As the year winds down, we’re taking a look at the top-selling sports cards and memorabilia sold through major auction companies in 2018. The Babe still draws a crowd. He's the subject of a current best-selling book and still the number one attraction in the world of baseball memorabilia. Four of the top ten selling items at Goldin Auctions this year dated from … [Read more...]
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Baseball and Brew: Rare 1889 Ad Poster Features Ewing, Anson
Just a couple of ballplayers sitting around enjoying a libation after a hard day on the diamond. It was a low-key marketing pitch from Guinness Brewery some 129 years ago but it’s also a very significant piece of sports marketing history; one that’s expected to bring a six-figure price in Heritage Auctions’ February Platinum Night sale. The 24x18” poster pictures 19th … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Old Judge Cards Can Be a Collector’s Worst Nightmare
Recently, I received an email from a collector, who was looking for some help with an Old Judge card. The N172 Old Judge set, produced in the late 1800s, is often considered to be one of the first baseball sets. The collector's inquiry was a common one. Essentially, it boiled down to trying to identify the player on the card. For those unfamiliar with the set, that might … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Anson, Kelly and the 1882 Chicago White Stockings
The faces have faded just a bit in the 136 years since they sat for a photographer, but make no mistake. The image captured in a photo studio that year captured one of the best accumulations of talent in the early history of professional baseball. The 1882 Chicago White Stockings featured Mike “King” Kelly, who loved parties, alcohol and women almost as much as baseball and … [Read more...]
Evolution of 19th Century Baseball Cards
As the sport of baseball was introduced in the 1800s, baseball cards didn't take too long to follow. When exactly the first cards were printed depends on your interpretation of the word 'cards'. But the earliest cards are generally recognized by most collectors as beginning in the 1860s. By the end of the century, those cards had been through quite a few changes. Here's a brief … [Read more...]
5 Key 19th Century Cap Anson Baseball Cards
Adrian C. "Cap" Anson was one of baseball's first true superstars. A .334 hitter, Anson led the league in all sorts of categories during his Hall of Fame career (often, more than once), including hits, batting average, on base percentage, doubles, and OPS. He led the league in RBI eight times. While he was not known for his progressive views on racial equality, he's … [Read more...]
Historic Memorabilia; High End Cards Coming to Goldin’s Live, Catalog Events
Eli Manning's 2008 Super Bowl helmet; a Wayne Gretzky rookie season jersey; Jim Palmer's 1976 Cy Young Award, bats from Cap Anson and Babe Ruth; the Mike Singletary Collection and more than two dozen high-grade rookie cards will be on the auction block next month through Goldin Auctions. The company will hold an 89-lot live event at the Cleveland Airport … [Read more...]
1885 White Stockings Photo Among Auction Headliners
An original cabinet photograph featuring members of the National League pennant-winning Chicago White Stockings including Cap Anson, King Kelly, John Clarkson and Billy Sunday is among the top items in a large auction of vintage photographs set to close this weekend on eBay. The photo remains on its original mount. There is some expected wear along the mount, but … [Read more...]
1888 Goodwin Champions Inspired Today’s Issues
As collectors chase down the latest version of the newly-minted trading card sets designed after their 19th century originals, the vintage originals are gaining respect among a new generation of collectors being introduced to issues like the 1888 Goodwin Champions set for the first time. Here's a closer look at that set. N162 Goodwin Champions Basics The Goodwin set … [Read more...]
10 Great 19th Century Tobacco Cards
Dating back to the 1800s, N-Cards (nineteenth century tobacco cards) remain popular with collectors more than 100 years after their creation. Here are ten standouts that are still not too difficult to find. There are surely more valuable cards but many of these remain within reach for today's collectors and offer a connection to some important names from baseball's distant … [Read more...]
