For many kids who grew up in the late 1980s or early 90s, it came as a shock. Those baseball and football cards they faithfully accumulated like a fine stock portfolio were supposed to rise in value as the players’ careers ascended. By the time you were in your 30s, you should have enough to pay your first house, right? Actually…no. As most collectors who kept … [Read more...]
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Bagwell Rookie Cards Among the Most Affordable Hall of Famers
They called Charlie Gehringer The Mechanical Man. “You wind him up in the spring, turn him loose, he hits .330 or .340, and you shut him off at the end of the season,” Lefty Gomez famously said of the Hall of Fame hitter. Jeff Bagwell was cut from the same productive cloth. Over the course of 15 big league seasons, Bagwell was the model of … [Read more...]
Hall Calls 3: The Market for Raines, Bagwell, Rodriguez
If you collect Hall of Fame rookie cards, adding the members of the 2017 class isn’t going to break the bank. If you collect autographed baseballs, the price for Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez is about to go up. Such is life for collectors in the wake of Wednesday’s news that the 2017 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will feature three players—and just … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Love for the Oddball Sets
It’s always nice when a story in our archives is discovered by someone who appreciates the subject matter. It’s even more fun when a little tidbit is brought back to the surface because of their discovery. In the latest post on the SABR baseball card blog, long-time baseball writer Rob Neyer wrote about the long-forgotten 1985 Circle K All-Time Home Run Kings … [Read more...]
25th Anniversary of Some Great 1991 Rarities
Most collectors these days know of the junk wax era. Despite their age, these late 1980s/early 1990s cards generally hold little value. That doesn't mean you should abandon them entirely, however. 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of 1991 sports card releases and there are some quality finds that have stood the test of time. Here are five worthwhiile rarities from that year in … [Read more...]
Still Buyers for A-Rod Cards and Most Are Cheap
He has more than likely played his last big league game. The last Alex Rodriguez baseball cards from his playing career will carry a 2016 date. Age catches up to all athletes, and at 41, the man who was once the brightest star in the big leagues is no exception. “No athlete ever ends his career or her career the way you want to,” Rodriguez said during a news conference last … [Read more...]
Offbeat Poses Set These Baseball Cards Apart
Poses for baseball cards have been relatively tame through the years. In the 1950s and ’60s, stilted shots of players swinging a bat, or throwing or catching a ball, were commonplace. Mug shots of players were a dime a dozen. Those gave way to action shots by the 1970s. But there have been those baseball cards that have caused collectors to pause and say, “What?” Strange poses … [Read more...]
Notebook: SI Catches Up With Crazy Card Photo Subjects
Remember Mickey Hatcher’s giant glove? Bip Roberts’ sombrero? Brian Harper and the giant portable phone? Jay Johnstone donning the ‘Budweiser Broccabella’? If you collected cards in the 1980s and early 90s, you do. The latest issue of Sports Illustrated caught up with several former players pictured on some crazy cards and re-created the photos with the players as they are … [Read more...]
2015 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Info, Checklist
2015 Topps Stadium Club Baseball offers a larger base set than in recent years and some unique photography to go along with it. The new configuration means no more mini boxes. Instead, Stadium Club moves into foil packs with eight cards in each. There will be 16 packs per box with two autographs in each. A full checklist is below. Boxes (available through the eBay link … [Read more...]
Cooperstown Calling but Adrian Beltre Cards Still Get Little Respect
There have been few better over the last 20 years than Adrian Beltre. One of only a small number of players still active who began their careers in the 1990s, he's a lifetime .286 hitter, with a 90.2 WAR and a decent chance to join the 500 home run club. He’s positioned as a potential Hall of Famer and there's little doubt he will be a first-ballot inductee. … [Read more...]
