A series of postcards featuring Hall of Famer John McGraw are among the cheapest around
Articles
Sound Too Good to be True? It Probably is.
The story of a Babe Ruth strip card is a good reminder of the old adage
Reviewing the Horizontals in the E90-1 American Caramel Set
The popular candy card set has five horizontal cards in it — how do they stack up against each other?
Existing Sets were Popular Targets for Bread Card Releases
Bakeries were experts in the recycling of baseball card sets
SGC Now Offers Scans of Collectors’ Graded Cards
SGC will now provide customers with high definition scans of their graded cards
Frank Chance and His Three T206 Cards
Let’s take a look at the three T206 cards of Hall of Famer Frank Chance
I’ll Fight You Here, There, or Anywhere
A look at the strange scenery in the T220 Boxing Champions set
Johnny Seigle (Siegle) and his Strange E90-1 American Caramel Card
What exactly is Johnny Siegle doing in the E90-1 American Caramel set?
Obscure Card of the Month: 1901 Hill Flags and Flags with Soldiers (America)
The Obscure Card of the Month is an early tobacco American flag issue
Editor’s Notes (November 2019)
Here’s a look back at what happened on the site this past month
In the Mail: Pre-Thanksgiving Card Buying
This week’s card pickups included caramel cards, strip cards, and a rare international card
The Three Words that Baseball Card Buyers Never Want to Hear
One simple phrase will usually have prospective buyers running in the opposite direction
Four Things Missing from the Iconic T205 Set
While nearly perfect, the T205 set is missing a few things
Harvard-Yale Rivalry Led to Early Pre-War Football Cards
Numerous early football cards were created surrounding the longtime Harvard-Yale rivalry
In the Mail: One Crazy Week of Card Buying
The past week included some serious card buying
Too Many Sets, Too Little Time (and Money)
Establishing and breaking limitations in the grand world of set collecting
Making a Card Trade Via Mail? Here’s Some Tips and Proper Etiquette.
Here are some keys to help make your mail trades go smoothly
A 1921 New York Times Pictorial Led to a Common Babe Ruth Card
The publication was the basis for one of Ruth’s popular early candy cards
Behind the Lens: A Close-Up Look at T205 Cards
Using a macro photography lens on the T205 card of Red Kleinow
A Look at Joe Tinker’s Four T206 Cards
The Hall of Famer is one of the most featured players in the T206 set
Edmonton Grads are Subjects on Some of the Earliest Basketball Cards
The famous Edmonton Grads are today’s Google Doodle – here’s a look at their early cards
A Look Through the Various Types of Images Found in the T206 Set
The T206 set covers just about everything in terms of its images
A Look Inside the Popular 1888 Allen & Ginter American Indian Chiefs Set (N2)
The N2 Allen & Ginter set remains one of the top pre-war non-sports releases
A Rare eBay Find of Ogden’s Tobacco Cards Brought Plenty of Surprises
Finding a complete subset of Ogden’s Tabs General Interest cards yielded some surprises and an elite athlete
Studying Nap Lajoie’s Three T206 Cards
Let’s take a look at the three T206 cards of Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie
Fred McMullin Makes Black Sox Collecting Difficult
While there are biggest names from the infamous Black Sox team, Fred McMullin’s cards are the toughest to find
Baseball, Beer, and Golf make for One Tough Pre-War Find
The rare set includes two Hall of Famers
Dating Pre-War Cards is not Always Easy
Trying to determine a pre-war card’s specific origins can be difficult
Obak Cards are a Set Collector’s Nightmare
The Obak cards are great — unfortunately, building an entire set is extremely challenging
Earn up to 10% in New eBay Bucks Promotion
Another eBay Bucks promotion is here
Despite Rising Prices, Low-Grade T206 Cards Remain Budget-Friendly
Bargains can still be had from the popular T206 set
Cycling Cards of the Legendary Major Taylor Draw Heavy Interest
Pre-war cards of the early star sell for relatively strong prices
Obscure Card of the Month: Walter Johnson W516-2-2 Scrap
A recent pickup was one of my favorites of the entire year
Rare Dolly Gray “Stats” Remains a Key Card in the T205 Set
The Stats version of Gray’s card is a hot commodity
Editor’s Notes (October 2019)
Here’s a look at what happened on the site last month
A Collection of Misfits: 10 of the Scariest Cards You’ll See on Halloween
Here are ten of the worst cards in my collection
Finding Honus: What are the Odds?
