All Vintage Cards Mid Cap Value Baseball Portfolio
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The All Vintage Cards Mid Cap Baseball Portfolio is a collection of ten ‘Mid-Cap’ (or mid-tier priced) cards that we think have solid long-term investment potential.Ā
As we discussed in our introduction piece, we are launching three portfolios for each major sport–Large Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap.
For those not familiar with the lexicon, this corresponds to mutual fund portfolios in the investment world.Ā Mid Cap within the investment space equates to a portfolio of the equity market’s companies that are smaller than the world’s largest companies, although bigger than smaller size or Small Cap companies.Ā
For this All Vintage Cards Mid Cap Value Portfolio we have selected ten cards, each with a value between $1000 to $3000.Ā Ā
Note that these selections are based on what we perceive as ‘relative’ value in the marketplace, meaning that we think these cards offer a good value versus other comparative cards.Ā
I will also note that this information is not investment advice, nor are we making any promises in relation to future performance.Ā Please use your own judgment and budget when accounting for any acquisitions of cards in this portfolio.Ā
Please also see ourĀ All Vintage Cards Small Cap ValueĀ andĀ All Vintage Cards Large Cap ValueĀ portfolios.Ā
1888 Allen & Ginter (N28) Mike “King” Kelly
Estimated Cost – Good Condition: $2000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: The Allen & Ginter set of 1888 is one of the first and more popular 19th century sets. This classic card of hall-of-famer Mike ‘King’ Kelly, one of the most feared hitters of his time, is one of the best looking pre-war cards.
Current PSA Population: Kelly’s card has been graded 156 times by PSA. At $2000, to own one of the earliest and best baseball player’s first cards, it almost seems too good to be true. Not to mention the card is now over 130 years old. It’s not getting any younger!
1888 N28 Allen & Ginter Baseball Mike Kelly PSA 1.5 HOF
 | $3,799.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,799.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
N28 Allen & Ginter Mike King Kelly PSA 4 *1067
 | $7,303.95 Buy It on eBay for only: $7,303.95 Buy It Now on eBay |
1887-88 ALLEN & GINTER BASEBALL N28 MIKE KING KELLY PSA 4 CENTERED BOSTON HOF
 | $6,356.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $6,356.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1906 Fan Craze – Honus Wagner
Estimated Cost – Poor Condition: $1500
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Many vintage collectors aren’t familiar with the Fan Craze cards, but I think they are probably one of the more underrated vintage pre-war issues. The cards were issued by the Cincinnati Fan Craze Co in 1906 and actually pre-date the ever popular T206 white border set by three years.
Current PSA Population: PSA has graded only 36 copies, so the possibility of finding one under the $1500 mark may be somewhat of a stretch, and if you were to do so, it would probably have to be in pretty bad condition.
1904 Fan Craze Pocket Edition of the National Game Box Cards Board Instructions
 | $650.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $650.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
Fan Craze 1904 Baseball Game 53 Playing Cards & Game Board w/ Box Instructions
 | $999.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $999.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1904 Pre-War Antique Baseball Parlor Game Fan Craze Playing Cards & Game Board
 | $2,850.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,850.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 T206 White Borders Walter Johnson (Portrait)
Estimated Cost – Poor/Fair: $1800
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Walter Johnson cards are slightly underappreciated relative to the big names such as Cobb, Wagner, Mantle and Ruth. His T206 Portrait card is one that I think has great long term potential.
Current PSA Population: Nearly 900 in PSA Population–not scarce by any means, but a landmark card, with a striking portrait. If you can snag this Johnson portrait for $2000 or under in fair to good condition, I think you’d be making a wise investment.
1909-1911 T206 Walter Johnson Portrait Piedmont 150 HOF SGC 2 GD NICE COLOR
 | $2,600.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,600.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909-1911 T206 Walter Johnson Portrait Piedmont 150 HOF SGC 3 VG CENTERED
 | $3,750.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,750.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909-11 T206 Piedmont 150 Walter Johnson Portrait PSA 2
 | $3,950.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,950.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 T206 White Borders Nap Lajoie (Portrait)
Estimated Cost – VG: $1300
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Like Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie tends to get put into the second tier of all-time baseball stars. Lajoie however was one of the best to play the game, and his T206 Portrait card remains one of the most popular HOF cards from the White Borders set.
Current PSA Population: PSA has graded over 850 graded copies of his T206 Portrait card, so not necessarily scarce, but given the widespread demand for T206 cards, I would consider it to be a worthy long term investment.
1909 Piedmont 150 NAP LAJOIE PSA 5 Portrait EX Excellent CENTERED Naps Card
 | $5,999.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $5,999.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
T206 Hindu Brown Nap Lajoie (Portrait) SGC 1 - Cleveland - HOF
 | $2,500.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
T206 Piedmont 350/25 Nap Lajoie (Portrait) SGC 4 - Cleveland - eye appeal!
 | $2,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 American Caramel (E90-1) – Cy Young
Estimated Cost – Poor/Fair- $2800
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Now, here I am recommending one of the more available cards from the first American Caramel set; yet still when we look at the population–114 cards graded by PSA, it’s a much harder to find card versus many of the tobacco issues from the same era (yes even the T206 Cy Young Portrait card)
Current PSA Population: First, when we look at scarcity, only 100 of the Cy Young cards from the set have been graded by PSA. Compare this to an average of around 700 any of the Cy Young cards from the T206 set and we can see that the card is a lot scarcer.
