At the time he hit his 500th home run on September 6, 1996, Eddie Murray was just the 15th player in history to reach the milestone. Murray, though was more than just a power hitter. He won three Silver Slugger Awards, three Gold Gloves and collected 3,255 hits in a career that lasted from 1977 to 1997. Eddie Murray rookie cards began appearing in 1978 and unlike most … [Read more...] about Eddie Murray’s First Cards Go Beyond Topps Rookie
1970s baseball card sets
Five Thurman Munson Oddball Favorites
In the 1970s, Thurman Munson was a fan favorite and All-Star catcher for the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, his life tragically ended on August 2, 1979. A licensed pilot, Munson was practicing take-offs and landings with a new aircraft near his Ohio home when he crashed short of the runway and a fire broke out. He was only 32. Munson baseball cards are … [Read more...] about Five Thurman Munson Oddball Favorites
Remembering Schmidt’s Titanic Single In 1974
It might have been the highest — and certainly the hardest — hit single in major-league history. In the first inning of a June 10, 1974, game at the Houston Astrodome, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt stepped into a Claude Osteen fastball and sent it rocketing toward the center field seats. To the 9,487 fans in attendance, the Houston broadcasting team and … [Read more...] about Remembering Schmidt’s Titanic Single In 1974
Stargell Sampler: Pops’ Cards Span 3 Decades
Late in his career he was called “Pops,” but during most of his major-league career, Willie Stargell was better known as one of baseball’s big power hitters. He hit 296 of his career 475 home runs during the 1970s and led the National League in homers twice (1971 and 1973). In 1979, the last time the Pirates won the World Series, Stargell was the league’s co-MVP, sharing top … [Read more...] about Stargell Sampler: Pops’ Cards Span 3 Decades
Ramblings: When Rose Ruled the Hobby
Twenty-five years ago, the first half of the baseball card collecting year was dominated by talk of the Upper Deck Company’s splashy debut with the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card and the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken with the now famous obscenity written on the bat knob. It was the Ripken card—and the subsequent correction attempts-- that generated the most media attention. … [Read more...] about Ramblings: When Rose Ruled the Hobby
Sweet Memories Keep The Bird Flying High
Which rookie pitcher had the biggest impact in baseball history? Some people would say Fernando Valenzuela for how he inspired “Fernandomania” and also helped to bring a new group of fans to attend baseball games. Going to a game during his 1981 rookie season was more of an event then it even was a game. While he was a good pitcher for the rest of his career, he never … [Read more...] about Sweet Memories Keep The Bird Flying High
Bikes, Flips, Twinkies and Trading: More of Your Childhood Collecting Recollections
Yesterday, we brought you some of the early card collecting memories of our Facebook fans. More than 170 of you have responded the post so today, here are more great stories from folks all over North America. Clint McClain: My favorite memory is the day I got my very first card. I was with my brother and cousin in my grandma's kitchen in the summer of 1979. We … [Read more...] about Bikes, Flips, Twinkies and Trading: More of Your Childhood Collecting Recollections
Keith Remembers Thrift Stores, Hostess Panels, Honus and Stan
The hobby was just crawling out of the woodwork in the mid-1970s. It wasn't quite mainstream, but it was creeping in that direction. Hostess panels were an obsession for collectors in an era when beyond Topps and the odd oddball set, there just wasn't anything else. The company's imminent demise is dredging up waves of nostalgia for those 1975-79 Hostess sets and how we … [Read more...] about Keith Remembers Thrift Stores, Hostess Panels, Honus and Stan
A Requiem for Hostess Baseball Card Sets 1975-1979
Many of those who chuckled at the mad rush to buy Twinkies and Ding Dongs Friday don't remember the days when baseball card collectors rushed to outlet stores and grocery stores to buy them. From 1975-1979, if you had completed your Topps set, the Hostess baseball card sets were something new to chase. You couldn't order them from the company, either. You had to … [Read more...] about A Requiem for Hostess Baseball Card Sets 1975-1979
Hostess Gave Collectors a Sweet Tooth in 1975
It might sound strange in these days of multiple baseball card sets sometimes being issued in the same month, but back in 1975 when anyone put out a new set, it was big news in the collecting world. With no competition, Topps wasn't forced to do anything beyond cranking up the presses for its first and only major product each year. In 1975, though, there was another … [Read more...] about Hostess Gave Collectors a Sweet Tooth in 1975