The “original” Frank Thomas, who hit 35 home runs and drove in 109 runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1958, is still around, still signing autographs and still helping youngsters. Thomas played for six teams during the 1950s and 60s, amassing 286 homers as a teammate of players like Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson and Hank Aaron. His ’58 season landed him on the cover … [Read more...]
5 1968 Topps Football Cards You Should Love
When the NFL kicked off its 49th season in September of 1968, it had gone back to its old trading card partner. The four-year deal with Philadelphia Gum had ended and Topps was back in the fold. It was a relationship that wouldn’t sever until well into the 21st century. The 1968 Topps football set included 218 cards--219 if you include a slight variation on the last … [Read more...]
Jersey Signed by Teammates to Cancer-Stricken Jim Umbricht at Auction
Fifty-four years later, it remains one of baseball’s saddest stories. A talented athlete who had fought had to get to the big leagues, taken by cancer at age 33. Jim Umbricht was more than just a skilled reliever, though. He was among the most popular members of the young Houston franchise of the 1960s, a man his teammates would never forget. Now, what … [Read more...]
Butkus Rookie Card Still Elusive In High Grades
Dick Butkus epitomized the “black-and-blue” division of the NFL when he played for the Chicago Bears. He was a blue-collar guy, tough and mean, and oh, could he hit. Check out YouTube and you can find plenty of hard-hitting footage. “He went after you like he hated you from his old neighborhood,” fellow Hall of Famer Paul Hornung said. Butkus had 22 interceptions and had … [Read more...]
Wilt Chamberlain Rookie Card a Match for History
It isn’t often that a player’s first trading card coincides with his greatest season but the 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain rookie card is hard to top from a timing standpoint. It seems unfathomable, even in the age of Curry and at the tail end of Kobe, but 54 years ago Wednesday Chamberlain began a streak in which he scored 50 points or more in seven consecutive games. It was … [Read more...]
Collecting Challenge the Yankees Game Cards
When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn during the mid-1960s, the New York Yankees ruled baseball. Sure, the Mets were lovable, but from 1960 to 1964, the Yankees rang up five pennants and two World Series titles. Who would have imagined that this Yankees dynasty would crumble in 1965, and then crash and burn with a last-place finish in 1966? And not sniff the World Series … [Read more...]
Rare Ernie Banks Game Jersey on Record Pace?
He will forever be "Mr. Cub," the most popular player ever to roam the friendly confines of Chicago’s Wrigley Field. His sunny personality is legend, as is his refrain on a sunny day: "Let's play two!" Now, one of a precious few Ernie Banks game-worn jerseys is on the auction block and may be on pace to set a new record. SCP Auctions is offering a 1969 Banks pinstripe home … [Read more...]
Just Collect Launches 10,000+ Card End of Year Auction Party
Just a few days remain in 2013 but for one of North America’s most prolific sellers of vintage sports cards, it’s time to crank up, not wind down. Just Collect Inc. has launched over 10,000 individual listings on eBay, all ending tonight through Sunday, with everything from 1911 Sporting Life to 1930’s Goudey Premiums, classic 1950’s Topps baseball to high end 1980s football … [Read more...]
Baseball Card Backs Reveal Players Before They Were Millionaires
Folks who’ve only been buying sports cards for the last 20 years or so missed out on an era when what you knew about the players on the front is what you read on the back. You could buy a magazine and they might have a feature story on a star player. The Sporting News occasionally provided little nuggets on the players’ off the field activity but not much. It’s part of … [Read more...]
Infographic: Most Rare Mint Condition 1960s Baseball Rookie Cards
*Statistics as of July 31 … [Read more...]