Thursday, February 23, 2012

Cub Card #10,000

You may have noticed from my Five Random Cubs Card posts that I was approaching the 10,000 Cubs card mark. I wanted to do something special for card #10,000; I didn't want it to be some scrub player from a junk wax set of the 1990s. I also had some extra cash to spend from my Star Stellar profits, so I could go for something nice.

As I was trying to come up with an idea for #10,000 I kept thinking about this card



that I got from Trey around Christmas time. It was very cool to have a Johnny Evers relic card. But that got me thinking...how cool would it be to also have a Johnny Ever baseball card. And the real deal, not some reprint.

I knew what I would be my 10,000th Cub card...a T206 Johnny Evers.

I've got reprints of all of the Cubs T206 cards, but going after the originals was going to be different. I spent a week or so looking over different auctions and completed sales just to get an idea on price. I decided that condition wasn't going to be super huge. I didn't was a card with creases or paper loss, but I didn't need sharp corners. After all, the card was going to be over 100 years old.

I also decided to get a graded card. That way I didn't have to worry about authenticity or card doctoring. I settled on either a PSA 2 or 3. They weren't the lowest grade, and they're in my price range. I also decided to get the bat, Chicago on shirt version. There are there different Evers T206s, but this version matches the relic card. I thought they would look nice displayed next to each other.

With my card choice settled, it was a matter of watching some auctions and waiting. It took only a couple weeks for me to acquire this.....my 10,000th Cub!









I was very please with the look and condition of the card. Though its only a 2, it seems to be in great shape. The corners don't look bad at all for a 2. The only disappointment for me is that, being a graded card means I don't get to handle the card, just the plastic holder.

This is my first grade card, and I've intentionally stayed away from them because I'm a tactile person. I like the feel of the cards in my hands. Having it in the holder robs me of that. I'm very tempted to crack it out of the slab. After all, I know its authentic, and as a 2, if I get it re-graded some day I don't have to worry much about a lower grade.

So why should I keep it slabbed? Or do I crack it and hold it!

Should I take a Chance and Tinker around with the card? And do you want to take a guess on the next two T206 cards I'm chasing?

6 comments:

  1. I personally would leave it in. Those cases are pretty durable and it's a great to display it, but I completely understand about wanting to hold that card in your hand. And looking at that card the 2 seems low but I guess the corners are really rounded, but you have a clean complete back, doens't look like any creases and great color. That is truely a great card. I have a goal myself to get the complete Milwaukee Brewers set out of the T206, but so far I haven't pulled the trigger on any cards.

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  2. I personally leave all mine in. My biggest reason for doing so -- with the pre-1957 cards, that is -- is that storage for non-standard cards can be somewhat challenging. Leaving graded cards of that vintage in the slab takes care of a lot of potential issues.

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  3. I'm a huge nut for original T206s. I haven't had any graded ones yet but if I did I would crack it. I cracked a few 1954 Topps when I was going after those. The reason being that they don't fit in pages when slabbed. I have a T206 page in my binder that I'm slowly filling, revolving around my Mathewson. That's just me though. Awesome card though regardless!

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  4. Great card! I'd leave it be. Might depend on how much you paid for it, though. Then there's the question of can you get it out of there without damaging it.

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