The Nodder Price
Guide
Brought to you by
The Nodder Exchange
Black Player Set
Years produced - 1963-1965
Details - 6.5" high on green base
Face styles - 1. Regular (Happy Face) 2. Realistic Face
Mascots - None
Variations -Cubs on a square base.
Prices Updated 2019
Dolls priced in 3 Grades: NrMt/Mt,
NrMt and EX+. Lesser condition examples would sell for less. (See the Condition
Guide for explanations)
Rarity index - 10 rarest, 1 easiest to find.
Gem Dolls (Like new colors and shine) normally go for more.
Gem mint looking restored dolls normally go for roughly the same as NrMt
examples.
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
|
|
Angels | LA | 9 | 1200-1500 | 1500-2000 | 2000+ | One of the rarest in the set. As of 2019, only two in the last 5 years went for $1835 and $2389. |
|
|
Braves | Atlanta | 9 | 350-450 | 500-650 | 600-750 | Hat decal filled in and base repainted black when the Braves moved to Atlanta. |
|
|
Braves | Milwaukee | 9 | 1000-1200 | 1200-1500 | 1500-2000 | Another very tough doll. Almost always comes with a painted hat decal. |
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
|
|
Cardinals | St Louis | 8 | 400-600 | 600-750 | 800-1000 | One of the more available black dolls. |
|
|
Colt 45 | Houston | 10 | 3000-4000 | 4000-6000 | 6000-8000++ | One of the rarest baseball dolls of all. Set a price record in December 2002 at $11,683. Prices had settled in at the $5500-6000 level but I haven't seen a sale in over 5 years so prices will probably increase. |
|
|
Cubs | Chicago | 9 | 600-800 | 800-1000 | 1000-1500 | Another tough doll, shows up once a year or so. Also comes in a square base version, same pricing, maybe a bit more. |
|
|
Dodgers | L.A. | 7 | 400-500 | 600-800 | 800-1000 | One of the more available. |
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
|
|
Indians | Cleveland | 9 | 700-800 | 800-1000 | 1000-1500 | Very tough doll. |
|
|
Mets | NY | 9 | 800-900 | 1000-1200 | 1200-2000 | Very scarce. |
|
|
Orioles | Baltimore | 7 | 400-600 | 650-800 | 800-900 | "Plentiful" compared to others in the set, doesn't make it easy to come by. |
|
|
Phillies | Philadelphia | 7 | 500-700 | 700-850 | 850-1000 | A bit more available than some but still very tough. |
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
|
|
Reds | Cincinnati | 9 | 600-700 | 800-1000 | 1000-1500 | Has really dried up. As of 6/19 I have not had one for sale since 2013 and that one went for over $1500 in top condition. |
|
|
Red Sox | Boston | 9 | 750-900 | 900-1200 | 1200-1500+ | Tough doll. |
|
|
Senators | Washington | 7 | 500-600 | 700-800 | 800-1000 | Prices always steady. |
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
|
|
Tigers | Detroit | 7 | 500-600 | 650-800 | 800-1000 | Another doll with very steady prices. |
|
|
White Sox | Chicago | 7 | 400-500 | 550-650 | 650-1000 | One of the more plentiful Black players but that doesn't mean it's easy to find. |
|
|
Yankees | New York | 9 | 1000-1200 | 1200-1500 | 1500-2500 | Very difficult to find, almost impossible in top condition. can be found with a hat decal or a painted NY. |
| Click to Enlarge | Nickname | City | Rarity | Ex+ | NrMt | NrMt/Mt | Comments |
| Green Base Boxes | All | Standard Green base (and White Base) box has a generic ballplayer and is titled "My Favorite Baseball Team". Says "Japan" at the bottom of the picture. Has a stamp on either end of box with team name. Gold base boxes say "Made In Japan" and have a sticker. Green Base boxes sell individually for $5- $20, figure you can add a 5-10% or more to doll's value if you have the box. |
Black Player Notes:
Only 17 teams were represented in this set, A's, Pirates, Twins, and Giants were left out. Prices have stabilized the last several years.
As mentioned above, Black dolls come in two styles, "Realistic Face" and the "Traditional Face". Both are rare, however you'll come across more Realistic face dolls. Below is a comparison of the two, if you have trouble figuring out which it is, the easiest way to remember is the Realistic doll has eyebrows. The realistic face is a very thick mold which often causes what looks like lumps or paint bubbles to face. Realistic face on left, traditional face on right:
Probably the most famous set of all the Bobbing Heads from the 1960's. Historically and politically, these dolls would probably transcend the "Bobbing Head World" and give a hint as to how life was back in the early 60's. Keep in mind that during this time period, 1962-1965, was the real beginning of the fight for "Civil rights", many Black ballplayers were still fighting to get into the majors (Jackie Robinson was the first in 1948, the Boston Red Sox first black player wasn't signed until 1960). My guess was that the manufacturers wanted to be "politically correct" and issued the set as an adjunct to the regular Green Base set. For what ever reason, the Black doll series was produced in very short numbers. They have been consistently rare for the last 40 years, and I don't expect to see a huge influx anytime soon...All are very scarce.
All of the dolls are very hard to find, consistent prices over $1,000 for top quality dolls is not unreasonable. While all are rare, the most available are probably the Cardinals, Orioles, Dodgers, White Sox, and Senators but they are very tough to find also.
After the Colt 45, it would appear that the hardest to find would be ( in no particular order) the Yankees, Mets, Angels, Milwaukee Braves, Red Sox, Indians and Reds. As I mentioned earlier, all are very tough.
