Welcome to the third installment of Vintage Pack Facts. While there aren’t many collectors who wouldn’t love to rip open a 30, 40, 50 or 60+year-old pack, there isn’t really a readily available knowledge base for all of them. This series hopes to shed some light on one individual release each week in terms of the variety of packaging methods used, prices at the … [Read more...]
Top Banner 486X60
Lifelong Mays Collector’s Amazing Journey Ends with Sale
On the baseball field, Willie Mays could do it all. In the baseball collectibles field, a California resident had them all. A collector in his late 60s just struck a deal to sell what is likely the ultimate collection of Willie Mays cards and memorabilia. This collector – a financial planner who prefers to be known only by the name, "Mac" – passionately and aggressively … [Read more...]
5 Cards to Capture Baseball As It Was 50 Years Ago
It was the last year in which finishing at the top of the standings in your league meant an automatic berth in the World Series. It was the year in which Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench made their baseball card debuts and a year in which the American League batting champ barely hit .300. In 1968, baseball card packs were still a nickel, and while you won't find even … [Read more...]
Ryan Rookie Card: A Hobby Icon Turns 50
2018 will mark several anniversaries in the world of sports card collecting. For me, it starts with the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card. 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Card As a young collector growing up, Ryan was the first true player that I actually collected. While a Mets fan, I still gravitated towards Ryan and his gaudy strikeout numbers. That was probably aided by the … [Read more...]
15 Cool, Cheap 1960s Baseball Cards
They're all a bit long in the tooth now, these old pieces of cardboard. Enough time has gone by to make Topps baseball cards from the 1960s truly vintage. Not enough time has gone by, though, to render them prohibitively expensive for those who still want nice cards for their buck. The cards issued in the 60s have a lasting appeal. Printing technology improved and … [Read more...]
1964 Wheaties Baseball Stamps Offered Plenty of All-Stars
Baseball card collectors have had a love affair with Wheaties since the 1930s. A Babe Ruth flip book in 1932 preceded a card set the following year. By the 1960s, Wheaties had carved out its own niche among collectors. The 1964 Wheaties baseball stamp set continued the tradition of offering stars. The 1964 mail-in promotion by General Mills consisted of 50 stamps, measuring … [Read more...]
1963 JELL-O Cards Mixed Dessert With Baseball
Baseball was wildly popular in the 1960s and throughout the 1900s in general, more and more products wanted to be associated with the game. The 1963 JELL-O set did just that with the company creating a set of baseball cards printed on the exterior of their boxes. It was the second straight year cards were issued on the backs of the company's pudding and gelatin … [Read more...]
1964 Topps Rookie All-Star Banquet Cards Were Quirky And Unique
Topps began honoring its annual Rookie All-Star team with a postseason banquet in 1959. Players were featured in a dinner program, but it soon became obvious to someone at Topps — it was a card company, so why not honor the rookie recipients with a card set? Topps did just that in 1964, issuing a 36-card boxed set for the annual dinner, which was held at the Waldorf-Astoria … [Read more...]
1969 Topps Supers a Rare Test Issue
Topps has some excellent regular issues in the 1960s. One overlooked set, though, is the 1969 Topps Supers test issue. The cards are not only appealing, but much more difficult to find than the standard Topps issues from that time period. 1969 Topps Supers Basics The 1969 Topps Supers are a drastic change from the company's regular issue produced that year. The 1969 Topps … [Read more...]
1960 Topps Tattoos Among Company’s Quirkier Sets
When most collectors think of Topps, their mind generally goes to baseball cards. But the company produced a wide variety of non-card issues and the 1960 Topps Tattoos release was a unique collectible. Tattoos? Yup...well, sort of. There was no artist needed, no painful procedures--and any regrets could be quickly washed away. Here's a bit more on this oddball … [Read more...]
