Baseball and baseball cards would never be the same. In a sense, the 1957 Topps Baseball set marks the end of an era--a seismic shift if you will--to baseball's expansion era. New York City, the epicenter of baseball in the 1950s, went from three teams to one following the 1957 campaign. The Dodgers and Giants headed west taking nearly 150 years of combined Big Apple … [Read more...]
The Whitest of Whales: 1968 Topps 3-D Baseball
Almost the only thing known for sure about the rare and revered 1968 Topps 3-D baseball cards is that they are unbelievably expensive and many of us will likely never own one. The hobby's late 60s Sasquatch, legend has it that the cards were spotted for only a brief time at a few Brooklyn candy stores that summer. There are also accounts that indicate most of the cards on … [Read more...]
Giancarlo Stanton Rookie Cards: Still a Value Play?
When the Marlins decided to sign their best player to a 13-year, $325 million contract, they locked up someone who could prove to be one of baseball’s all-time great power hitters. There are quite a few Giancarlo Stanton rookie cards to choose from, but like Stanton himself, many of them no longer come cheap. Still, it might not be too late to jump on the early issues of a … [Read more...]
5 Cool Harmon Killebrew Baseball Cards
Maybe it’s because his contemporaries were named Aaron, Mays and Mantle, or maybe it’s because he spent the majority of his career tucked away in Minnesota, whatever the reason, Harmon Killebrew baseball cards are, in many cases, vastly undervalued. When he retired at the end of the 1975 season, Killebrew’s 573 career homers were the most ever for an American League … [Read more...]
Say Hey: The Best Willie Mays Cards to Own
Any debate about the greatest baseball players of all time will eventually lead to a kid who grew up in the segregated south, dreaming of a big league career but knowing as a youngster it might never happen. Eventually he got his chance. Willie Mays could do it all and look great doing it. He played in three decades, was an All Star 20 times, Gold Glove winner 12 times and … [Read more...]
Best Vintage Roger Maris Cards
Roger Maris might very well be the most well-known and sought after non-Baseball Hall of Famer there is. His relatively short career saw several fantastic seasons and one legendary one that made him a household name then and a favorite among collectors to this day. Maris is not Mantle – something he said often in 1961. Roger’s cards are affordable but limited in number … [Read more...]
1950: When Bowman Ruled the Card Kingdom
The classic sets of the 1950s all have that signature star, rookie or some design trait that make it instantly recognizable and sought after by collectors. 1951 Bowman has those gorgeous horizontal rookie cards of Mays and Mantle. 1954 Topps contains that blazing, bright orange Henry Aaron. 1952 Topps is chock full of rookies and legends. Even 1955 Bowman’s kitschy color TVs … [Read more...]
Hot Dog! Stahl-Meyer Baseball Card Sets Are 1950s Classics
New York City was the center of the baseball universe in the early 1950s. Willie, Mickey and The Duke were in their prime. The Shot ‘Heard Round the World was still a recent memory and all but two of the 14 teams to play in the World Series from 1950-1956 called the Big Apple home. The cards from these years are equally legendary. Topps and Bowman were issuing sets that … [Read more...]
1959 Bazooka Baseball Set Offers Ultimate ‘Bubble Gum Card’ Challenge
If you are a set collector looking for a real challenge – not just a test, but an upper level course at set-builder graduate school – then you might be ready to start chasing down the ultra-rare 1959 Bazooka Baseball set. The baseball card collecting world of 1959 knew two things – pictures of ball players will never have any value and packs of them cost either a penny or a … [Read more...]
More Hall of Famers, Cut Signatures Coming to Fast Rising U.S. Mint Coins?
The Hall of Fame Commemorative coins recently released by the US Mint have proven to be one of the hotter collectibles early in 2014 for both coin and baseball collectors alike. Professional Coin Grading Service, a coin grader/authenticator and subsidiary of PSA, has added fuel to the fire by inking 18 Hall of Famers to autograph deals with the intention of having them … [Read more...]