It's hard to believe but the 1991 Desert Shield baseball cards issued by Topps have turned 30. I remember those cards distinctly, even if finding them proved difficult. Here's a closer look at this impressive set that continues to generate collector interest three decades after it was first issued. About the 1991 Topps Desert Shield Baseball Cards The cards, if you're … [Read more...] about 30 Years Later, 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cards Remain Popular — and Valuable
Sports Cards Highlight the Rare Obsequio de Susini Set
The Obsequio de Susini tobacco card set is one of those international issues that doesn't come up a whole lot. The lack of baseball cards in it is a contributing factor for its relative obscurity. Nevertheless, there are plenty of great sports cards to be found in it. Let's take a deeper look at this rare set. About the Obsequio de Susini set Obsequio de Susini? That's a … [Read more...] about Sports Cards Highlight the Rare Obsequio de Susini Set
Near Set of Rare 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards Discovered
Little is known about the unclassified baseball card set dubbed as 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards. But a new discovery of them will certainly reignite some interest in learning more about this interesting set. Calling them strip cards is even a bit misleading. In reality, these are small cards with real pictures of players. However, that is their designation in one of the … [Read more...] about Near Set of Rare 1921 Self Developing Strip Cards Discovered
The Wayback Collector: Ten Observations from a ‘National’ Rookie
Last week, I mentioned that I would be attending my first ever National Sports Collectors Convention show. It'd been a goal of mine to get to one and I safely made the trip to Chicago this week. The highlight of my trip was picking up a T207 Louis Lowdermilk card. Known as one of the toughest cards in the set, it helped me complete the standard 200-card set and that alone … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Ten Observations from a ‘National’ Rookie
The Wayback Collector: A Rookie Heads to the National
As a collector for roughly 30 years, I've checked a lot of boxes off of my 'resume.' I've met a lot of collecting goals and exceeded a few, too. But one thing I've never done is make it to a National. That's changing this year. Truth be told, this wasn't something in the works for a long time. Collectors often plan their National trip out months and months in advance but … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: A Rookie Heads to the National
How Junky was the Junk Wax Era?
While junk wax era baseball cards have made an undeniable comeback in the past year, the fact remains that many of the cards were heavily overproduced. I was reminded of this fact in a recent discussion on cards, which prompted me to pull up a bit of old research I'd done on the population of cards from that era. Is it possible to determine the printing population of those … [Read more...] about How Junky was the Junk Wax Era?
Revisiting Upper Deck’s 1988 Promo Baseball Cards
Upper Deck changed the landscape of baseball card collecting forever in 1989. Debuting a slick look and, more importantly, $1.00 packs, the cards were highly sought after. Those $1.00 packs, too, forced other trading card companies to up their games -- and ultimately, their prices. While 1989 marked the beginning of Upper Deck's baseball cards, a pair of early-released promo … [Read more...] about Revisiting Upper Deck’s 1988 Promo Baseball Cards
1976 Kellogg’s Set Included Many Stars, A Key Rookie, Short Prints, And … Errors
Cereal boxes were once again high on the list of young fans' grocery lists in the year of the bi-centennial as Kellogg's returned with another non-traditional three dimensional baseball card set. The 1976 Kellogg's release was similar to other series' but had some variances, too. 1976 Kellogg's Basics For the second straight year, Kellogg's produced a slightly … [Read more...] about 1976 Kellogg’s Set Included Many Stars, A Key Rookie, Short Prints, And … Errors
The Wayback Collector: Early Sports Card Documents Pre-War Autograph Seeking
Autograph collecting is quite popular among collectors these days. And the activity is so common that it's even been depicted on cards themselves through the years. That's right, start back in the 1970s and you can find plenty of cards picturing players signing autographs. The topic's even been covered before online. Here's the thing, though. Baseball card photography has … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Early Sports Card Documents Pre-War Autograph Seeking
30 Years Ago, Fleer Broke Into the Premium Marketplace with Ultra
By the early 1990s, the baseball card market landscape was changing. Really, the shift had begun a few years earlier. In 1988, new companies like Score were coming on board. In 1989, they were joined by Upper Deck and Topps' resurrection of the Bowman brand. Soon, it wasn't enough to simply have one brand as a baseball card manufacturer. Upper Deck had proved with its $1 … [Read more...] about 30 Years Ago, Fleer Broke Into the Premium Marketplace with Ultra