With so many trading card sets being produced over the past 130 years, there is no reason for a collector to have to overpay for quality, vintage material with a girth of material on the market. For every set like 1909-11 T206 and 1952 Topps that increase in value as collectors pursue registry sets and key cards, there are others that remain under the radar, unappreciated, or … [Read more...] about 10 Surprisingly Cheap Vintage Sports Card Sets
Best Baseball Rookie Cards by Year: The 1950s
Rookies are the most popular and sought after cards by collectors of post-war baseball cards. Before World War II a rookie card is something of much debate and conjecture with spirited arguments on baseball card forums about which eclectic entry might be considered the 'true' rookie card of the game's greatest stars. However, thanks to Bowman and Topps a sense of consistency … [Read more...] about Best Baseball Rookie Cards by Year: The 1950s
E95 Philadelphia Caramel – An Underrated Pre-War Gem
Collectors who have been put off by the daunting checklist of the 1909-11 T206 set, which features 524 examples including pricey Hall of Famers, variations, and short prints, have often looked for alternative sets that include the key players of the era and striking visuals. Many collectors gravitated towards the 1911 T205 set, but with a basic checklist of 206 cards, many … [Read more...] about E95 Philadelphia Caramel – An Underrated Pre-War Gem
Who’s Next? Vintage Cards With Potential to Climb
Last week a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 8 sold for a record high $525,800 in Heritage Auctions, completing a yearlong price surge that included two other sales at over $400,000. For most collectors the '52 Topps Mantle is now out of reach, but there are several well-known cards that have the potential to rise as interest shifts and more collectors enter the hobby in … [Read more...] about Who’s Next? Vintage Cards With Potential to Climb
Kershaw Rookie, Autograph Cards Continue Steady Rise
In January 2014, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Clayton Kershaw to a contract extension valued at $215 million over seven seasons. It's beginning to look like a bargain and Kershaw's best baseball cards purchased early in his pro career are too. For Dodgers fans of past and present the inevitable comparison to Sandy Koufax has been made. On the final day of the 2015 … [Read more...] about Kershaw Rookie, Autograph Cards Continue Steady Rise
Topps Strata Football Arrives
Returning for its third year, 2014 Topps Strata Football will be an 18-pack hobby box with three hits, including an autographed relic card when it hits card shops Christmas Eve. Priced as a mid-range product at about $70 per hobby box, the base checklist includes 200 subjects, half of which will be comprised from the 2014 NFL rookie class. There will be a gold parallel … [Read more...] about Topps Strata Football Arrives
1927 Yankees Photo and Unique Decal Bat Highlight Hunt’s Louisville Auction
With most catalog auctions ending in the wee small hours of the morning when the final, weary-eyed bidder collapses upon their keyboard, there is a certain charm that exists only in the live auction setting. Few sports memorabilia auction houses continue to mount live auctions, but for more than a decade Pennsylvania-based Hunt Auctions has developed a proven model that has led … [Read more...] about 1927 Yankees Photo and Unique Decal Bat Highlight Hunt’s Louisville Auction
Vintage Set of the Week: 1953 Bowman Color
In 1952 Bowman issued a baseball card set featuring colorful artwork of some of the game's greatest stars. It was their fifth consecutive year of production, an accomplishment no other baseball card manufacturer had been unable to achieve. Unfortunately that same year Topps released a set that was much larger than Bowman, in terms of both the actual size of the cards and the … [Read more...] about Vintage Set of the Week: 1953 Bowman Color
14-Year-Old Girl Loves Vintage Cards
Each year tens of thousands of collectors descend on the National Sports Collectors Convention, and this year was no exception. Among the masses that swarmed the I-X Center in Cleveland was a 14-year-old girl from Ohio named Marissa. Over the last several years, finding a boy her age who collects hasn't always been easy, making Marissa about as rare as a T206 … [Read more...] about 14-Year-Old Girl Loves Vintage Cards
Chris Levy: National is About Meeting Old, New Friends
Looking back at my first National - Atlantic City in 2003 - I am struck by how much both I and the hobby I love has changed in just a decade. Having frequently attended recent Nationals and regional shows, participated in online discussion groups, and been part of numerous auctions and transactions, I found that every few feet I stepped brought me closer to a friend or an … [Read more...] about Chris Levy: National is About Meeting Old, New Friends