He auctioned off most of the items from his career a few years ago for more than $3 million, but there’s one memento from his career that Julius Erving won’t part with. “My Hall of Fame ring,” he told me during a recent chat session on behalf of Chase VISA that also featured fellow icon Bill Walton. Both were in the same class that entered Springfield in 1993. Dr. J averaged … [Read more...]
Notebook: Collectable Accepts $182,500 Offer for Mahomes RPA; 1916 Red Sox Photo Tops RMY Sale; Ruth Signed Ball Giveaway; Card Shop Stories
Collectable has accepted its first buyout offer for one of the assets it offered to users of its recently launched fractional shares platform. The company said Monday that it has sold the 2017 Panini Flawless Patrick Mahomes Emerald RPA numbered to 5 that it offered in October. The price of $182,500 came from a private buyer who had originally offered $170,000 but … [Read more...]
More Signed Mattingly Project 2020 Cards Benefit Kids
Sporting News Manager of the Year Don Mattingly is spending part of his off-season signing more Topps Project 2020 cards that are being sold online to raise money for youth programs in his hometown. Mattingly Charities, based in Evansville, IN, released a group of signed cards from Project 2020 artist Oldmanalan on its eBay page Tuesday. The cards are priced at … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Rising Card Costs Creating an Unhealthy Gap?
It’s the sports card hobby on steroids. Money is everywhere. Nearly every product the card companies crank out is selling. The biggest complaint from hobby shop owners isn’t that nothing is selling. It’s that everything is selling so fast they can’t get more of it. Good breakers who can secure cases of hot products are making a small fortune. I hear some … [Read more...]
Finding John Lawsky: Message on 1941 Double Play Ball Card a Fun Vintage Mystery
Every picture tells a story. That’s an old Rod Stewart song, but a 1941 baseball card also has a mysterious tale behind it. Picture this: It’s like a message in a bottle. On the back of a 1941 Double Play card is a note written by John R. Lawsky of Athol, Massachusetts. “Who ever gets this card, bring it to 30 Fairview Ave. and as a reward you will get 5 … [Read more...]
Kiner’s Kindness: How Hall of Famer’s Wife Helped Young Friend Build Autograph Collection
It has often been said that in life it’s not so much as to what you know but who you know. It’s especially true in the case of Hank Bentley. Now a successful song writer and producer of mostly Christian music living in Nashville, Bentley grew up in Texas during the late 1980s and early 90s as a big baseball fan. When he wasn’t playing with friends during … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Don’t Get Caught Up in Collecting Regrets
The booming sports card market has a lot going for it. The cards you own are worth more. The cards you part with sell for more. You sell more of them. Then there’s the other fun stuff. Frustration. Remorse. Regret. I’d love to buy more cards, but I can ‘t afford everything. I wish I hadn’t bought that. Why didn’t I buy that instead? Why did I … [Read more...]
Numbers Game: Modern Cards Keep Crushing It
There was a time--not that long ago, really--when the most expensive baseball cards were old ones. Whether it was 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 or even 2015, "record price" headlines were the unchallenged domain of T206 Wagners, Ruth rookies, '52 Mantles or Goudey Lajoies. No more. If you've been paying attention, you knew that already. The weekend sale of the … [Read more...]
Wanna Buy Michael Jordan’s Old Mercedes?
So you love Michael Jordan rookie cards? That's great, but for about the same price as a box of 1986-87 Fleer, you can own one of his old cars. The Beverly Hills Car Club has just launched an auction for a 1996 Mercedes-Benz S600 Lorinser once owned by Jordan and seen briefly in The Last Dance. The starting bid? $23,000, of course. The auction … [Read more...]
Notes: Topps 3D Set; Beckett Grading Price Hike; Lucky Zion Pull; Auction Updates; Ali Torch Donation to IOC Not “The” One
Topps has produced a 3D set, featuring 100 cards from Series 1 and 2. It was posted on the company’s website Thursday afternoon and 12,500 packs of eight cards sold out in less than an hour. Like similar issues of the past, the cards are printed using lenticular technology, giving the illusion of movement. There are image variations for ten of the base … [Read more...]