It took six ballots, but Billy Williams was finally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987—eleven years after he played his last game. Many thought the decade-long wait was an unjustified limbo for an 18-year big leaguer who recorded 2,711 career hits, a .290 lifetime batting average, 426 home runs and .853 career OPS. That’s more career hits than Mickey … [Read more...] about The Humblest Hall of Famer – 6 Career Chronicling Cards of Billy Williams
1961 Topps
Ramblings: Early 1960s Topps All-Star Mysteries
Last week, we had fun with some 1962 card backs and discovered the word of the day was “whitewash”. But there are some other real bizarre things which went on with the 1962 set and we’re not even talking about the “green tint” cards which basically caused Topps to re-print their entire second series. There are some fascinating parts of the All-Star subset which card historians … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Early 1960s Topps All-Star Mysteries
5 Great Mickey Mantle Cards on a Budget
You see the headlines. Probably read some of them right here. High grade Mickey Mantle cards selling for five and sometimes six figure prices. It can be enough to scare anyone off. Maybe you're interested in a nice Mantle or two...but what to buy? None of them are "cheap" anymore, but there are some value plays. Here are some ideas for … [Read more...] about 5 Great Mickey Mantle Cards on a Budget
M101-4 Ruth, 1933 Goudey Break Up Headlines MHCC Auction
Mile High Card Company’s latest catalog auction opens Monday, featuring a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card graded SGC 60, a high-grade 1933 Goudey Baseball set including the rare Nap Lajoie that will be sold card-by-card and the second best 1961 Topps Baseball set on PSA’s Set Registry. The Ruth card is well-centered without the print lines that are present on … [Read more...] about M101-4 Ruth, 1933 Goudey Break Up Headlines MHCC Auction
Most Popular Baseball Card Sets to Collect, 1950-1999
Not only do the words “popular” and “passion” both start with “p,” but they are also related in the hearts of many collectors. At least that is how it appears from some of the great reactions and statements that the piece on 1900-1949 generated. And that is how it should be. There is little joy in collecting something if there is no passion attached to it. And, if passion is … [Read more...] about Most Popular Baseball Card Sets to Collect, 1950-1999
Best Vintage Roger Maris Cards
Roger Maris might very well be the most well-known and sought after non-Baseball Hall of Famer there is. His relatively short career saw several fantastic seasons and one legendary one that made him a household name then and a favorite among collectors to this day. Maris is not Mantle – something he said often in 1961. Roger’s cards are affordable but limited in number … [Read more...] about Best Vintage Roger Maris Cards
Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Tracking Scarcities
by Rich Klein Recently, there was a great thread on the Net 54 Message Boards about some 1948-1973 cards that were tough to obtain and believed to be undervalued by Beckett. One of the years that was touched upon was 1961 and those very difficult high numbers. When I was building my 1961 set back in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, the high numbers were real tough and all … [Read more...] about Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Tracking Scarcities