What are the chances of you finding an authentic Honus Wagner T206 baseball card? Not high.
A Look at Rarity and Pricing for Bill Dahlen’s Two T206 Variations
The ‘Would Be’ Hall of Famer has two variations in the popular T206 set
A Pre-War Hall of Fame Rookie Card for Under $3? Yes, Please.
If you’re looking for the cheapest Hall of Fame rookie card from the pre-war era, this may be it
Barney Pelty is Still King of the Horizontal T206 Cards
The obscure player has the most desirable of the T206 horizontals
The Disappearing Act of Shoeless Joe Jackson’s Inexpensive Cards
Trying to buy Shoeless Joe Jackson’s less expensive cards has proven difficult
COMC Now Offering No Questions Asked Refunds
The popular marketplace is now offering an updated returns policy
Cy Young’s Three Cards Among the Keys to the T206 Set
The Hall of Famer has three of the more expensive cards in the set
Zee-Nut Minor League Baseball Sets Full of Unknown Players
The Zee-Nut sets are largely made up of baseball obscurities and one in particular caught my eye recently
Let’s Look at the E91 American Caramel Poses — All 33 of Them
Here’s a look at all of the 33 poses used in the E91 American Caramel set
Skinned Cards Can Be Great Low-Grade Finds
While not technically high-grade, skinned cards often look like it
A Trio of Unknowns are Keys to the T207 Set
A Trio of Unknowns are Keys to the T207 Set and Worth Thousands
Buck Ewing leads a tired cast of baseball players in the N29 Allen & Ginter set
Unlike the star-studded N28 Allen & Ginter set, the baseball players in the follow-up N29 set leave a lot to be desired
Latest Honus Wagner T206 Card Tops $1.35 Million
The PSA 2 Honus Wagner T206 card sold for big bucks in a recent Mile High auction
The T205 Equivalent of the T206 Big Four
We all know about the T206’s Big Four — but what about a Big Four for the T205 set?
Could Gold be Struck at a Recent Flea Market Stop?
Was it possible to find a hidden gem in an unexpected trip to the flea market?
The Original “Junk Era” Cards Came Much Earlier than Most Realize
The junk era of trading cards began more than a century before most thought it did
T206 is Only One Small Part of American Pre-War Tobacco Baseball Sets
While popular, T206 isn’t the only tobacco card set out there
A Cheap Find Leads to a Post-War Distraction
Inexpensive Bowman cards derailed my pre-war tendencies … and I’m not sorry
The Dreaded Plain White Envelope (PWE) — When is it Suitable for Shipping Cards?
Using a PWE for shipping baseball cards isn’t always a great idea, but it does work for some situations
The Ins and Outs of Binder Storage
Binders are my ‘go to’ for baseball card storage and there are ways to store nearly everything in them
E90-2 and E90-3 American Caramel cards are routinely ‘lost in the shuffle’
The brethren to the popular E90-1 American Caramel release are often forgotten — here’s why
Al Schacht’s 1939 Play Ball Card is … Something
Where can you find a baseball player sliding into a base while wearing a suit? The 1939 Play Ball set, of course.
Debating the Ugliness of the W512 and W515 Ty Cobb Strip Cards
One of the greatest players of all time has two very ugly cards
The Story of the 1940 Play Ball Roy Hobbs Cards from the Natural
Here’s the rundown on the famous Roy Hobbs baseball cards from the iconic movie, The Natural
Obscure Card of the Month: 1888 N86 Duke Perilous Occupations (Baseball Umpire)
This rare pre-war 19th century tobacco baseball card details the difficulties of early umpiring
Monthly Site Updates (September 2019)
Here’s a look at what happened on the site last month
Wildfire Schulte: An MVP with Dirt Cheap Cards
Wildfire Schulte is among the many pre-war bargains to be found
Baseball Anatomy and Pre-War Sets that Focused on Body Parts
Some pre-war cards include a focus on specific anatomy of baseball players
Little Will-Burr One of Least Known E-Cards
A rare E-card is mostly overlooked by sports collectors
One Man’s Journey in (Mostly) Slaying the T206 Monster
Nearly four years ago, I built a 520-card T206 set – here’s the story behind it
When Does a Card Cease to be a Card?
