When we look back at something that happened 25 years ago, we all interpret the timeline differently. If you are a veteran collector who has been around for the roller coaster ride of the hobby from the 1980s to the present, 25 years does seem like a long time. If you are a newer collector, jumping into the hobby in the last decade or even sooner, it’s an ancient era. To … [Read more...] about 25 Years Later: The Hobby Dominoes Of Marvel’s Bankruptcy
hobby history
Notes: 50th Anniversary of Landmark Hobby Event; Virus-Related Updates
A hobby anniversary passed on Sunday: the 50th anniversary of one of the landmark early card “shows” in hobby history. Card gatherings weren’t being held in hotel rooms or VFW halls quite yet. This event took place in the New York home of Mike Aronstein on March 15, 1970. It included the largest group of attendees to that point—19 avid (and well dressed) … [Read more...] about Notes: 50th Anniversary of Landmark Hobby Event; Virus-Related Updates
Of 15 Cent Aaron Autographs and $1,000 Wagners: Article Features 1971 Southern California Card Show
When you’re lucky enough to find them, photos and stories of some of the earliest public sports collectors conventions are fascinating to see. Stacks of cards wrapped in rubber bands with little regard for condition. No top loaders. No plastic sheets and thus, no binders. No cello-wrapped boxes of new products. Most of the stories and whatever photographs … [Read more...] about Of 15 Cent Aaron Autographs and $1,000 Wagners: Article Features 1971 Southern California Card Show
Notes: Photog Tells Story of Gretzky Rookie Card
The photo that became Wayne Gretzky's rookie card was not taken at a "rookie photo shoot" or at a legendary NHL venue. No, it was one of a bunch of photographs taken by photographer Steve Babineau late in the 1978-79 season, not long after the teenage star of the World Hockey Association was sold to the Edmonton Oilers. Hockey Docs has just produced a five-minute story … [Read more...] about Notes: Photog Tells Story of Gretzky Rookie Card
Baseball Card Coverage from 1960 Reveals Interesting Info on Market
By popular demand, here are a few more nuggets we dug up over the weekend from coverage of the hobby decades ago. In 1959, Topps wax putting 250 million baseball cards and 70 million football on the market, mostly through penny and nickel wax packs. Cello packs were decent sellers, which proved to company officials that in many cases, it wasn't the gum that was the … [Read more...] about Baseball Card Coverage from 1960 Reveals Interesting Info on Market
Fans Flocked When Young Babe Ruth Signed Baseballs Sold for Charity
The autographed baseball as a fundraiser may not have originated with Babe Ruth but it’s pretty clear he spent a lot of time signing balls for that purpose. Paging through some newspapers from a century ago, I stumbled on a few clippings that make it clear there were plenty of Ruth signed baseballs in circulation by the time he completed his first calendar year with the … [Read more...] about Fans Flocked When Young Babe Ruth Signed Baseballs Sold for Charity
Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964
Think "Topps" and most people think baseball but the truth is, the trading card side of the business always been about pop culture. If it's entertainment or sports and people talk about it or like to collect it, the company is interested. If it'll sell and the licensing is right, it's a candidate for the company's cards, both physical and digital. … [Read more...] about Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964
Hobby Time Travel: Photos from a 1973 Baseball Card Show
Before top loaders and display cases and cards encapsulated in plastic with holograms...there was the ASCCA. Among the first sports card collecting groups, the American Sports Card Collectors Association held shows in the New York City area where a small, but avid group of adults and kids gathered a couple of times each year to buy, sell and trade. We recently … [Read more...] about Hobby Time Travel: Photos from a 1973 Baseball Card Show
Sports Collecting’s Real “Boom” Was in the 1970s
You often read about the explosive time the hobby went through in the 1980s when sports card shops and shows were everywhere and kids went to school with Beckett price guide magazines. There's some truth to that, of course. Interest in baseball cards was at a fever pitch by the latter part of that decade, even among those who wouldn't normally consider themselves … [Read more...] about Sports Collecting’s Real “Boom” Was in the 1970s
Editor’s Blog: When Auctions Were Done with Pen, Paper and the US Mail
It's been around now for more than 20 years so to many under the age of 40, it might seem like sports card and memorabilia auctions began with eBay. The truth is, if you went to a card show of any size back from the 1970s through the early 1990s, there was a decent chance they would hold live auctions at some point during the day or weekend. Some shows still have them. … [Read more...] about Editor’s Blog: When Auctions Were Done with Pen, Paper and the US Mail