1909 E90-1 Cy Young - SGC A
 | $2,400.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,400.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909-11 American Caramel E90-1 Cy Young Card HOF - Certified SGC 2 (Good) - Rare
 | $4,235.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $4,235.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1909 E90-1 American Caramel Cy Young (HOF) PSA 1 PR, Boston, Rare
 | $2,799.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $2,799.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1911 T3 Turkey Red – Walter Johnson
Estimated Cost – Good Condition: $2000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: What I found to be the most appealing feature of the set is the fact that the images (for the most part) are identical to their T206 counterparts, yet in a beautiful over-sized lithograph. The cards are actually scarcer than the T206 and T205 cards, and in my opinion undervalued comparatively.
Current PSA Population: Only 80 copies have been graded by PSA, equating to roughly 1/10 the population of the more popular T206 cards.
1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinet #99 Walter Johnson Washington Senators HOF SGC 3
 | $3,499.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,499.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1911 T3 Turkey Red #99 Walter Johnson - SGC 2
 | $5,225.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $5,225.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
T3 Turkey Red Walter Johnson Turkey Red Back SGC 30
 | $5,000.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $5,000.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1921 Exhibits Ty Cobb
Estimated Cost – Poor to Fair Condition: $1800
I like the investment potential of the early Exhibit cards, especially this Cobb example from the 1921 set.
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Exhibit cards are like the sleeping giant that I think hasn’t quite woken up yet. There’s a lot of opportunity for value with Exhibit cards. (Be sure to see our comprehensive piece on Exhibits for more ideas). The Cobb Exhibits card from the 1921 issue, is a beauty and features Cobb at his best, finishing off what was likely another hit for the Georgia Peach.
Current PSA Population: PSA has only graded 50 of these. Shhh..don’t tell anyone how undervalued this is!
1921 EXHIBITS TY COBB HOF PSA 1 (MK)
 | $1,099.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,099.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1921 Exhibits TY Cobb HOF Detroit Tigers (Rare) - SGC 2.5 Newly Graded
 | $3,500.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1921 Exhibit Ty Cobb HOF - SGC Authentic
 | $1,199.95 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,199.95 Buy It Now on eBay |
1935 Goudey 4-1 Babe Ruth
Estimated Cost – Poor/Fair Condition: $1900
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: With the ā33 and Ruth Goudeyās slightly out of reach, the 1935 Goudey offers a slightly more affordable option that should continue to grow in value over time. The 1935 Goudey set represented a shift in style for Goudey, as the cards feature four players on the front of the card. The Ruth card actually uses the image of Ruth from the 1933 Goudey set and is his last official baseball card as a member of the Boston Braves.
Current PSA Population: PSA has graded 207 versions of the Ruth Goudey, thus while not scarce, the limited amount of graded cards makes for an excellent long term investment. Cards in Poor/Fair condition can often be found for $2000 or less, but improvements in grades might cost you as this card has become quite popular among vintage collectors.
1935 Goudey 4-in-1 Ruth, McManus, Brandt, Maranville baseball card
 | $1,500.00 End Date: Sunday Oct-13-2024 14:33:41 EDT Buy It on eBay for only: $1,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1935 Goudey 4-in-1 3A Babe Ruth, McManus, Eddie Brandt, Rabbit Maranville SGC 1
 | $1,000.00 (5 bids) End Date: Sunday Oct-13-2024 21:43:34 EDT Bid |
1935 Goudey 4 In 1 Babe Ruth McManus Brandt Maranville #1J PSA 3 VG
 | $3,999.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,999.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1949 Bowman Satchel Paige
Estimated Cost – Poor/Fair Condition: $1900
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: Satchel Paige’s rookie cards are considered to be his 1949 Leaf and 1949 Bowman cards. There were no cards issued for Paige during his twenty-one year stint in the Negro Leagues; thus the two 1949 cards that were released during the later stages of his career were his first official baseball cards.
Current PSA Population: This one is a bit easier to find than the 1949 Leaf card. PSA has graded over 900 copies, giving it about 7x the supply as compared to Paige’s Leaf card. A lower grade 1949 Bowman Paige card in Poor condition sells for nearly $2000. Mid grade copies of the card range from $3000 to $6000, all the way up to over $20,000+ for one in Near Mint condition. There have only been nine PSA 9 copies of the 49 Bowman Paige, thus, leading to a value of close to $50,000.
1949 Bowman #224 Satchel Paige Indians RC HOF PSA 7 - NM
 | $19,500.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $19,500.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1949 Bowman #224 SATCHEL PAIGE š„ PSA 7 NM
 | $15,955.95 Buy It on eBay for only: $15,955.95 Buy It Now on eBay |
1949 Bowman #224 SATCHEL PAIGE š„ PSA 5 EX
 | $7,575.95 Buy It on eBay for only: $7,575.95 Buy It Now on eBay |
1949 Leaf Ted Williams
Estimated Cost – Good Condition: $1000
Why We Selected It For The Portfolio: The 1949 Leaf Ted Williams card shows the ‘Splendid Splinter’ in his classic batting pose. I love this card and think that it should only increase in value over time.
Current PSA Population: Close to 1200 copies of the Leaf Williams have been graded by PSA, so not necessarily rare, but it’s a high demand cards, and should continue to appreciate as collectors keep bidding up the values of Leaf cards.
1948 Leaf #76 Ted Williams Red Sox HOF PSA 4 - VG/EX C4
 | $3,300.00 Buy It on eBay for only: $3,300.00 Buy It Now on eBay |
1948 Leaf #76 Ted Williams SGC 2.5 GD+ Nice Color CREASE FREE
 | $1,449.99 Buy It on eBay for only: $1,449.99 Buy It Now on eBay |
1948 Leaf 76 Ted Williams - PSA DNA SIGNED PSA 9 MINT AUTOGRAPH
 | $19,999.95 Buy It on eBay for only: $19,999.95 Buy It Now on eBay |
