tobacco cards

A new member as well as a new collector:

I just picked up a obak tobacco baseball card and two big league chewing gum cards. Where can I find the value of these cards? I also have a polar bear baseball card. Thanks. Ckid

You can get a good idea of current market value by searching completed auctions on eBay. You can also check the SCD big book, but prices tend to be off a bit and out of date. A good place for you to start is reading everything in the Helpful info for collectors

Welcome to the board and keep asking questions. We will be more than willing to answer them.

Jay

Hey CKid, welcome to the board. Do you have scans available? If so, post them and we'll give you some pretty accurate estimates. If you have trouble posting scans, there's a tutorial in the "tech support" forum towards the bottom, or you can always email them to me at benfisher77@gmail.com and I'll post them for you.

If you don't have scans, tell us a little about the condition and the players you have and we can give you a rough estimate. And as Jay said, if you're really getting into collecting vintage baseball cards, it makes sense to buy a SCD big book and keep reading the forum. Our members are always happy to provide information and guidance whenever possible.

Cheers,
Ben

Welcome CKid. You've come to the right place. We have a nice group of very knowledgeable collectors here, and they are very quick to help out.

fisherboy7 wrote:Hey CKid, welcome to the board. Do you have scans available? If so, post them and we'll give you some pretty accurate estimates. If you have trouble posting scans, there's a tutorial in the "tech support" forum towards the bottom, or you can always email them to me at benfisher77@gmail.com and I'll post them for you.

If you don't have scans, tell us a little about the condition and the players you have and we can give you a rough estimate. And as Jay said, if you're really getting into collecting vintage baseball cards, it makes sense to buy a SCD big book and keep reading the forum. Our members are always happy to provide information and guidance whenever possible.

Cheers,
Ben

Ben, I am emailing you one Mickey Mantle pics. Would you please post them for me? I want to see if you guys think they are authentic and what their grade might be. Thanks a lot. Norm

Here are Ckid's mantle pics:

to report....Reprints.


Mark

Sorry to say, Kid but you have a reprint on your hands. Do a search on ebay for this Bowman Mantle and you can see what an original looks like. The borders on this card are way to thick. Do you have scans of the other cards you mentioned above? As mentioned previously there are plenty on the board that will help you and educate you. You can pick up the big SCD book at a book store for around $45.

Good Luck, Just curious how old you are?

Lee

Wouldn't it say reprint somewhere on the card. It came from as estate sale with a lot of old cards. Not a likely source of reprints. Thanks for your input. Norm

Square_Frame_Ramly wrote:to report....Reprints.


Mark

Norm,

Very few reprints actually say reprint on them. Any auction or sale that says they came from it came from estate sale or grandpa's attics is a big red flag that the cards are probably reprints, scammers like to use those in selling reprints.

A good rule of thumb is that if it seems too good to be true it probably is.

Another good rule of thumb since you asked about graded cards is to "buy the card, not the holder".

Lee

Ckid wrote:Wouldn't it say reprint somewhere on the card. It came from as estate sale with a lot of old cards. Not a likely source of reprints. Thanks for your input. Norm

Square_Frame_Ramly wrote:to report....Reprints.


Mark

Yeah - sorry to join the sad parade here, but that is 100%, without a doubt, a reprint. I hope you did not pay much...

Everyone has to start out as a rookie, and everyone on this board has at one time. The #1 advice before buying any card would be to buy a vintage baseball card book. It will save you time and $. I am sure other members can recommend one on amazon.

The Mantle cards borders are way too big, after seeing that, there was nothing else to look at. You will learn a lot here and keep asking questions. No one will criticize you here. before you know it, you will be able to recognize a reprint in seconds....


Mark

Hey Ckid, here are a few books that are "must haves" for the vintage baseball card collector.

2010 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards (Click the link)

Great source for checklists and pricing for a wide variety of baseball cards, 19th century to present. It's impossible to find pricing that's 100% accurate, but SCD does a pretty good job. The information is limited to a paragraph or so per set, which is why I'd recommend purchasing Lipset's guide along with it.


Lew Lipset's Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards (click the link)

The pricing is off because it was written in the 80's, but in my opinion the best reference material for vintage baseball cards, even today. A great read if you're wanting to familiarize yourself with sets from the 19th century, tobacco and candy eras. Well researched with tons of interesting facts and details, written by a hobby legend.

Here are Ckid's other tobacco cards. He's looking for some feedback on authenticity (they look good to me) and value. The T205 has a Polar Bear back, although I'm not sure what slogan is on the T212 Obak back.

fisherboy7 wrote:
Lew Lipset's Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards (click the link)

The pricing is off because it was written in the 80's, but in my opinion the best reference material for vintage baseball cards, even today. A great read if you're wanting to familiarize yourself with sets from the 19th century, tobacco and candy eras. Well researched with tons of interesting facts and details, written by a hobby legend.

Wow - great deal on this book! I paid $45 for my copy 12 years ago...to get that now for $17 is a bargain.

fisherboy7 wrote:Here are Ckid's other tobacco cards. He's looking for some feedback on authenticity (they look good to me) and value.

Those look good to me too (though I don't collect Obaks, so I have no expertise). The T205 Olmstead looks like it might grade Fair (depends on the condition of the back). That would make it roughly a $15 (possibly $20) card.

Both look legit to me as well.