In our new series, we grab our 5,000 count boxes, open up those dusty albums, rifle through our complete sets, revisit our player stacks and simply flip over a ball player's trading cards and ask them to elaborate on some of the fun facts found on card backs. First up in the series is Scott Elarton. A few weeks ago, we chatted with him about some hobby-related topics but … [Read more...]
Scott Elarton Recalls His First Cards, Making Trades as a Youth, TTM Signing
Six-foot-seven righthander Scott Elarton was a first round draft pick of the Houston Astros in 1994. As an 18-year-old, he passed on the college experience and headed straight to the minors. In 1997 he went all the way from Single A ball the Triple A and in 1998 he made his Major League debut for the Astros. The Lamar, Colorado native spent a decade in the bigs, playing for … [Read more...]
Jeff Juden Q&A: Signing Autographs in High School; Memorable MLB Debut; Collecting Cards
By the end of his senior season, big, poweful righty Jeff Juden was a high school pitching phenom in Salem, MA. He was a high school All-American and was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year. The Houston Astros snapped him up with the 12th overall pick in the 1991 MLB Draft. Juden's major league career spanned eight seasons--and eight … [Read more...]
All Aboard the Cole Train: A Gerrit Cole Rookie Card Guide
Never mind, the mind-boggling contract, as soon as collectors learned that he was on his way to the Big Apple, collectors wondered what the impact would be on Gerrit Cole rookie cards. Playing in the biggest media market for the sport's most popular franchise can definitely have an impact, but savvy buyers have been picking up his cards for a long time. While … [Read more...]
Eddie Mathews Baseball Cards Cross Two Eras
It had been ten years since the glory days of the Milwaukee Braves but Eddie Mathews, whose career began in the early 1950s when most teams still traveled by train, was still swinging on the night of July 14, 1967. In the Houston Astros lineup after a trade from the only franchise he’d ever known, Mathews climbed to a summit only six other players in history had reached … [Read more...]
Astros Demand World Series Ring Be Pulled from Auction
A 2017 Houston Astros World Series ring has been pulled from a fundraising auction over legal claims. Goldin Auctions says the team demanded they pull the ring from their current catalog because the original owner of the ring, scout David Brito, signed an agreement that allegedly provided the Astros the right to buy the ring back for $1. The ring had … [Read more...]
Astro-nomical Start: Yordan Alvarez Pre-Rookie Card Guide
A hot start by a rookie often gets collectors salivating over their baseball cards and Houston Astros freshman Yordan Alvarez is no exception to this trend. A native of Las Tunas, Cuba, Alvarez was originally signed as an international free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June, 2016 and was traded to the Astros within two months of inking a deal. By 2018, he was regarded … [Read more...]
Notes: Cracker Jack Jackson Brings $87K; Griffey Signing; New USFL Set; Astros Super Fan
A recently graded 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson sold for over $87,000 late Sunday night. PWCC sold the SGC 5 card as part of its regular auctions on eBay. It was part of a larger consignment of vintage cards that was graded by SGC during this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. Fewer than 60 graded examples of the 1914 Cracker Jack Joe … [Read more...]
Jersey Signed by Teammates to Cancer-Stricken Jim Umbricht at Auction
Fifty-four years later, it remains one of baseball’s saddest stories. A talented athlete who had fought had to get to the big leagues, taken by cancer at age 33. Jim Umbricht was more than just a skilled reliever, though. He was among the most popular members of the young Houston franchise of the 1960s, a man his teammates would never forget. Now, what … [Read more...]
Yes, You Can (Kind of) Own a 2017 Astros World Series Ring
Even if you played no role whatsoever in helping the Houston Astros win it all, you can still own a 2017 Astros World Series ring. Well, sort of. Jostens, the ring manufacturer, teamed with the Astros to create a slightly less blingy model that fans and collectors can own. Only 112 rings were created, one of which will be raffled off to benefit the Astros … [Read more...]