It was the first Topps hockey card set to feature The Great One, and the final one to include Mr. Hockey. In some ways, the 1979-80 Topps set ushered in the modern era of National Hockey League cards. Wayne Gretzky’s rookie card (No. 18) is the key card in the set, and the 264-card product is the final main run appearance of Gordie Howe (No. 175). Even the design signaled … [Read more...]
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Babe Ruth Rookie Card Found in Old Piano Now at Auction
Baseball card finds have turned up in all kinds of places over the years. Inside walls. On dusty garage shelves. Under floor boards and in countless old desks and dressers. Add one more to the list. Inside an old piano. It's not a new find, but one you've probably never heard about because it's been under wraps since the 1990s. The 1916 M101-4 Babe Ruth blank back … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1975 Topps Baseball
The white borders were gone. In their place was a rainbow of colors. Ten cent wax packs were gone, too, replaced by a 15 cent price tag. 1975 had brought changes to the world of bubble gum cards but Topps kept the presses rolling and there was plenty of unopened material to be had, even decades after the set that brought us a multitude of Hall of Fame rookie … [Read more...]
1940 Play Ball Set Filled With Post-Career Stars
The 1940 Play Ball set was the largest baseball card offering from Gum, Inc. With a total of 240 cards, it's not only the largest Play Ball set, but one of the larger gum card sets in general. Not many baseball card sets were printed in the 1940s but this was one of them. And while this set includes plenty of contemporary stars, it is also known for a large collection of … [Read more...]
Nearly 40 Years Later, Some Bird/Magic Rookie Cards Are Bargain-Priced
Magic Johnson, Larry Bird. Bird, Magic. The two players broke into the NBA in the 1980s and helped kick off what would be an unforgettable decade with their teams winning numerous titles. With all due respect to Michael Jordan who would lead the way in the 1990s, the 80s clearly belonged to Bird and Magic. The pair are forever linked not only because of their rivalry as … [Read more...]
1971 Topps Super Baseball Set Ended Brief Era
It was one of many ideas drummed up by Topps decades ago to create more sales. There had been pins, stand-ups, posters, stamps and glossies. For two years, the company gave its standard cards the super size treatment, creating sets that filled up a good chunk of the shoebox. The 1971 Topps Super baseball set would be the end of the brief experiment. … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1969 Topps Baseball
It was the end of the decade...and the end of an era for those who could always count on tossing a nickel on the store counter for a pack of baseball cards. Football season brought more cards per pack but the price of had doubled for good. Expansion had come to baseball in 1969 and Topps' seven series roll out included 664 cards, making it the largest set to … [Read more...]
Broadleaf/Cycle Shortprints are the Keys to the T207 Set
Issued in 1912, the T207 release is a different kind of tobacco baseball card set. We've written about the set here before and, personally, it's a favorite of mine. From the dark and mysterious aesthetics and somewhat odd player checklist, it's significantly different than most other tobacco sets from the same time period. The set is difficult to complete for any number of … [Read more...]
Short 1920 W520 Strip Card Set Full of Surprises
The 1920 W520 strip card set has a total of only 20 cards. Despite that, it's one of the more, shall we say, odd strip issues out there. Here's a closer look at this somewhat interesting set. W520 Strip Card Basics As stated, a total of only 20 cards are found in the W520 strip card set. That's certainly a bit on the short end but not really all that odd for strip card sets. … [Read more...]
5 Black Sox Baseball Card Bargains
Baseball cards featuring players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox team are not generally inexpensive. Collectors heavily pursue cards featuring the eight banned 'Black Sox' players and that demand has driven up prices over the years. Now, with the 100th anniversary of the famous team, their cards have never been more popular. But while many of these cards are a bit on the … [Read more...]
