Pre-War Cards

Let’s take a look at the three T206 cards of Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie

Nap Lajoie cards, like those of most pre-war Hall of Famers, are doing quite well. Three of his more popular cards are, of course, those in the T206 set.

Lajoie’s three T206 issues aren’t particularly hard to find. You’ll always find them on eBay and other online marketplaces. The greater problem, of course, are the asking prices for them these days.

Lajoie has a nice mix of cards in the set. He’s posing with a bat on one card, throwing on another, and has a portrait for his third.

One interesting thing is that collectors will note that Lajoie is wearing the same style of uniform in all three. Even beyond that, his collar is also up on all three of the cards, which is the way he’s shown in many pictures. The throwing pose is somewhat unique as it shows him wearing one of the old style baseball sweaters.

Just how popular of a figure was Lajoie? During his time in Cleveland, the team was actually named the Naps (short for Napoleon, which was Lajoie’s formal name) as the result of a naming contest. The team name was changed to the Indians after Lajoie went to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1915.

What do the population reports tell us about his cards? Not a whole lot, to be honest. According to PSA, they’ve graded the fewest of the batting variation, but not by a wide margin. So far, about 700 of those have been graded. A little more than 800 of Lajoie’s throwing card have been graded by PSA.

Despite the fact that the throwing card could be a little easier to obtain there is not much of a price variance on these two cards. They generally start around $175 – $200 in low-grade condition.

Of the three cards, Lajoie’s portrait is generally the most in demand.

With about 825 of those graded, this is actually the one that has been graded the most by PSA (though the throwing card is just behind by only a few cards). But the portrait is the one that usually sells for the most.

Looking at the card, it’s easy to see why. Like many of the portraits, the artwork on it is incredible. And even though the other Lajoie cards are fantastic, too, this one is probably my favorite, despite the lack of a baseball pose or equipment.

Others tend to agree, which has made this card so popular. In low-grade condition, this one will start around $250-$300.

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