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...] about 5 Underrated Old Basketball Card Sets
1980s
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...] about Ramblings: Fun With Busted Prospects
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...] about Ramblings: When Collectors Come Back
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...] about Ramblings: Turning Wax Into Common Cash
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...] about Farewell Chuck Noll and Wish You’d Had More Cards
1986-87 Fleer Basketball Cards Weren’t an Instant Hit
Although the 1986-87 Fleer basketball card set that featured Michael Jordan's rookie card was issued several years into his career, it is, in most collectors’ eyes, the first real Jordan printed by a major manufacturer. In the early 1980s, NBA popularity was so low on the totem pole that Finals games were televised on a tape delay basis. Yes, the incredible … [Read more...] about 1986-87 Fleer Basketball Cards Weren’t an Instant Hit
Ramblings: Explaining What They’re Worth Often a Futile Exercise
I don't get that many phone calls about cards although I do have my number listed for the Plano Card Shows we launched last year. When I saw the post of the Sports Collectors Daily Facebook page with a link to an earlier article about what to do with cards from the ‘overproduction era’ that don’t have much value, my mind went back to a recent conversation I had with a … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Explaining What They’re Worth Often a Futile Exercise
Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Sorting to a Science
There is one aspect of the baseball card hobby/business which looms over us but yet we would all truly prefer to avoid. That is, the sheer amount of work we need to do in this hobby for what is often a limited return. It's why some companies have carved a niche based on their ability to organize and process huge quantities of cards. The first example has to do with sorting … [Read more...] about Rich Klein’s Ramblings: Sorting to a Science
Ramblings: 1970s Prove Rookie Card Fortunes Can Change a Bit
Last week we took a little trip back in time to analyze the 1970s and dipped our toes into the early 1980’s so this will be part two of the evolution of the key rookie cards in the 1970-84 time period. Our premise is to remember players who were thought to have Hall of Fame potential and fell short while others lived up to their early promise to become valuable cards. 1975 … [Read more...] about Ramblings: 1970s Prove Rookie Card Fortunes Can Change a Bit
1981 Changed Baseball Cards Forever
by Diane Carter Today, with new sets coming out practically every other week, it’s hard to imagine a world where Topps would be the only set of sports cards issued each year. Yet, if Fleer had not sued Topps in 1975, that might very well be today’s reality for collectors. It took five years, but in 1980 a judge ruled against the exclusivity of Topps Major League Baseball … [Read more...] about 1981 Changed Baseball Cards Forever