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1908-1909 Detroit Tigers Baseball Postcard Sets

Value (2013) | $7,500 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
I went to a yard sale. I saw that there was one box, it was-- I can't remember. I think it was under ten dollars and I bought it. And in the bottom of the box were these postcards.

APPRAISER:
That's right, they're postcards. They're from one of the great teams of the early 20th century, the Detroit Tigers. We've got two sets of postcards here. One is from 1908. It's the A.C. Dietsche postcard set. And what makes this set very, very special is it has one of the very earliest cards of Ty Cobb, the great Ty Cobb, and this is it right here.

GUEST:
Of course, yeah.

APPRAISER:
You then also have the 1909 Topping and Company set, another postcard set from the next season, and that's this one with the star, the yellow and black. Again, very vibrant set. And this, of course, also has a very, very early Ty Cobb card. You also have other Hall-of-Famers in this set. You have Sam Crawford. He appears in both sets. And you also have Hughie Jennings, who also appears in both sets.

GUEST:
He was a coach, right?

APPRAISER:
He was a coach. He was a player in the 1890s. What makes these very special is that they're extremely, extremely scarce. In 1907, the same company that made this set, Dietsche, also produced a set. It's a little more common. The 1908 set is very, very uncommon. And that's what you have here. 1909 Topping and Company, again, very, very scarce cards. Very, very early Ty Cobb cards. Do you have any idea what they might be worth?

GUEST:
Not a clue, not a clue.

APPRAISER:
Now you paid ten dollars, correct, for the whole box?

GUEST:
Somewhere... yeah.

APPRAISER:
Somewhere in that range, okay. Well, I would insure the whole collection $7,500.

GUEST:
Holy mackerel, that's a lot.

APPRAISER:
The real value in these sets is the fact that, yes, it has the two Ty Cobb cards. A Ty Cobb card in this condition, I could see selling in the $2,000 to $3,000 range alone.

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
Yes. This particular one has a little more condition issues. So maybe $1,000.

GUEST:
Just a piece of paper.

APPRAISER:
Just a piece of paper, but it's an old piece of paper. It's got the right guy on it.

GUEST:
Yeah.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Simeon Lipman
Collectibles, Sports Memorabilia
Appraised value (2013)
$7,500 Insurance
Featured In
Junk in the Trunk 4.1 (#1832)
Event
Detroit, MI (June 01, 2013)
Category
Collectibles
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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