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World Series Postcards, ca. 1908

Value (2012) | $3,500 Insurance – $4,000 Insurance

GUEST:
My father-in-law's old paymaster's desk came to my house, and I found them in a cubbyhole.

APPRAISER:
And when was that?

GUEST:
Probably in the 1970s. He was a semi-pro ballplayer with the old Saturday Afternoon League here in Cincinnati. He played on the Ivorydale team. He might have gone on, but his mother didn't want him to play ball on Sunday.

APPRAISER:
Was your father-in-law from Detroit?

GUEST:
No. Why he collected all the cards from Detroit I don't know, except of course in that era, Ty Cobb was the big one.

APPRAISER:
Ty Cobb, right here, as we see two cards of Ty Cobb. Ty Cobb played for the Tigers for 22 years.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Went to the World Series three times-- in 1907, 1908, 1909.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
And came out a loser in each one of those World Series. And there is a small Detroit card company called Dietsche that you see right up here, and they produced a limited series of World Series postcards. They had cards for each year. You have a mix. The two Cobbs are from 1908. Now, again, poor Detroit-- they were swept by the Cubs in 1907. They get back in 1908, and they managed to take one game off the Cubs that year, losing again. Interestingly enough, the last year the Cubs ever won. In 1909, Detroit went up and played that year against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they were led by Honus Wagner. Detroit lost in seven games, and Ty Cobb never went back ever again. But he had a great career, as did two other people here I want to point out to you. This is his teammate, Sam "Wahoo" Crawford. He was known as "Wahoo" because he came from Wahoo, Nebraska. And Sam ended up being a Hall of Fame outfielder. They did not like one another, but they still were one of the greatest double steal combinations in baseball history. And this is Hughie Jennings. He was their manager. Can you see how he's yelling?

GUEST:
Yes, I can.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, he was known as Ee-yah, because that's what he did from third base. He was a very enthusiastic manager. He ended up in the Hall of Fame in 1945. Because of the players that are not as well known-- the Summers, the Works, the Bushes-- the regular players here, I would insure them for about $100 apiece.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
The Jennings and the Crawford, because they're Hall of Famers, I would say they're probably between $200 and $300 apiece. And you look at the condition on here. Now, there are some scuff marks, but it's still Ty Cobb. These I would insure probably for about somewhere between $700 and $1,000 apiece.

GUEST:
All right.

APPRAISER:
For the entire group, I would say it's somewhere between $3,500 and $4,000.

GUEST:
That's very nice to know.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Leila Dunbar
Collectibles, Sports Memorabilia
Leila Dunbar Appraisals & Consulting, LLC
Washington, DC
Appraised value (2012)
$3,500 Insurance – $4,000 Insurance
Featured In
JUNK IN THE TRUNK (#1721)
Event
Cincinnati, OH (July 21, 2012)
Category
Sports Memorabilia
Period
20th Century
Form
Card
Material
Paper

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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