Lot # 537: 1909-1911 E254 Colgan's Chips Near-Complete Master Set (270/294): #2 PSA Set Registry (5.03 GPA)

Among the most unusual and distinctive cards ever produced are the 1909-1911 E254 Colgan's Chips series. The cards are actually circular (1-7/16 inches in diameter) and were issued as inserts with Colgan's Chips ("The Gum That's Round") in the round Colgan's Chips gum tins. Offered is a substantial collection of 270 different E254 Colgan's Chips cards featuring 219 different subjects and 51 variations, representing a very impressive assemblage of these classic and unusual cards. Entirely graded and encapsulated by PSA, this incredible set currently ranks first on the PSA Set Registry with an impressive overall GPA of 5.03. Please note the PSA registry lists two cards in the offered set incorrectly: Gardner (currently listed as a NM-MT 8 but is actually a VG-EX 4) and Konetchy (currently listed as a MINT 9 but is actually a NM-MT 8). According to the PSA checklist, this set is missing the following 24 cards for completion: Austin/St. Louis, Beaumont/St. Paul, Beumiller, Clarke/Pittsburgh, Coveleski/Chattanooga, Gardner/New York, Hahn, Halla/small letters, Lakoff, Lord, Manser/Rochester, Murch/Chattanooga, Orth/Indianapolis, Reilly/Reilley, Reilly/Louisville, Ritchey, Schardt/Birmingham, Seabaugh/looking straight, Sparks/Richmond, Stansberry/Louisville, Unglaub/Lincoln, Wiesman, Wilson/Indianapolis, and Woodruff/Indianapolis. The lot is composed of seven MINT 9s, two NM-MT+ 8.5s, thirty-six NM-MT 8s, twenty-eight NM 7s, one EX-MT+ 6.5, thirty-eight EX-MT 6s, forty-two EX 5s, three VG-EX+ 4.5s, fifty VG-EX 4s, twenty-one VG 3s, four GOOD+ 2.5s, twenty-five GOOD 2s, three FR 1.5s, and ten PR 1s. This substantial collection is highlighted by all 19 Hall of Famers, including Ty Cobb, Addie Joss, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young.

PSA Grading Composite: MINT 9 (7 cards): Bates/Philadelphia, Clarke/Cincinnati, Engle/Boston, Knight, McConnell, McLean, and Siner. NM-MT+ 8.5 (2 cards): Abstein/Pittsburgh and Willett. NM-MT 8 (36 cards): Including Clarke/Pittsburg, Collins, Flick/Cleveland, and Smith (MC). NM 7 (28 cards): Including Bresnahan, Chance, Joss, Tinker, and Waddell/St. Louis. EX-MT+ 6.5 (1 card): Murray/New York. EX-MT 6 (38 cards): Including Cobb. EX 5 (42 cards): Including Baker, McGinnity, and Hooper/Boston AL. VG-EX+ 4.5 (3 cards): Chase, Dougherty, and Ellis. VG-EX 4 (50 cards): Including Evers, McGann (MK), Speaker, Wagner, and Young. VG 3 (21 cards): Including Jennings, Kelly (MC), McCarthy (MK), and Waddell/Newark. GOOD+ 2.5 (4 cards): Delahanty, Kaiser, McIntyre/Chicago, and Pickering/Omaha. GOOD 2 (25 cards): Including Flick/Toledo, Hooper/Boston NL, and Waddell/Minneapolis. FAIR 1.5 (3 cards): Meyer, Stahl, and Waller. POOR 1 (10 cards): Including Howard (MC).

Because they are so unusual and not traditional rectangular cards, E254s have been overlooked by many collectors. The more common cards in the set (which are not really common compared to most 1910-era cards; they are just common relative to the many rarer cards in the set) represent one of the most outstanding values of all baseball candy issues. There is no consensus and little attention has been given regarding values of rarer cards in the set. In part simply because they are rare, the relative rarities of cards in the set have not been documented. It is truly a "no-man's-land" for assessing E254 values, not unlike collecting N172 Old Judges 25 years ago, before all the nuances of varying rarities had been fully documented. A total of 226 different players are represented within a complete set and many obscure players are included, among them many players that appear in few (in some cases no) other sets, which is part of its great appeal to advanced collectors. In addition to featuring players from the Major Leagues, 45 percent of the set features players from eight different minor leagues. The set includes 19 Hall of Famers, a modest number for a card issue of this size. This is an incredible collection of E254s, one of the largest ever assembled of this distinctive and unusual issue, which would be a worthy addition to any prewar-card collection, and which would serve as a tremendous foundation for any collector looking to tackle the monumental task of assembling a complete master set. The total SMR value for the assigned grades is $13,456. Total: 270 cards. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.