Admit it. You’ll take the books. The clothes are OK. The gift card? Whatever. But they’re not really what you want are they? You’d really prefer there be nothing under the Christmas tree except baseball cards this year, right?
Sometimes, it’s hard to express just exactly what you want, though. Especially to a non-collector. Fear not. Here are some cool things you can ask for that shouldn’t be all that hard to find.
Of course, it all depends on the budget of the person buying the present, but there are options here for a variety of bank accounts. If you’re the shopper, we’ve made it easy for you to find the best gifts for baseball card collectors. There’s a vintage lean here, but is that really a bad thing? I don’t think so.
A Vintage Babe Ruth Card
More than 75 years after he left the building, The Babe is still the Elvis of baseball cards. None of them are cheap, but if you don’t own one, it’s time. If you do own one—or more—you can never have enough Ruth cards in your stash. They rarely go down in value and just holding one in your hands is a thrill. Heck just shopping for one is fun.
Even if you have to settle for a low-grade example of one of his more common or less popular issues, put it on your list. You won’t regret it.
A 1915 Cracker Jack Card
Far more common than its 1914 brother, the ’15 Cracker Jack is still a dandy. A truly All-American baseball card. You can find a nice Hall of Famer in mid-to-lower grade for less than you might think if you shop around– or grab a common who wasn’t such a common back in his day for under 200 bucks.
A Hughie Jennings Card
Who’s Hughie? A lawyer who also happened to be a Hall of Fame worthy player and manager. Most ballplayers back in the early 1900s looked like life was getting the better of them. Hughie was having a blast. He stood in the third base coaching box and yelled “EEE-yahhh!” to try to start rallies. He’s pictured on several baseball cards doing exactly that. His images seem totally out of character for the era.
Owning Cobb or Matty is fine. Owning a Hughie is just fun…and generally affordable if you’re not too condition fussy.
A Jackie Robinson Card
They’re supposed to be little pieces of history. That’s why we keep them. Few cards are really important, though. Jackie cards are.
If there’s no way you’re able to afford a rookie, grab a later example–like this beauty from the end of his career. There are plenty of them out there in all types of grades, no matter your budget.
Already have one? Ask for a nicer one…or a different one.
A High-Grade 1952 Topps Card
You might never be able to afford this set or any of the big money cards in it. You could build a lower grade set, but it’ll still cost quite a bit.
Instead, pick out a player you like or a card you like and buy the best one you can afford. It’ll hold value, it represents the beginning of the Topps era and it’s going to be pretty to look at. Who wouldn’t be excited to find a 1952 Topps card under the tree?
A New Box of Cards
New products have hit the shelves in the last couple of weeks. What else are you going to open until spring? Even if you don’t collect newer cards, checking out current products keeps you at least a little in touch with the current market.
It’s like having 24 presents instead of one.
A Vintage Unopened Pack
If you still can’t wrap your arms around current issues, put a truly vintage pack on your list. Chances are the value of what you pulled out won’t equal the price of the pack, but it’ll still be fun. There’s no rush quite like it. 1970s packs aren’t cheap but they’re a lot more plentiful and less costly than 1960s packs and there are plenty of great cards in the sets. 1977 and ’79 are fairly plentiful. For bigger fun, grab a cello pack with a few more chances to snare a big card.
Quite a few authenticated packs from the latter part of the decade are less than $300.
A Diamond Stars Card.
One of the most affordable pre-WW II sets you can buy. The cool art deco look takes you right back to that era. The Pepper Martin card casts a Gashouse Gang glow but there are a bunch of other great cards from this set that will make you want to put a set together.
An Ichiro Rookie Card
He’ll be the first Japanese player in the Hall of Fame and this is probably a good time to buy. Before that, he’ll own a boatload of records even though his American career didn’t start until he was a veteran player. A one-of-a-kind talent who we still don’t fully appreciate. Look at the back of his cards (the ones with the career stats) and you will. One of the greatest players of our time.
A 1964 Topps Giants Card
Yes, there’s a bit of a glut on the market, even 59 years later. So what. Cheap, gorgeous, old and unique. What’s not to like? This is one set where condition matters. Ask for a set… or a few Hall of Famers to get you started. Then go out and buy some oversized sleeves to hold them.
Vintage Wrappers and Display Boxes
Most kids threw them away. Not everyone cares. That’s why you can buy a decades-old wrapper for less than any big name star card in the set. Stick a couple in the albums with your complete sets, though, and you’ve just increased the cool factor by about 500%. You can even find 1930s wrappers for a pretty modest cost.
Supplies
Boring? Maybe. But isn’t it nice to let someone else pay for them for once? If you’re concerned Santa may not know his or her Diamond Stars from a diamond necklace, supplies like card savers, wall display or storage boxes are usually a safe bet.
And sometimes they’ll feel compelled to put something in them.
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