1911 T3 Turkey Red Baseball Complete PSA-Graded Set (100) Plus 4 Variations - #2 PSA Set Registry - 5.30 GPA!

Sold For:

$246,750

Year:

1911

Auction:

2010 Spring

Lot #:

22

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards

For a complete description of the 1911 T3 Turkey Red Baseball Complete PSA-Graded Set (100) Plus 4 Variations - #2 PSA Set Registry - 5.30 GPA please go to: http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/auction/2010_preview/10010.html The following is a slightly edited (shortened) version. Presented is the finest complete set of T3 Turkey Red cards to ever come to auction! It is by far the highest-graded set we have ever offered or seen, and is one of the finest ever assembled in the history of collecting. This set ranks as the second highest-graded set on the PSA Registry, and the twenty-five Hall of Famers in the set, separately, also rank as #2 in the world for a T3 Hall of Fame set collection. The completion of any T3 set is an extraordinary achievement. The completion of a set in such spectacular and desirable high grade, and great consistency, as presented here, represents one of the most incredible card-collecting vintage achievements possible. Turkey Red cabinet cards are one of the most highly prized of all tobacco issues. They were available only by mail in exchange for coupons packaged with Turkey Red Cigarettes. Because Turkey Reds are large cards that are easily damaged, they are particularly difficult to find in high grade. This lot includes all 100 baseball players (#1-50 and #77-126) plus all four variations (#28, 90, 112, and 122) for a total of 104 cards. This is a remarkable high-grade complete set, and simply one of the great prize sets in all of tobacco card collecting. The entire set is graded and encapsulated by PSA. The grade point average is an astounding 5.30. The set includes three NM 7s, twenty-four EX-MT 6s, eight EX+ 5.5s, sixty EX 5s, two VG-EX+ 4.5s, six VG-EX 4s, and one GOOD+ 2.5. Turkey Reds have long been recognized as one of the most popular and beautiful of all baseball cards, and are rarely offered as a complete set. This complete set has been painstakingly assembled, with constant upgrading, at enormous expense, and with a tremendous investment in time and effort by an extremely dedicated collector over a period of many years. In fact, it is in part because of the great effort that has been invested that the consignor is offering the set complete, as opposed to selling cards individually (as they have been purchased) which he realizes would very likely result in a higher price. He can't bear the thought of breaking the set up. This T3 set is a remarkable collecting achievement and represents an extraordinary collecting opportunity. The complete PSA grading composite follows: Three cards are graded NM 7: #17 Griffith (one of only two at this level, with none graded higher), 25, and 37. Twenty-four cards are graded EX-MT 6: #1 Brown (none graded higher), 2, 9 Ty Cobb (one of only four at this level, with just two graded higher), 10, 18 Jennings (none graded higher), 26 McGraw (none graded higher), 28, 28b McIntyre (Bklyn & Chi), 30, 31, 32, 39 Waddell (none graded higher), 80 Bender (none graded higher), 84, 85, 90 (Doolan; none graded higher), 90b (name correct; none graded higher), 94, 95, 96, 99 Walter Johnson (one of only two at this level, with none graded higher), 103, 109, and 123 (none graded higher). Eight cards are graded EX+ 5.5: #11, 22, 88 (none graded higher), 108 (none graded higher), 112 (Cincinnati; none graded higher), 112b (Cinn & Phila; none graded higher), 114, and 120 (none graded higher). Sixty cards are graded EX 5: #3, 4 Bresnahan (one graded higher), 5 Crawford (two graded higher), 6 Chase (one graded higher), 7, 8 Clarke (two graded higher), 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Evers (two graded higher), 19 Joss (one graded higher), 20 (none graded higher), 21, 23 Lajoie (one graded higher), 27 Christy Mathewson, 29, 33, 35 Tinker (two graded higher), 36 Tris Speaker (none graded higher), 38, 40 Willis, 41, 42 Cy Young, 43, 44, 45, 47 Chance (two graded higher), 48, 49 (none graded higher), 77, 78 Baker (one graded higher), 79, 81, 83, 86 (none graded higher), 87 Collins (one graded higher), 89, 91, 92 (none graded higher), 93 (none graded higher), 97 (none graded higher), 98, 100, 101 Keeler (one graded higher), 102, 105, 111, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118 (none graded higher), 119 (none graded higher), 121, 122 (NY), 122b ([MK], NY & Bos.), 124 Wallace (one graded higher), 125 Walsh (one graded higher), and 126. Two cards grade VG-EX+ 4.5: #82 and 106. Six cards are graded VG-EX 4: #24, 34, 46, 104, 107, and 110. One card is graded GOOD+ 2.5: #50. As referenced throughout the condition composite and on the PSA Set Registry, many of these cards are the highest or second-highest graded examples in the PSA Population Report. The consignor has invested years in assembling and upgrading this set with the intention of assembling the finest T3 set in the world. It includes all 100 different players plus all four rare variations. There are no weak cards. And as anyone who has collected PSA-graded T3s can attest, cards which are graded EX often appear to be EX-MT, cards which are graded EX-MT can often appear to be NM, and cards which are graded NM can often appear to be NM-MT. That is certainly the case here, as each card was added to this set not because of its PSA numerical grade, but because of its merit and visual appeal. This set was assembled with both an uncompromising appreciation for condition and an extremely discerning eye. A T3 set of this quality can be looked at by any buyer as an investment commodity that comes with a built-in "insurance policy." It can always be broken up, and depending on what it sells for, a buyer might actually be rewarded for doing so. A great deal of time and effort over a period of years has gone into the assembly of this set. The SMR lists T3s at far more modest values than have often been seen in the marketplace. Common cards in PSA EX 5 are listed at $850; common cards in PSA EX-MT 6 list for $1,750; and common cards in PSA NM 7 list for $3,500. Hall of Famer cards in most cases are also listed at lower levels than individual auction prices. At these levels, the SMR value of the set exceeds $190,000. The SMR value of just the twenty-five Hall of Famers is $107,050; the SMR value of the non-Hall of Famers (which so often sell for a very significant premium relative to SMR in the highest grades) is $86,570. (The consignor's actual cost in assembling this set one card at a time, which he acknowledges may have no bearing on its selling price as a complete set in this auction, is exactly $142,257 for the Hall of Famers and $193,304 for the non-Hall of Famers.) We realize that potentially few collectors can seriously consider buying a complete set of this caliber, but for those who can consider such a commitment, this set represents a remarkable and probably unique opportunity, and may offer potentially the most economical approach to the purchase of a T3 set in high grade. Total: 104 cards. Reserve $50,000. Estimate $100,000+. SOLD FOR $246,750