In the 1980s, Topps' landmark traded sets produced some of the hobby's most iconic cards of the era. Nearly every release in the decade had an important card. In 1982, it was Cal Ripken's 'follow-up' card (after his rookie appeared in the regular Topps set). 1983 and 1984 produced rookie cards of Mets stars Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. The likes of Barry Bonds, Jose … [Read more...] about Topps Introduced Groundbreaking ‘Traded’ Cards in the 1970s
The Wayback Collector: The Surprise Card Featured in the 1909 T204 Ramly Set
Known in the American Card Catalog as T204, the 1909 Ramly set is one of the gems from the pre-war era that is available to collectors. Certainly, it doesn't have the popularity or widespread appeal that the T205 and T206 sets have. However, it is appreciated by those who appreciate something that's a little bit different. Black and white images of players are displayed inside … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: The Surprise Card Featured in the 1909 T204 Ramly Set
Comparing Knute Rockne’s Two Most Popular Cards
You won't find legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne on many vintage trading cards. Cards of coaches were not common in the pre-war era when Rockne was active. But even beyond that, football cards from that time period in general were not all that common. The sport was still relatively new (particularly in the case of professional football) and distributors of card … [Read more...] about Comparing Knute Rockne’s Two Most Popular Cards
The 1900 Cope Golfers Set is the Most Famous of Early Issues from the Sport
While golf has been a popular sport for more than a century, collectors will find surprisingly few early sets featuring the sport. The majority of early issues were international releases that were printed overseas. And even as the sport grew in popularity here in the U.S., domestic golf issues were few and far between before the modern era of card collecting. Some of the … [Read more...] about The 1900 Cope Golfers Set is the Most Famous of Early Issues from the Sport
Ray Demmitt and Bill O’Hara T206 St. Louis Variants Continue to Climb
The T206 baseball card set is known for many things. There are the dozens of cards of Hall of Famers, the tough Southern League cards, and of course, the Big Four -- shortprints of Honus Wagner and Eddie Plank, and hard-to-find error cards of Sherry Magee and Joe Doyle. There's essentially something for everybody in this massive 524-card release. The Big Four cards are well … [Read more...] about Ray Demmitt and Bill O’Hara T206 St. Louis Variants Continue to Climb
The Wayback Collector: Observations in Pre-War Collecting from 2022
It's been nearly two years since the massive price spike in card prices that we saw in the spring of 2020. And as 2022 comes to a close, here are six trends I've noticed in the world of collecting pre-war cards. Hall of Famers Continue to Hold Strong While other cards have fluctuated a bit, one thing is clear -- the price hikes on the biggest names in pre-war card … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Observations in Pre-War Collecting from 2022
1909 James Jeffries Playing Card Set Features Hall of Famers — and a Key Rookie Card
Hall of Fame fighter James Jeffries is featured on a variety of pre-war boxing cards. Interestingly enough, the majority of them came at the very end of his career. Jeffries does have some earlier cards when he was truly an active fighter. Perhaps most notably, his presence in the massive 1901-02 Ogden's General Interest set (commonly referred to as his rookie card), is one … [Read more...] about 1909 James Jeffries Playing Card Set Features Hall of Famers — and a Key Rookie Card
Head to Head: Comparing Ty Cobb’s T205 and T206 Baseball Cards
Ty Cobb's four cards in the popular T206 set are among the most desirable pre-war baseball cards out there. Sure, there are plenty more expensive (and rarer) issues. But Cobb's T206 cards are a heavily desired in the marketplace. The cards, much like other issues of Cobb's in recent years, have skyrocketed in value. It wasn't too long ago that low-grade Cobb T206 cards could … [Read more...] about Head to Head: Comparing Ty Cobb’s T205 and T206 Baseball Cards
Sports at the Forefront of Rare Richards-Wilcox Trade Cards
With origins dating back to 1880, the Richards-Wilcox company produces hardware, storage, and conveyor systems for all sorts of structures and facilities. Nearly 150 years later, the company is still in business today. But some collectors of old sports cards are familiar with the brand through its large distribution of calendar-themed trade cards in the early 1900s. About the … [Read more...] about Sports at the Forefront of Rare Richards-Wilcox Trade Cards
The Wayback Collector: How Are Collectors Tackling The T206 Monster?
The T206 baseball card set (aka, the Monster) has always been a popular target for collectors of vintage sports cards. With a grand total of 524 cards, it's one of the most daunting set builds that collectors can undertake. Many have tried and eventually given up before completion. These days, most collectors pursuing the set will chase either a 520-card set (the set minus … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: How Are Collectors Tackling The T206 Monster?