Joe DiMaggio entered the major leagues in 1936. Breaking in with what would be his only team, DiMaggio starred immediately with the New York Yankees. That season, the Yankee Clipper slugged 29 home runs, batted .323, and led the league with 15 triples. While DiMaggio does have a few earlier cards and collectibles from his minor league days, here's a look at some of his 1936 … [Read more...]
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5 Fast Facts About the 1939 Play Ball Set
The 1939 Play Ball set is one of the more popular pre-war issues. It came after the craze of tobacco cards and was a contrast to the mostly colorful Goudeys issues of the 1930s. Here are five quick facts about this unique gum card release. 1. It Includes Ted Williams' Rookie Card The Ted Williams rookie card is one of the most iconic pre-war issues. At a minimum, it's one … [Read more...]
Wayback Collector: Pre-War Autograph Market Not Likely To Be The Same After T206 Forgeries
Arguably the biggest piece of hobby news this week surrounded the discovery of some T206 forgeries. In case it's somehow eluded you, after weeding out a bad Rube Marquard autographed card, members on the Net54 vintage card forum uncovered a string of additional T206 cards that have been proven to be fakes. To date, more than a dozen have been found. Discoveries have included … [Read more...]
1993 Flair Set Introduced Another Premium Brand to a Crowded Market
In 1991, Fleer had already jumped into the premium market of baseball cards with their first set of Fleer Ultra. But two years later, the company went even further in efforts to keep up with more expensive brands, such as Topps Finest and SP, with its inaugural 1993 Flair set. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the set and I thought it fitting to take a look back. 1993 … [Read more...]
1962 Salada-Junket Coins a Massive Vintage Issue
Despite not being traditional baseball cards, the 1962 Salada-Junket coins are heavily desired by vintage collectors. Here's a closer look at this unique set from the 1960s. 1962 Salada-Junket Coins Basics The 1962 Salada-Junket Coins were available in packages of Salada Tea and Junket Dessert products. These co-branded plastic coins featured baseball players from the major … [Read more...]
1952 Star-Cal Decals Set Featured Stars and Two Types
The 1952 Star-Cal Decals set is one of the more interesting 1950s issues. While the Topps and Bowman sets get most of the attention from collectors, this unique set has its own great lineup of stars and is significantly tougher to find. 1952 Star-Cal Decals Basics The 1952 Star-Cal Decals set was produced by the Meyercord Company, which was based in Chicago, as is printed on … [Read more...]
1913 Voskamp Cards Featured Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates
Regional pre-war sets are, as expected, usually quite rare. Such is the case with a little-discussed set produced by Voskamp's Coffee and Tea in 1913. 1913 Voskamp's Basics These cards were the creation of a company called B.H. Voskamp's Sons, Inc., a wholesale grocer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was located at Penn Avenue and 11th Street, which is right in the … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: It’s Time to Update the American Card Catalog
The American Card Catalog is the most important book in the history of card collecting. I'll listen to the argument that publications such as price guides really brought collecting to the forefront and helped establish it as a lucrative venture. But for my money, the American Card Catalog is tops in terms of importance for, particularly, older cards. First created in 1939 as … [Read more...]
1903 World Series Program Brings Big Price in Huggins & Scott Auction
Huggins & Scott's most recent auction ended this weekend with some big prices tallied on some rare sports collectibles. Leading the way was an official program from Game 7 of the 1903 World Series at Pittsburgh. The program is only the third known copy and sold for a staggering $228,780. With so few known copies of the Pittsburgh version having survived, the program's … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: 1980-81 Topps Basketball the Way They Were Meant to Be
A seller in a collector group to which I belong made the offer. Up for grabs was about 175 panels from the 1980-81 Topps basketball set along with a dozen 'intact' cards. The asking price was $20 delivered, which seemed low enough as it was. But the last thing I needed was to be sucked into another collecting project. Anyway, I'm mostly a pre-War guy, for … [Read more...]
