For hockey card collectors, the 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee release was the end of the innocence as it marked the end of a 25-year stranglehold on the market. Less than a year later, there would be three more manufacturers entering the fray and the hobby boomed to a level previously unheard of. After four straight years of sets consisting of 264 cards, O-Pee-Chee decided to balloon … [Read more...]
Who’s Leaving Junk Wax Cards at NY Supermarket?
We’ve heard of all kinds of ways to unload those late 80s/early 90s baseball cards that generally aren’t worth anything other than memories. We’ve even suggested a few from time-to-time. Apparently, there's another. It’s a novel concept initiated by a mystery shopper (no, not a “mystery shopper”, just a person who hasn’t yet been identified). Bring … [Read more...]
Sox Unveil Bo Jackson Bat Snapping Bobblehead
This news may make every kid who grew up in the 1980s and early 90s lose all control. The Chicago White Sox are selling a Bo Jackson bat snapping bobblehead. The former two-sport star himself was on hand this week in Chicago as White Sox Charities unveiled the new nodders. It’s the first official Bo bobblehead ever made. They show Jackson in Sox pinstripes breaking a bat … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Focus on Griffey Jr a Huge Opportunity for Hobby
To those of us who were adults when Ken Griffey Jr. was a young player, it might have seemed a little strange to listen to the discussion after he was elected to the Hall of Fame. The overriding tone was one of nostalgia. The sweet swing. The leaping grabs at the wall. His rookie card. Wait, is Junior really old enough to be thought of as "nostalgic"? Yup, because … [Read more...]
Recalling Two of the Hobby’s Major Figures
It was not that long ago when the highlight of any sports collector’s week would be when a new Mastro Auctions catalog arrived. Just to see some of the history that was being sold was amazing and the company did its best to create descriptions for each lot that, while often over the top, did whet your appetite for sports history. The photography of some of the major lots made … [Read more...]
5 Underrated Old Basketball Card Sets
While many collectors chase the most valuable old basketball card sets like the original Bowman, 1957 Topps or 1961 Fleer, there are many other issues to consider. And maybe it’s time we redefined the word “old” because the 80s were a long time ago now and that’s where some value-packed sets reside. The interest in iconic and memorable players from the 1980s and 90s … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Fun With Busted Prospects
We really enjoyed sharing the memories about the hottest players in baseball as we turned the corner into the 1990’s but that me to thinking about some of the other incredible stories of hot cards that turned cold and never warmed back up. In some ways the overproduction age was like a penny stock market in that if you could buy cards at the right time for pennies and … [Read more...]
Ramblings: When Collectors Come Back
To me, one of the greatest signs of future hobby strength occurs whenever a person walks into a card shop and says: "It's been 20 years or so since I was in a card store or attended a card show." Back in the day we used to have a saying the hobby worked on 20-year cycles in which kids collected and basically peaked at age 10 and then if they returned to collecting, they did so … [Read more...]
Ramblings: Turning Wax Into Common Cash
During the last Dallas Card Show, I had a conversation with a person who, like me, is not a full-time dealer but does set up at shows and sell online. In this man's case, he has purchased most of his cards from unopened boxes over the years and uses the cards he gets from boxes to try to recoup his cost and serve other collectors. I do know where he is coming from as there … [Read more...]
Farewell Chuck Noll and Wish You’d Had More Cards
When Chuck Noll took over the Steelers in 1969, the franchise had been to exactly one NFL playoff game in their more than 30 years of existence. While it took Noll a few years to get to the playoffs and then another couple of years to win his first Super Bowl, he helped to build a team which won four Super Bowls in six seasons and may very well have won a fifth if either Franco … [Read more...]