The Seattle Pilots are truly one of the greatest one-year wonders in the history of professional sports as the club lasted just a single season in Sick's Stadium before being relocated to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers. The team's cardboard legacy is a relatively small one, but it all began with the 1969 Topps set which included players from all four of baseball's expansion … [Read more...]
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Original Drawings Reveal What Topps Did to Jim Lemon’s Weird 1969 Card
Jim Lemon had enjoyed a nice, long career as a big league player and was getting his chance to manage the Washington Senators. Little did he know in January of 1969 that he’d not only be fired a few weeks before the start of spring training but his misfortune would be subject to a rather cruel taunt from Topps. Collectors who pulled his card from packs in the third … [Read more...]
1959-1961 Morrell Meats Dodgers Were Big League
Dodger fans who opened their morning newspaper in southern California on April 30, 1959 probably read about Johnny Podres of the Phillies beating his old team. The Dodgers were in the midst of a grueling 17-game early season road trip across the country as their second season in Los Angeles unfolded. In another part of the paper, fans learned of a new promotion that … [Read more...]
Notes: NSCC Signers; GQ Checklist; Topps NOW Kicks off with Ichiro
The first wave of autograph signers who've signed contracts to appear at this year's National Sports Collectors Convention is out. The group includes several new Baseball Hall of Famers including Jeff Bagwell, Chipper Jones, Harold Baines, Lee Smith and Edgar Martinez, who is making his first ever appearance at the show. Relief ace Trevor Hoffman is also on … [Read more...]
Remembering ‘Newk’: 5 Cards of Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe, who died Tuesday at the age of 92, was an imposing, hard-throwing pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He won 20 or more games three times during his 10-year major-league career and 19 games in 1950. He might have topped the 20-win plateau a few more times, but he lost the 1952 and 1953 seasons to military service. “Newk” stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 220 pounds. … [Read more...]
Topps’ “Other” 1969 Baseball Sets Were Small, Tall
Fifty years ago, collectors were beginning to pull the first of what would be Topps' biggest set to date at 664 cards. Baseball was expanding and so, too, were the number cards you needed to make a set. Still issued by series, the collecting would continue for the next several months but in addition to its standard bubble gum card set with the famous (or infamous) … [Read more...]
New 1960 Post Cereal Variation Uncovered
Nearly 59 years after they showed up on the backs of Post Cereal boxes and launched a four-year run of pro sports-related promotions, a variation has been discovered in the 1960 Post Cereal set. Avid collectors who specialize in the company’s sets tell us you’ll need one more card to complete a master set of the oversized, “wood grain” border sets that took up the back panel … [Read more...]
1962 Salada-Junket Coins a Massive Vintage Issue
Despite not being traditional baseball cards, the 1962 Salada-Junket coins are heavily desired by vintage collectors. Here's a closer look at this unique set from the 1960s. 1962 Salada-Junket Coins Basics The 1962 Salada-Junket Coins were available in packages of Salada Tea and Junket Dessert products. These co-branded plastic coins featured baseball players from the major … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1960 Fleer Baseball Greats
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...]
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...]
