Christy Mathewson
We get email. Or, in this case, I get messages on MySpace because when people pop my name into Google, my dormant, crusty MySpace page is the first hit, for some odd reason. But because it’s the only way for some Standard Catalog readers to find me, I pan for gold through all that spam…and lo and behold I found a nugget today:
My name is Dan Mathewson. Christy Mathewson, the NY Giants pitcher of [yore], is my great-great uncle. I’ve been collecting memorabilia of his for years.
…There is an entry for the 1930 Post Cereal Famous North Americans. Wherein Christy is featured on the back of the cereal box with three other characters: Andrew Jackson, Dan’l Boone and Pocahontas. I have three of the cards graded (Christy alone). But, i wondered if you have ever come across a “guide” or suggestion for a value given two other instances: One, where i have the entire back panel (christy and the other three persons). And, Two, where I have the entire cereal box (lid/top cut off).
This is an interesting question. As always, the exact correct answer is “whatever someone will pay you for it, that’s what it’s worth.” Especially on these cards, which sell so infrequently it’s tough to get a bead on rock-solid pricing figures.
That being said, it’s hard to take that to the insurance appraiser, so I huddled with Bob Lemke via email and did some power-Googling and we came up with:
- 10-15% premium over the total value of the individual cards for the box panel.
- The whole box is tough; Bob estimates (and I agree) that a whole box, intact, would be valued roughly at double the sum of the card prices. Without the top, though, we’d only multiply it 40-50%.
Hope this helps!
