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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
1991 Michael Jordan Upper Deck Baseball Card Surges at 30-Year Anniversary
A few years before Michael Jordan eschewed the NBA to become a real live professional baseball player, he was featured on a special insert card in Upper Deck's 1991 baseball card product. The card quickly became one of the ones to remember during that year. The card was cool for several reasons. It held appeal because it featured Jordan, who was just then starting to win NBA … [Read more...]
The W9316 Strip Card Set is Short, Hideous, and Rare
Strip card sets have been known historically as issues that struggle with aesthetic appeal. But one set, in particular, is one that has made collectors wince for years -- the W9316 strip card set. Here's a closer look at this hidden 'gem.' W9316 Strip Card Basics Believed to have been issued in 1921, the W9316 strip card set is not a large one. It includes only ten cards … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Pre-War Card Bargains Can Still Be Found
The sports card craze of 2020-21 isn't one that's going to be soon forgotten. Collectors have seen prices soar and the values of their collections rise -- in many cases, dramatically. That's good news, right? In a way, sure. Some collectors have cashed out, pocketing big profits. And while others have held onto their stuff, the value of what they possess is now in most cases … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: There’s Low-Grade — and Then There’s Low-Grade
As a pre-war collector, I've bought my share of ugly cards. I'm not enamored with them, really. And, like most, I'd like to have cards in the best condition possible. But unless you've got unlimited resources, if you're a collector of early cards, sacrificing a little on condition sort of goes with the territory. After all, these cards are, in some cases, 100 years old or … [Read more...]
Cool Find: Two New 1922 Fans Cigarette Cards Discovered
The T231 Fans Cigarettes set is an incredibly scarce type. But recently, the known checklist has nearly doubled with the find of two new cards. Nearly doubled with the addition of two cards? No, that's not a typo. The 1922 Fans Cigarettes cards are so rare that only three were previously known to date. The three known cards were Larry Gardner, Carson Bigbee, and Hall of … [Read more...]