Sometimes anniversaries are celebrated, and sometimes they come and go. This year, a big one came and went without much fanfare at all. This was the 30th anniversary of the 1990-91 hockey card season. That was the season that the hockey card market took off. It was also the year that Upper Deck released its first set of NHL hockey cards, one that changed collecting and the … [Read more...]
Record-Setting 1914 Baltimore News Ruth Card Has Intriguing Back Story
The announcement that a 1914 Baltimore News baseball card of Babe Ruth sold for a record-breaking price is intriguing, but so is the back story behind the card. Collectable, the fractional shares platform, announced the sale of the Ruth card to a private collector on Wednesday. Collectable, which has valued the first card depicting the Bambino at “north of $6 million,” … [Read more...]
Notes: More KY Shop Burglaries; Topps Earnings; Northeast Show on the Move
The wave of burglaries at card shops in SEC country continues. Sometime early Wednesday morning, someone climbed into Louisville Sports Cards—by cutting a hole through the roof, no less. The shop was closed on Wednesday to assess damage and take inventory. Over 100 sports card boxes including three full cases were stolen. No suspects have been identified yet according to … [Read more...]
1914 Baltimore News Ruth Sold for Record Price; Will Hit Fractional Shares Market
One of about ten known copies of Babe Ruth’s first baseball card—issued when he was still a minor leaguer—has just become the most expensive baseball card ever sold, but this time collectors and fans will have a chance to buy in and hold a very small ownership stake. Fractional shares platform Collectable announced the sale of a 1914 Baltimore News card Wednesday … [Read more...]
Beckett Suspends Most Grading Services as of June 7
Overwhelmed with orders, Beckett Grading Services will temporarily stop accepting most trading card submissions next week. Like its competitor, PSA, Dallas-based Beckett has a backlog of ungraded cards that’s so large that collectors and dealers have been waiting months for orders that used to be completed in weeks. Beckett Collectibles President Jeromy Murray says all … [Read more...]
Notes: NSCC is On; eBay on Bid Retractions; COMC Shipping; Shop Stories
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the National Sports Collectors Convention will go on as schedule July 28-August 1. On Tuesday, the NSCC confirmed their intentions to hold the show rather than push it back to the October backup dates it had been holding The show is scheduled for the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL and with state government believed to … [Read more...]
Hoops Unicorn: 1969-70 Topps Basketball Box Coming to Auction
Topps had been out of the basketball card business for 12 years when a phone call between the company and the league office led to a revival. They hadn’t sold all that well in 1957-58, but the arrival of Lew Alcindor apparently made it worth another shot. Just about every 24-pack wax box was opened at some point, but there’s one high quality survivor that’s about to … [Read more...]
Record Rookie: O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Card Sold for $3.75 Million
On December 11, Heritage Auctions sold one of the two 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie cards for what was then a record $1.29 million. On Thursday, the company announced the private sale of the other copy-- for nearly three times that amount. The $3.75 million sale sets a new high mark for the most expensive hockey card ever sold. December’s sale had … [Read more...]
Room Full of Red: Good Turnout for Collectors Group’s 1st Show
Are team-focused sports memorabilia shows the next big thing? The first ever Cincinnati Reds Collectors show certainly was a big draw. Collectors from a Facebook group devoted to the oldest franchise in baseball held their first in-person event inside a ballroom at the Marriott North in West Chester last Saturday. Hundreds of fans and collectors turned … [Read more...]
Billionaire’s Bryant Buy Boosts Goldin to $50 Million
Not every trading card is on an upward path these days, but there’s still plenty of money in the sports memorabilia market. Goldin Auctions has tallied up the numbers in its May Elite Auction—a $50 million record-setter that saw about 2,600 items close over two days. That number topped the $45 million from its last major event in March and is 50 percent higher than the … [Read more...]