Last week, we acquired these two incredible cards from a long time collector, who resides in the New England area. Usually, when someone contacts us about selling their baseball cards, it's usually a collection of Hall of Famers, or a run of vintage sets. Conversely, this collector had a smaller collection of cards, but only wanted to sell a few. When I was young, the only cards I was willing to sell were groups of commons and of my lower end cards, and I'd keep all the valuable ones. The thought process was, that if I could sell just my large group of commons or minor stars and keep the great ones, not only would I get the money I needed, but I'd keep the most attractive cards in my collection. That was my mindset. And to this day, if we are just talking about money and future value, I would use that same approach - "less is more". The collector who sold these gems to Just Collect, had a different view. He's not in it for money, or for a future investment, or banking on these for his retirement - he just needed a little extra cash. Which is why he decided to sell TWO OF HIS BEST CARDS, and kept the rest. He couldn't fathom parting ways with his entire collection of E92 Dockman's, M116 Sporting Life's, T206's and other tobacco era cards that were passed down from down from his Grandfather. At the end of the day, he could either have a few cards left in his collection, or the majority of the cards, and he chose the latter. To say this collector has discipline, would be an understatement. I love this guy's moxie, and he's undoubtedly, the epitome of a true hobbyist. I would also like to note, that many of the other cards in his collection were "marked" by his grandfather - a simple inscription signifying the position the athlete played that identified that the cards were his. In the collecting world, this is "no-no", and is deemed to decrease the value of the cards. But to the owner, the personal appeal and connection to his Grandfather had a far greater sentimental value. This is another reason why he chose to keep the majority of the cards. The two cards that he did part ways with were "clean" and have no markings on them. He could now keep the rest of the cards in his collection and his Grandfather's memory could live on forever. As always, knowing the sentimental value, we made the process of selling his prized possessions as easy as possible as the seller noted:
"Scott did a nice job evaluating each and every card in the collection of cards I had. The M-116's, Dockman E-92's and the T-206's were passed on to me by my grandfather. The mark on the back of the Honus Wagner M-116, while "degrading" the value of the card for sale, actually increased the value to me personally. Thinking of my grandfather handling my/his cards was a neat memory. Thanks Scott"
How great are these two cards you ask? Pretty outstanding. Let's take a look:Both of these cards come from the 1909 E92 Dockman & Son's set - and both are of Honus Wagner. The compendium of E92's are actually identified by their premium sponsored reverses, which include Dockman & Sons, Nadja Caramels, Croft's Cocoa and Croft's Candy advertising backs. The front of each card is consistent throughout each manufacturer, while the back is unique to it's own. These two particular examples, hail from from the 1909 Dockman & Son's premiums that is complete with 40 different cards (the Croft's premiums contain a total of 50 cards, while the Nadja Caramels backs feature the most players, containing a total of 62 cards.) Together, there are less than 100 examples of the Wagner card encapsulated by PSA, with somewhere around 80% being of low grade. Which is exactly why we were so eager to get these cards in. Both examples that we have are mid-grade or higher, which, for the time period, is incredible. The first card is the Honus Wagner "batting" variation. This card is a beauty, presenting with minimal surface wear, slightly rounded corners, and no print defects or paper loss! The card still retains it's vibrant red colored background, making Wagner, and his jersey, "pop" off the card. The second card is the "throwing" variation of Wagner. I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever seen a more perfectly centered E92 Dockman than this one right here. Again, a nice mid-grade example, with minimal wear, and superb eye appeal. Imagine adding this one to your collection! The "batting" variation is easily the scarcest of the two Wagners, and will draw tremendous attention throughout the hobby. It is so rare in fact, that one hasn't been made available to the public since 2010! We are very excited to see how this card will grade, and we will definitely let you know when we put it up for auction. The "throwing" variation is also very hard to find, as only a few examples pop up each year for sale and garner thousands of dollars when they do. Regardless if you are a Wagner collector, a Hall of Fame collector, or just a fan of the hobby, both of these cards will add tremendous value to your collection. Even though this was a small acquisition, we were still very excited to be able to purchase them, because the cards are highly valuable. Be sure to check out our eBay store for these cards, and other tobacco and candy cards! Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879-1979.
