In part 1 of this article, we looked at the advertising cards that were issued to help sell athletic shoe stores and other outlets sell Nike's sports posters from 1982-1992. In part 2 we will focus on the posters of Michael Jordan. MJ & Nike In October 1984, after skipping his senior year in college Michael Jordan signed a five-year, $4-million contract with the Chicago … [Read more...]
Topps’ Golden Ticket Baseball Pulled by Shop Owner
It'll be a nice payday, a great little advertising tool--or a nice display piece for his shop. Either way, it's a win-win for a northern California card store owner. Chris Seibel, owner of D&P Sports Cards in Sacramento, has landed one of the ten 'Golden Ticket' gold baseballs that are the big prizes in 2012 Topps Series One. The redemption cards were placed inside boxes … [Read more...]
TWIB Talks Baseball Cards
You can tell the story of baseball through baseball cards pretty easily. From the 1869 Peck & Snyder Cincinnati Redlegs advertising card that announced the dawn of pro baseball, through the tobacco years as the game grew toward respectability, past the post-War boom, into the mod-70s and on toward the era of free agency, those little pieces of cardboard reveal little bits … [Read more...]
Big Find of 19th Century Baseball Cards
What passes for a "find" these days? A collection of 1960s football cards a long-time collector finally decides to unload? Maybe a group of autographed items from a team out of baseball's history books? All are well and good, but when you can bring a collection of eight baseball cards from the post War era...the post Civil War era...out into the marketplace for the first … [Read more...]
Signed Super Bowl Helmets in South Dakota
Terry Craft was looking for something a little different to add to his collection of sports memorabilia. As a big football fan, a friend's suggestion just made sense. Why not track down autographs from every Super Bowl winning quarterback? Craft didn't want them on simple photos or footballs. He was looking for something a little more colorful and visually … [Read more...]
Rare Joe Jackson Card Brings $78,053
One of only four graded copies known to exist and by far the best quality, a 1917 Collins-McCarthy Joe Jackson card brought $78,053 in St. Louis-based Goodwin & Co.'s Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons auction. Graded SGC 92, the card generated 24 bids before the auction closed early Saturday morning. The winning bids in the auction include a 19.5% buyer's … [Read more...]
Baseball Cigar Tins Draw Bidders’ Interest
The 40-year collection of antique advertising tins, signs, store displays and promotional items amassed by Chicago design executives David and Marcia Hirsch kept bidders busy in a Pennsylvania auction. More than half of the articles offered in the 1,520-lot November sale pertained to tobacco, with as many as 500 of them associated with cigars – a category that has … [Read more...]
Topps Signs Bryce Harper to Exclusive Deal
The Topps Company has signed Major League Baseball’s# 1 Draft Pick Bryce Harper to an exclusive agreement. The multi-year deal grants Topps exclusive rights for autographed cards, game-used memorabilia cards and Harper’s image use on packaging and advertising. Topps landed Stephen Strasburg to a similar deal before the 2010 season. “Growing up a huge baseball fan, it … [Read more...]
The Dawn of Baseball Cards
The following is an excerpt from Chapter One of a new book entitled "Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession". Written by Dave Jamieson, the book chronicles how baseball cards were born and also profiles many of the men who played a significant role in how the hobby evolved and changed over the years. Among other topics, Jamieson chronicles the … [Read more...]
Using Social Media to Build Your Hobby Business
Building your business, finding collections or locating new revenue sources ain't what it used to be. … [Read more...]