Down to eight teams heading into the 1977-78 season, the World Hockey Association was on its last legs, but that did not stop them from being involved in a trading card project for the fourth straight year. The 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA set marked the end of an era, whether or not collectors cared much at the time. Even now, it appears that O-Pee-Chee got a little overzealous … [Read more...]
1960-61 Topps Pays Tribute To Old Time Hockey
The game of hockey has long celebrated its rich history and this is especially apparent when it comes to hockey cards. In the post-war era, collectors got their first look at legends on cardboard thanks to the Old-Time Greats subset in 1955-56 Parkhurst, but it only focused on players that had skated for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Just five years later, the … [Read more...]
1969-70 Topps Hockey Set Reflected NHL’s Growth
The 1960s were a time of upheaval and growth for the NHL, and the 1969-70 Topps hockey set put the finishing touches to a decade of change. Topps' wax packs now carried a few more cards but the prices in each sport had morphed from a nickel to a dime between the spring release of baseball and the fall and winter sports. Each pack contained a pair of player stamps (more … [Read more...]
1963-64 Topps Hockey Set Sported Horizontal Look
Topps continued its pattern of a 66-card set for its 1963-64 hockey set. Like the previous year, the set was split among the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers as Parkhurst took care of the Leafs, Canadiens and Red Wings. It would be the last year for the split with Parkhurst exiting the hockey card market before the following season. And again, the … [Read more...]
Wild 1991 National Was Promo-Powered, Star-Studded…Theft Plagued
Things may happen at this year's show but chances are it will be relatively tame compared to the headline-grabbing circus by which all others will be measured. Held at the height of the runaway freight train that sports cards had become, the 1991 National Sports Collectors Convention in Anaheim, CA had everything. Some of it was awesome. Some of it was … [Read more...]
Notes: Big Bids on Masters Trophy; Hull Jersey Matched to Rookie Season; Topps Signs Ohtani
Sam Snead’s 1954 Masters Trophy is back on the auction block and there was a flurry of bidding activity on Tuesday at Green Jacket Auctions. The high bid now sitting at $278,000. The last Masters trophy to reach the auction block was one of Arnold Palmer's, which sold through the Boston-based golf memorabilia company for $444,012 in 2016. Since that … [Read more...]
Notes: Summit in Dallas; Stories Behind the Big Sales; Nashville Show Video
The 2018 Industry Summit opened Sunday night in Dallas. Beckett owns the Summit, which was originally the Hawaii Trade Conference with roots in the 1980s. It was resurrected in Las Vegas several years ago. Distributors, hobby shops, a couple of sports card manufacturers, the NFLPA, NBA and a few other hobby businesses are gathering for discussions, … [Read more...]
Game-Used Bats, High-Grade Rookie Cards Fuel Heritage Auction
Bats bearing the names of some of baseball's all-time greats are on the block in the newly launched Heritage Auctions catalog. Lumber from Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Josh Gibson, Mel Ott and Joe DiMaggio are among the headline items in the catalog, which closes in an extended bidding format Feb. 24-25. “This is really the best of the best,” said Chris Ivy, Director of … [Read more...]
Notes: Big Brady Sales; When Players See 1st Rookie Card; Bobby Hull Talks Cards
Over $1 million worth of Tom Brady rookie cards has been sold on eBay in the two weeks since Super Bowl 51. Research through Terapeak shows the average price for a Brady rookie card has been nearly $300, which includes everything from fairly plentiful base rookie cards to high-end, very limited issues. Brady’s 2000 SP Authentic rookie card from Upper Deck (# … [Read more...]
Ken Dryden Rookie Card Headlines 1971-72 Topps Hockey Set
Even with recent expansion, there were just 14 teams in the National Hockey League when the puck dropped on October 8, 1971. While going deeper into rosters for the O-Pee-Chee brand, Topps' 1971-72 hockey set remained at just 132 cards. 1971-72 Topps Hockey Basics The 1971-72 Topps hockey cards maintained the standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" size. However, the cards were much … [Read more...]