A cap attributed to use by Babe Ruth during the historic 1934 Tour of Japan is among the items set to go on the block beginning today via Grey Flannel Auctions. The company says the cap was sourced from the Ruth family more than 30 years ago and “is the only example known to have been worn by the Bambino during his 1934 Tour of Japan, which took place only weeks after his … [Read more...]
Vintage Buy of the Week: High Grade Bonanza
Before shows were prevalent. Long before eBay and Amazon and COMC and dealer websites. Before the average collector could even dream of something called the Internet…there was a small fraternity of baseball card dealers who put ads in the back of sports-related magazines, rudimentary collector publications and newspapers. An even smaller group, primarily in the nation’s … [Read more...]
Collector Focus: Hunting High Grade 1969 Topps Baseball
You'll find them staring into showcases or sitting on a chair, leafing through dealer's albums. Collectors bearing want lists are everywhere at the National Sports Collectors Convention because they know they can fill it and might even be able to name their own price and condition. For collectors who insist on the best of the best, this is the one place, the one time of … [Read more...]
Good Hobbies Gone Bad: The Curious Case of Sports Card Déjà Vu’
About 25 years ago – an era of Bash Brothers baseball, Dream Team basketball, and a Russian exodus to the NHL - I walked away from an industry I loved. Gregg Jefferies, Shawn Kemp and Eric Lindros cards looked at me in disappointing fashion, forgotten friends left at a bus stop of wax pack memories. This exit was a dramatic decision. I was privileged to informally apprentice in … [Read more...]
Variety, Quantity Make 1922 Attractive Target Year for Card Collectors
If you had been an aggressive baseball card collector in 1922, you had plenty of options. More than two dozen sets issued exclusively that year are listed in the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards. Eighty-nine years ago, they were little more than a novelty; something to help sell candy more than anything. Now, the variety and volume of cards, attractive pricing and the … [Read more...]
Jefferson Burdick Nominated for Reliquary Shrine
He literally wrote the book on baseball card classification, devoting the majority of his life to what was then a fringe hobby at best for adults. Now, the late Jefferson Burdick's accomplishments have him up for an honor bestowed by an organization that believes baseball is more than just stats. … [Read more...]