There’s card damage … and then there’s card damage
The T206 Big Four: Honus Wagner (Part IV of IV)
The final part of the T206 Big Four series covers the iconic Honus Wagner card
The T206 Big Four: Joe Doyle Error (Part III of IV)
A look at the six-figure error card is the latest installment in this series of articles on the T206 Big Four
Obscure Card of the Month: 1892 Keystone John Sullivan-Jim Corbett Stereoview
This month’s Obscure Card of the Month depicts one of the most famous boxing matches of all time
The T206 Big Four: Sherry Magie Error (Part II of IV)
Part II of the T206 Big Four series takes a look at the Sherry Magie error card
COMC the Latest Site to be Hit by Dealers of Altered Cards
Blowout alleges that altered cards have made their way onto the COMC site
The T206 Big Four: Eddie Plank (Part I of IV)
The first part of this series takes a close look at the shortprinted Eddie Plank card
Autograph Collecting Spotlighted in the 1920s Through a Pre-War Tobacco Set
A pre-war tobacco set proved that autograph collecting was alive and well in the 1920s
1915 Cope’s Boxers set Highlighted Fighters’ Call to Duty in World War I
The somewhat rare pre-war boxing tobacco card set included boxers … as military men
Despite occasional hiccups, eBay remains this collector’s ‘go to’
For buyers, eBay isn’t perfect … but it’s close
Monthly Site Updates (August 2019)
Here’s a look back at what happened on the site in August
PSA Makes Registry Upgrades
The third party grader is expanding its registry capabilities
Breaking Down the Two Types of 1922 Neilson’s Chocolate Cards
Let’s take a look at the two different types of the popular Canadian candy cards
Baseball Subjects are Only One Small Part of the Pre-War Card Era
Baseball cards lead the way but they are only a fraction of sports cards from the era
Varied Sunsets are Among the Unique Cards in the E90-1 American Caramel Set
Unique sunsets add to the diversity of one of the most popular early candy issues
When Your Favorite Card Isn’t Necessarily Your Most Expensive One
What’s the prized possession in your sports card collection?
1930s Ty-phoo Tea Trade Cards’ Odd Link to Sports
What do golf and tennis have to do with Ugandan cotton or Australian wool?
Bleaching Claims Among the Latest Alleged Pre-War Baseball Card Alterations
The latest alleged alterations being found are for pre-war cards that have been bleached
Generic Subjects Doesn’t Always Equate to Inexpensive Cards
While cards picturing generic subjects are often cheap, that isn’t always the case
A Study of the Rarity of E90-1 American Caramel Variations
Which variations in the popular candy card set are the tougher ones to find?
100+ Years Later, E98, E101, and E102 Set Distributors Remain Anonymous
The distributors of three caramel card sets remains a mystery to collectors
‘Average Joe’ Baseball Cards are Buried in the 1925 Dominion Chocolate Set
The popular multi-sport Canadian set is home to two obscure baseball players
Two Types of 1878 Huntley and Palmers Biscuit Cards are Known
There are two types of these popular trade cards with distinctly different designs
New Threat on eBay with Pre-War Card Offerings from China
An increasing number of sketchy pre-war card offerings are popping up on eBay
T206 Mathewson Dark Cap vs. White Cap — Pick Your Poison
These two Christy Mathewson tobacco cards may be similar but they’re hardly the same
Athletes are the Keys in the Rare D146 Thrilling Moments Set
The few athletes found in this 1930s set are the most important cards
Babe Ruth Card Helps Correct Dating in D32 Drake’s Cake Set
A card of the Babe proves dating a movie card set has been incorrect
Short Card Measurements are not Always an Indicator of Alterations
In the pre-war era, card sizes were not always consistent
One 1921 Schapira Babe Ruth Card Isn’t Like the Others
Collectors looking to buy a 1921 Schapira Babe Ruth card should keep one simple thing in mind
Mike Donovan Cards Stand Out in the T220 Boxing Champions Set
A pair of unique cards are buried away in a popular boxing tobacco card issue
USA Today is the Latest to Tackle the Altered Cards Scandal
USA Today covered the ongoing scandal in an article on Tuesday
The Evolution of Card Collecting
Here’s a quick overview of how American sports cards have evolved over the years
Differences in the 1930s National Chicle Fine Pens and Goudey Wide Pens Sets
While there are similarities in the Fine Pens and Wide Pens sets, there are plenty of differences, too
Lefty O’Doul Cards Sell at Hall of Fame Level
O’Doul didn’t reach Cooperstown but the prices for his cards remain strong
