Eighty-five years after his last big league at-bat, Babe Ruth is still swinging a big bat. When the final tally in Memory Lane’s Spring Rarities Auction was totaled early Sunday morning, five of the top ten selling items featured either a Ruth autograph or trading card. The top selling Ruth item was one of only two PSA/DNA-certified copies of autographed 1929 Kashin … [Read more...]
1933 Butter Cream Confectionery Set is Different, Scarce
When most collectors think of 1930s baseball cards, thoughts of the popular Goudey sets or others, such as Diamond Stars or DeLong, might come to mind. But the decade also included some very rare sets and one of those is the 1933 Butter Cream Confectionery release. Here's a little more on this unique issue. About the 1933 Butter Cream Confectionery Set In 1933, the Butter … [Read more...]
Obscure 1962 Dickson “Sports of the Countries” Set Includes Babe Ruth
By 1962, Babe Ruth's major league career had long since ended. Even though His final major league season came in 1935, Ruth was still a legendary figure in the sport as cards were still being produced to commemorate his career. Here's a look at a unique 1960s set that included a popular post-war vintage card that paid tribute to the slugger. About the 1962 Dickson Orde … [Read more...]
1933 Uncle Jack’s Candy Unopened Pack with Ruth at Auction
You can still open a pack of cards from the 1950s in hopes of landing a Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Hank Aaron. Thanks to a recent find, we also know there is at least one box of sealed 1948 Bowman baseball packs in existence. Finding a pack from the 1930s that you know contains a Babe Ruth card? It would seem almost impossible but it’s true. Heritage … [Read more...]
Vintage Baseball Pictures Key 1934 Butterfinger Set
The Butterfinger candy bar was invented in 1923 by the Curtiss Candy Company of Chicago. Eleven years later, buying one for a nickel got you a nifty 7 3/4" x 9 1/2" photo of a baseball star as part of a point of sale promotion. The 1934 Butterfinger baseball card set doesn't get the same respect as its more popular cousins in the realm of pre-War baseball issues, but it's also … [Read more...]
Rare 1933 Uncle Jack’s Candy Ruth Coming to Auction
One of Babe Ruth's rarest vintage cards is about to hit the auction block--and it's one of the best among the few that exist some 86 years after they were issued. Heritage Auctions will offer a 1933 Uncle Jack's Candy Ruth graded VG/EX by SGC in its upcoming Spring Trading Card Catalog Auction. It's the third highest graded of only six on SGC's population … [Read more...]
1924 Postcard Dates to Babe Barnstorming Stop at Ballpark That’s Still Standing
It was a last minute stop. Babe Ruth and teammate Bob Meusel were touring the west coast in 1924, when agent Christy Walsh struck a deal with city leaders in Dunsmuir, CA, a tiny berg near the Oregon border. The $1,000 asking price had been met and The Babe and Bob would pay their visit, put on their uniforms and play a seven-inning game against local … [Read more...]
Going Beyond Babe Ruth in the 1932 Sanella / Astra Sets
Babe Ruth's card in the 1932 Sanella / Astra sets is the key issue in the release. Despite the fact the set was issued in Germany, Ruth is featured and his card is easily the most popular. It is also the most expensive, even thought it is actually one of the cheapest cards of the slugger. In all, there are 112 cards in the release and there are also plenty of other … [Read more...]
Five Types of W516 Strip Cards Confuse Collectors
Strip cards, by nature, are often quirky and were often designed without much detail. One issue, however, sort of takes the cake when it comes to confusion - the W516 issue. W516 Strip Card Basics The W516 strip cards are believed to have been produced in 1920-21. As with many strip issues, details are lacking when it comes to determining exactly who distributed them. The … [Read more...]
Rare 1920 Ruth “Yankees” Mendelsohn Card Up for Grabs
If only great-grandpa had been a collector. One of Babe Ruth’s earliest (perhaps the earliest) and scarcest issues from his Yankees career is on the auction block. The oversized Felix Mendelsohn (M101-6) card distributed through an ongoing offer in The Sporting News a century ago is graded SGC 40 (VG) and carries a current high bid of over $28,000 including the buyer’s … [Read more...]