the first stars in the sport are found in several international sets
Rare 1933 Stoodleigh’s Set Fully Documented for First Time
A rare hockey card set may finally have a complete checklist.
Five Easy Steps to Collecting Pre-War Cards
Want to begin a pre-war card collection? Start here.
100 Years Later: Following Bans, Players Largely Forgotten in Gum Card Era (Part V of V)
The Black Sox were all but forgotten in gum card sets
100 Years Later: Despite Ties to Scandal, Interest for Clean White Sox Players is Tepid (Part IV of V)
The popularity of cards for the clean White Sox players pales in comparison to the banned players
100 Years Later: Cards of Others Associated with the Black Sox Scandal (Part III of V)
Plenty of cards exist for non-players surrounding the infamous series
Rare Pat Moran T205 Stray Line Variation Remains a Mystery to Collectors
A weird error is one of the most sought after cards in the popular set
100 Years Later: Interesting Cards of Cincinnati Reds Players in the 1919 Series (Part II of V)
Here are some of the intriguing cards of the ‘other’ team from the 1919 World Series
100 Years Later: The 1919 Chicago Black Sox Remain Popular with Collectors (Part I of V)
Cards of the banned Black Sox players are as popular as ever
The ‘Other’ Jack Dempsey
Jack ‘Nonpareil’ Dempsey preceded the more popular 20th century fighter – and he was pretty good
A Perfect 10: Gem Mint SGC E98 Black Swamp Find Ty Cobb Surfaces on eBay
A valuable and rare card of Ty Cobb is up for sale
More Questions Than Answers Surround Rare L.A. Becker W516 Strip Cards
These cards bear the name of a mysterious figure
Dick Merriwell Surfaces on a Rare Postcard
While Tip Top Weekly publications are easy to find, a rare postcard featuring one of the Merriwells is not
T206 Back Stamps are Varied and Numerous
Back stamps add to the intrigue of the famous T206 set
John Titus T206 Card Remains Popular with Collectors
Why does the card of a common player sell for not-so-common prices?
Modern Ramblings: My Top Ten Dwight Gooden Cards
Here are my favorite cards of Dr. K
Pre-War Cards: The Year in Review
2018 included some expensive cards, plenty of news, and some cards we had never seen before
