Among the services third party grading companies provide to collectors are the free population reports maintained by each entity. A population report is essentially an accounting of the cards the companies have graded. It allows you to see how many, say, T205 Cy Young cards one of them has graded. Even beyond that, pop reports also detail how many cards in a particular … [Read more...]
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Autographed Lou Gehrig Type I Photo Dates to ’33 Goudey Shoot
SCP Auctions is wrapping up its most recent offering with a selection of all kinds of New York Yankees memorabilia. In browsing the listings of items available, one particular photograph stands out. Lot No. 6 in the auction is for an autographed 8" x 10" Lou Gehrig photograph taken by the legendary Charles Conlon. That in and of itself would be notable, of course, and easily … [Read more...]
A Look at the Evolution of Early Bowman Baseball Cards
After World War II, the Bowman Gum Company quickly became a viable competitor to Topps. Both companies produced sets early in the postwar era but Bowman would eventually get swallowed up by its rival. Topps, of course, ceased printing cards under the Bowman label after 1955 until reviving the brand back in 1989. But while Bowman's first run lasted only from 1948 through … [Read more...]
Missing Stars from the T201 Mecca Double Folders Set
The T201 Mecca Double Folders set was interactive, long before the term came into vogue. Each card featured two players with a long vertical image of one on one side and the top of of a second on the other. The cards had a factory 'fold' and when the top half was folded down, the second player's upper body would be displayed against the same lower body of the player on the … [Read more...]
Hottest Rookie Cards of 1989 Had Varied Fortunes
1989 marked some pretty significant advances in the sports card industry. Collectors saw the introduction of Upper Deck as well as the return of Bowman. And as I recently wrote, that also marked the year when football traded cards became 'a thing.' Rookie cards also continued their popularity and, as is the case with any year, some were stars and others were busts. While it … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: Winding Down (Part III of III)
This is the final part of a three-part series covering the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I and Part II of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s as well as tobacco cards produced from the boom of 1909-11. While tobacco cards remained popular internationally for decades to come, American tobacco cards featuring … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: Boom of the 1909-11 Years (Part II of III)
This three-part series will take a look at the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. In Part I of this series, I reviewed the earliest tobacco cards from the 1800s. Part II will take a look at the height of the tobacco card era. More specifically, we'll cover the sets from the 1909-11 time period. At the turn of the century, it took a while for tobacco … [Read more...]
Chasing Tobacco: The Early Years (Part I of III)
This three-part series will take a look at the early history of tobacco cards from the pre-war era. It is often said that the earliest baseball cards were trade card issues. While that is technically correct, the hobby really started growing its roots in the era of tobacco cards. Tobacco cards featuring baseball players generally got their start in the 1880s. While we … [Read more...]
Heritage to Offer Historic Babe Ruth 1933 Butter Cream Card in July Auction
Heritage is gearing up for its big summer auction and one of the headliners is a truly special card. Included in the company's July 18-19 Summer Sports Card Catalog Auction is an incredibly rare Babe Ruth 1933 Butter Cream card. About the 1933 Butter Cream Set While it is a later pre-war issue, the 1933 Butter Cream cards are extremely rare in any condition. Categorized as … [Read more...]
1989 Kicked Off Football Traded/Update Card Era
As was the case with baseball cards, Topps and Bowman led the way in producing the first post-war football cards in the late 1940s and early 1950s. After Topps acquired Bowman, they had little competition in the football card market (Philadelphia Gum and Fleer aside) until the 1980s. In 1974, Topps got the idea to create a small subset of cards for baseball players that were … [Read more...]
