How Rare is Rare Really
I was visiting with a business associate yesterday talking about how the internet has changed the way companies market their products and services to consumers. The conversation turned to Web 2.0 and user generated content which led to me sharing with him my experience with this blog. As he formed his response to the fact that I collect baseball cards and write about them on the web I was expecting him to ask what my most valuable card is. Instead he asked me what my rarest card was.
That caught me off guard, I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that question. In my head I was thinking about the lone tobacco card I have, the Mantles, the Red Backs and Blue Backs or maybe its the 1963 Fleer Clemente. Then I realized that these were not close to the rarest cards I own. Then I was a bit saddened to realize that the rarest cards I own some of which are less than a year old.
Its those darn numbered inserts and parallels that are the rarest cards I own. That just doesn’t seem right does it? Just because they are stamped 01/10 or 1/1 do they deserve to be called rare? Just because it has a gold border or a silver foil logo along with those low production runs do they really earn the right to be called Rare? Sometimes you can hardly tell the difference in the common or the so called rare version.
The T206 Wagner is rare and the M131 Baltimore News Series Ty Cobb is extremely rare. If I were to buy a pack of 2008 Bowman Chrome Baseball and pull a Red Superfractor I would have one of only five of them in existence. Some people estimate that their may be more than a hundred T206 Wagners out there while others say its around 50. There are probably even fewer of the M131 Cobb’s floating around out there. So my brand new Red Superfractor limited to five Bowman would be rarer than the T206 Wagner. Lets back up a few words in that last sentence, lets call that Red Superfractor “Limited” and not Rare.
Limited, that sounds better to me for these modern man made rarities. After all I think that value has a part in the equation when it comes to deciding what is rare. Also, irreplaceable comes to mind when it comes to Rare. There is only one Declaration of Independence and it is rare in significance, meaning and value. You cannot reproduce the Declaration of Independence today. I don’t believe you can reproduce the M131 Cobb either. But Bowman could print more 2008 Bowman Chrome Red Superfractors next week and put them in factory sets or something. They might not be numbered to five but wouldn’t they be pretty much the same as their numbered brethren?
You may be thinking I am full of crap or spent too much time breathing the ether of Web 2.0 today, thats okay by me. Let me know how you feel about the topic. For me the next time I am asked this question, I will answer by saying I have no idea what my rarest card is but I won’t say it is a numbered insert. If my friend had asked you that question today what would your answer have been?
November 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I’m sure if I was asked that question, I would have gone through the exact same thought process as you did. I like your definition of what is “limited” and what is “rare.” That’s perfect.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for the kind comments Night Owl. I got another “limited” card today in the mail. I’ll post it a little later.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Man, this is a great question. I have several 1/1’s and because 1/1’s in the scheme of things are not actually ‘rare’ but ‘limited,’ I can’t think of them as being ‘rare.’ Like you, I think rarity is more about availibility to be reproduced. I’d say my T206’s or E135’s (I think that’s the ‘name’) are my rarest, even if there were a bunch of them still out there. Why? Because of what you said: Card companies could easily make more of modern cards without blinking. Heck, even after they sell off printing plates, they could always make more of those. I think it’s an age thing – the older the card, the harder (or the impossibility) to find an original.
I think I would have to answer it like this: “Well, I have several different cards that are 1/1’s, so theoretically those might be rare, but for me, my rarest are my T206’s or my E135’s.”
November 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am
You could have gotten away with a brief explanation of today’s “rare” cards vs. cards that have been made rare. If today’s cards were really RARE they would have a 6 figure price tag. Since they don’t they aren’t. Does that make sense? Anyway that’s the way I feel.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Without thinking too much I probably would have said that the 2005 Roger Clemens 1/1 Flair card I have is the rarest card. There were 2,141 Roger Clemens cards produced in 2005 (figure from of Beckett.com). So 2005 Clemens cards are not particularly rare. Based on my own count there were about 182,000 baseball cards produced in 2005. So 2005 baseball cards are not rare.
On the other hand, I have a 1940 Play Ball card of Edwin Joost. According to Beckett, there were 52 Joost cards produced, and only 1 produced in 1940. In fact, the Play Ball set appears to be the only comprehensive set produced in 1940. There were 240 cards in the set.
So which is rarer, the 1/1 Clemens or the Joost? I’d say the Joost.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
David,
Are your 1 of 1’s Tribers? I googled E135 Baseball Card and you had the number one position for your post from November of last year.
Chris,
Yep, you make sense.
Cliff,
Thats another great way to look at the whole situation. 182,000 different cards in one year. Wow! Makes me ask why?