“Happy Together” by the Turtles was topping the charts. Lyndon Johnson was in the oval office and the war in Viet Nam was dominating the headlines. Vince Lombardi’s Packers were kings of the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals were beginning their World Series-winning campaign. At the Topps factory in Duryea, PA, stacks of the new 1967 baseball cards were rolling through … [Read more...]
The Large 1949 Eureka Sportstamps Set is Full of Bargains
In 1949, few companies were issuing actual baseball cards as the country was still recovering from the effects of World War II. But one of the more intriguing issues for collectors from that period is actually a large set of stamps that featured major league players - the 1949 Eureka Sportstamps set. About the 1949 Eureka Sportstamps Set As indicated in the name, these … [Read more...]
1947 Joe DiMaggio Sport Premiums Are Affordable…When You Can Find One
Collectors looking for Joe DiMaggio cards often have a tough time finding 1940s issues at an affordable price. For one thing, World War II helped to halt baseball card production in that decade. That means the number of DiMaggio cards (and cards of other players, for that matter) are just pretty scarce. And for another, the Hall of Famer continues to be a wildly popular target … [Read more...]
1959-60 Parkhurst: Two Solitudes on Cardboard
Back in 1945, respected Canadian author Hugh MacLennan wrote a novel entitled Two Solitudes and it addressed the tensions between French and English Canadians through a mythological lens. A decade-and-a-half later, those tensions were readily apparent on the ice as the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs battled for NHL supremacy - a rivalry which … [Read more...]
Mysteries Still Surround the Rare T217 Mono Cigarettes Set
The T217 Mono Cigarettes set is one of the rarest 20th century tobacco baseball card issues. Despite a relatively small checklist, completing this rare tobacco set is extremely difficult . And in the case of assembling a fully complete set, that may be impossible. About the T217 Mono Cigarettes Set If obscure baseball players is your thing, the T217 Mono Cigarettes set has … [Read more...]
10 Underrated Hockey Rookie Cards of the 1960s
The game of hockey was aiming to grow in the 1960s and as the NHL was ready to move from the Original Six era to a 12-team league. Before expansion, it was tough to crack a roster and it was tough for a special talent to make it up - even for a few games. Sometimes, these players might have found themselves a hockey card, too. However, even the stars can become forgotten … [Read more...]
White Whale Surfaces: W600 Ty Cobb Card Uncovered,Heads to REA
File this under you never know what's on the other end of the phone. A call to Robert Edward Auctions' New Jersey office last month yielded an early contender for new discovery of the year. A long-time dealer/collector reached out to the auction house, known for high-end and rare items, to inquire about some items that he'd had in his possession for nearly thirty … [Read more...]
The Big Three: Collecting the Heart of the 1970s Montreal Canadiens
Throughout the 1970s, the Montreal Canadiens were the most dominant club in hockey. While the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers tried to wrestle that title away from them throughout the decade, the team's defense corps that featured the Hall of Fame trio of Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, and Guy Lapointe ensure that Lord Stanley's Mug was staying with the Bleu, Blanc et … [Read more...]
Stapled, Stamped and Punched: 1960 Lake to Lake Braves Were Designed to be Traded
As a new decade approached, a popular Wisconsin dairy company nestled near the shore of Lake Michigan was looking for a marketing edge. A partnership with the popular home state big league baseball team brought the 1960 Lake to Lake Milwaukee Braves baseball cards to life: two lives actually. These were meant to be traded back to the company for something … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1964 Philadelphia Football
After eight years with Topps at the forefront of NFL trading cards, the 1964 season brought a big change. Philadelphia Gum, founded by a former Bowman Gum executive 16 years earlier, snared the exclusive rights to make football cards for the next four seasons. Their first effort came in the fall of 1964 and it's the focus of this week's Vintage Pack Facts. … [Read more...]