History Repeats ... again ... and again

There has been a great deal of talk of what is worth collecting, what should be invested and what should be produced by the card companies. The recent Topps Heritage set contains several historic figures and events using some of the classic baseball card designs.

A very generous board member over on Collectors Universe forwarded me samples of these knowing I am a fan of history - and in particular Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

I very much liked the 1962 baseball wood grain design for the Revolutionary Hero subset. The Presidential subset recycles the 1952 baseball design except in the standard size rather than the original 1952 cards.

This has been brewing for some time as the past few years leading up to the Presidential election, several makers have included the U.S. Leaders like the Turkey Red series (above).

But for my taste, and for my dollar, I think obtaining some of the vintage cards like the 1951 Topps Look-n-See series (below) is a better investment. Some of the very same personalities are included and the artwork on most is excellent.

although the 2009 Heritage contain numbered versions, chrome and refractors - I would dare say that value wise you can get several good deals getting these ...

... the Royal Bengal Cigarettes T68 series. These tobacco cards from 1910 are still very affordable - and original.

While you are enjoying your search for the T68s (above), you might come across some others like the American Carmel set - E50 with contemporary personalities like Teddy Roosevelt (below) ...

and contemporary Sea vessels like the one in the 1927 Phillip's Cigarettes series (below). These are far better than the recently released Mayo football set that to me is appalling.
Don't misunderstand me, I like the fact that card makers are adding history to modern cards - but it might be time to add more contemporary figures. This will be a factor in future sets and in your collection.