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...]
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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...]
Rare Real Photo Postcard Of Willard Brown Up For Auction
Those who collect cards of Baseball Hall of Famers struggle when it comes to Willard Brown but there's a rare piece on the auction block this weekend. A potentially one-of-a-kind postcard originating in Latin America is up for auction. RMY Auctions has the unique item in their current Fall Premier Auction. Bidding has already topped $500 for the piece, which is dated to … [Read more...]
5 Big Stars We’d Have Loved to See in the 1936 Goudey Set
The 1936 Goudey set is often a popular target for collectors breaking into pre-war card collecting. It's cost-effective and, at only 25 cards, is an incredibly short set that can be easily assembled. All told, it's one of the easier pre-war sets that can be built. One of the reasons it's such an easy venture is because of the affordability aspect. And, to be honest, it's … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Old Judge Cards Can Be a Collector’s Worst Nightmare
Recently, I received an email from a collector, who was looking for some help with an Old Judge card. The N172 Old Judge set, produced in the late 1800s, is often considered to be one of the first baseball sets. The collector's inquiry was a common one. Essentially, it boiled down to trying to identify the player on the card. For those unfamiliar with the set, that might … [Read more...]
Bronko Nagurski’s Wrestling Career Documented on Vintage Cards
Ask most collectors about the legendary Bronko Nagurksi and they will usually talk about his football career. For good reason, too. The Canadian-born Nagurski is inducted in both the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame. Nagurski was a three-time professional champion and seven-time All-Pro. His name generally pops up as one of the sport's finest players. But what … [Read more...]
Hal Chase E93/E98 Source Photo up for Auction
Finding the original images that artists used to create pre-war caramel and tobacco cards is always interesting. The unique items are rarely are seen or made available to the public. The majority of those early cards utilized lithography with artists using real pictures to depict a particular athlete. While we don't the source of many of those pictures, sometimes, the actual … [Read more...]
1933 Rittenhouse Candy Had Collectors Searching for Letters
The 1933 Rittenhouse Candy set is an intriguing one. This somewhat obscure set of candy cards from the 1930s offered cards and a special promotion to collectors. Here's more on this interesting set. 1933 Rittenhouse Candy Cards Overview The 1933 Rittenhouse Candy cards featured some of the top baseball stars of the day. To say the cards were printed inexpensively is probably … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Babe Ruth Collectibles Leading the Way in REA Fall Auction
Babe Ruth always has a prominent role in sports memorabilia auctions and this year's fall REA auction is no exception. The auction is in its final week of bidding and, as it stands right now, the Hall of Fame slugger currently occupies five of the top ten spots. You can expect that to probably continue through this weekend as bidding heats up. Now, he isn't No. 1. That … [Read more...]
