Some of Charles Conlon’s greatest baseball photos are being donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Museum has announced the gift and promised gift from collectors Paul Reiferson and Julie Spivack of a collection of 480 rare, vintage gelatin silver prints from Conlon’s archive. The photos date from 1904-1942. Well known to collectors of baseball … [Read more...] about Collection of Conlon Photos Donated to The Met
Jefferson Burdick
Editor’s Blog: Collecting Today is a Comparative Breeze
I hauled out a big plastic tote full of sports stuff last weekend and started digging into the contents for the first time in a really long time. Sadly, I already knew there wouldn’t be any T206s, Mickey Mantle cards or even the stack of 1983 Topps grocery rack packs with stars on top that mysteriously disappeared after my move from Northern California to the Midwest back … [Read more...] about Editor’s Blog: Collecting Today is a Comparative Breeze
The Wayback Collector: For Early Collectors, Finding Sports Cards Was No Small Feat
Between low supply issues and bulk buying by resellers, card collectors might think they have it difficult today. But collecting today is a breeze compared to the difficulties of buying product in the pre-internet days. And if you think card buying in the 1970s or 1980s was complex, just imagine what the very earliest collectors went through to secure needed cards. Forget … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: For Early Collectors, Finding Sports Cards Was No Small Feat
Notes: Field of Dreams Gamers at Auction; Big Green for Golf; 6-Figure Cy; Burdick Collection on Exhibit
Dozens of jerseys and helmets used by the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees in the first annual Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, IA are now up for bids. MLB Auctions is offering them as a charity fundraiser. In all, 59 jerseys are part of the auction, some worn for only part of the game. The top item as of now is for a Yankees road jersey donned by Aaron … [Read more...] about Notes: Field of Dreams Gamers at Auction; Big Green for Golf; 6-Figure Cy; Burdick Collection on Exhibit
Notes: Chicago Area Shop Still Going; Six-Figure Bids; NE Ohio Show; Mahomes Rules Sales
Nearly 28 years ago, college student Jim Anderson and his father Vic opened a hobby shop in the Chicago suburb of Elgin, IL. His dad has passed on but Jim and the store are still going strong. Shoebox-Memorabilia relies on a network of regulars who have formed a community of collectors, some of whom come in to break boxes and wind up making a day of it. The … [Read more...] about Notes: Chicago Area Shop Still Going; Six-Figure Bids; NE Ohio Show; Mahomes Rules Sales
Mistaken Identity: 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum Hockey Cards
The largest single-issue hockey card set issued before World War II, the relatively plain 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum release has never had a sparkling reputation in the hobby. However, it is a collection which still deserves the respect of modern fans since it is a perfect snapshot of the NHL as it edged toward the Original Six era and holds a few secrets that took decades to … [Read more...] about Mistaken Identity: 1937-38 V356 World Wide Gum Hockey Cards
Many Key Releases Found Within M-Card Classification
M-Cards were defined as 'Periodical Issues' by Jefferson Burdick in his American Card Catalog. While not generally as widely collected as caramel or tobacco cards, several M-Card sets are extremely popular with pre-war collectors. One interesting feature of the classification that it includes a wide range of types of collectibles that were related to publications, including … [Read more...] about Many Key Releases Found Within M-Card Classification
1933 George C. Miller Set: Beautiful, But Challenging
As far as collectors of vintage baseball cards are concerned, not many sets are as challenging and rewarding as the 1933 George C. Miller set. The issue not only has a high artistic quality but is packed full of key players despite its small size and a Babe Ruth omission. A regional issue which was distributed in the Greater Boston area alone, this Depression era set is … [Read more...] about 1933 George C. Miller Set: Beautiful, But Challenging
American Card Catalog Classifications For Dummies
Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog is a decades-old guide that is still used by collectors today. While we don't really classify modern sets in the same way, Burdick's reference book was essential to cataloguing older sets of cards that were distributed by various types of companies. Burdick used simple letter classifications to organize sets. Many vintage and … [Read more...] about American Card Catalog Classifications For Dummies
SI Vault’s ‘Evolution of Baseball Cards’
Sports Illustrated recently produced a 21-minute podcast on the evolution of baseball cards. Beginning in the 19th century when the love of cigarettes grew and created a need and desire for packaging stiffeners to the gum-less packaging and on-demand world of the 21st century, the segment runs the gamut. There are interview clips with Freyda Spira, a curator at the … [Read more...] about SI Vault’s ‘Evolution of Baseball Cards’