In the modern world of hockey card collecting, the appeal of retired players within new releases practically ensures that many of the game's greatest legends will be discovered by new generations of hobbyists. However, there was a time where retirement often meant that a last card was exactly that, and there are plenty from Parkhurst, Topps, and O-Pee-Chee that deserve a second … [Read more...]
Family’s Long Search for Rare Card of Great Grandfather Ends Happily
One Oregon family’s history includes a relative that played big league baseball more than 100 years ago. William “Klondike” Douglass had a baseball card, too. The trouble is, it was part of one of the rarest, most desirable pre-War sets ever made. In fact, you can count the known number of 1903 Breisch-Williams cards of the Philadelphia Phillies catcher on … [Read more...]
1917 Collins-McCarthy Set Brings $107,460 in Lelands Sale
The young person who collected them a century ago made sure to lightly brand most of them as his own but that simple, light pencil script on the backs didn't deter bidders from chasing what's believed to be the only 1917 Collins-McCarthy baseball card set ever offered at auction. Lelands sold the complete set, issued by a San Francisco candy maker, for $107,460 early … [Read more...]
Modern Baseball Era Committee Candidates and Their Rookie Cards
This weekend, a 16-member Modern Baseball Era Committee will gather to consider nine players and one former executive for induction to Cooperstown. Obviously, Hall of Fame election tends to mean a boost for a player’s rookie cards. As of now, all but the highest graded examples of most of the players’ cards are inexpensive. With results due to be announced Sunday at … [Read more...]
Called for Clipping: 1956 Shredded Wheat Football Set Offered Prizes for a Slice of the Card
When American youngsters were spotting Topps NFL football bubble gum cards for the first time, kids in Canada were seeing them in their cereal boxes...assuming of course, they didn't mind eating a non-sugary cereal for breakfast. The 1956 Shredded Wheat set offered a single card of a Canadian Football League player per box. Today, the cards are among the rarest … [Read more...]
Stickers and More: The History of Early Hockey Inserts
Today, the heads of collectors would explode if a trading card maker decided to release a product without any form of insert. However, earlier generations of hockey card enthusiasts had plenty of premium items inserted into packs at equal odds which are just as desired today as they were when they were being pulled from wax packs. In the post-War era, it took more than a … [Read more...]
1950s Mother’s Cookies Cards Depicted West Coast’s “Major Leaguers”
In 1952 and 1953, west coast-based Mother's Cookies issued two sets of baseball cards as a spring and summer promotion for their products. Here's a closer look at these unique sets of minor league players. 1950s Mother's Cookies Basics While the brand may not have been familiar to most consumers east of the Rockies, Mother's Cookies issued bakery products from 1914 until … [Read more...]
Rare W553 Set is Full of Stars
Strip cards often are tagged with the undesirable label and can be inexpensive ways to collect early baseball stars. But not all strip cards are expensive or easy to find. One of the more elusive and expensive sets is the W553 release. Here's a closer look at this unique series that has been identified as a strip card set. W553 Basics The W553 set is not your typical strip … [Read more...]
Consignment of the Week: 1916 Zeenuts Claxton a Piece of History
Integration in the Major Leagues was still a long way from even being considered by the most progressive minds. In 1916, players of African-American descent were unwelcome on baseball's biggest stage. But in Oakland, California...at least for a moment...there was a tiny glimmer of hope. Jimmy Claxton was a 23 year-old pitcher who landed with the Pacific Coast League's … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1975-76 Topps and OPC Hockey
It was a good news/bad news proposition for hockey card collectors as the 1975-76 season approached. Topps boxes now contained 12 more packs than the year before. If you wanted to collect the entire set, though, it would require more dimes and nickels as Topps increased the size of its set from 264 cards in 1974-75 to 330 for '75-76. While the 1975-76 Topps … [Read more...]