In just over one week, Memory Lane Inc. will pull back the curtain on what could be one of the southern California-based company’s best catalogs ever. The Historic Rarities Auction will open July 30 with 13 pages of Babe Ruth memorabilia, much of it never seen before, dozens of high end vintage sports card singles and sets, and one man’s massive collection of sports and … [Read more...] about Memory Lane Opens Historic Rarities Auction July 30
MINT
Baseball Card Grading Circa 1974
In the May 1974 issue of The Trader Speaks, long-time collector Gavin Riley wrote a column entitled A Standard Guide to Card Collecting. The approximately 700-word missive was meant to show collectors what the generally accepted guidelines were when it came to grading cards. With no grading company in place, it was up to sellers to state the condition of certain … [Read more...] about Baseball Card Grading Circa 1974
Rediscovering the Shoebox
His story is like many who grew up in the 1950s. The penny and nickel packs. The corner store. The gum. Looking for a favorite team or player. Many of those cards never made it past the '60s. Mom threw them out. They were given away. Those that survived weren't exactly 'mint'. Some guys always knew where their cards were, though. There were too many memories … [Read more...] about Rediscovering the Shoebox
High Grade Vintage Card Sets Pace Auction
Some vintage baseball and football card sets, painstakingly put together to rank among the highest graded sets known, brought plenty of interest in an auction conducted by Michigan-based Greg Bussineau. A 1933 Goudey baseball set, ranked 13th on the PSA Set Registry, attained the top price, selling for $58,200. All 239 cards in the set, which included seven wrapper … [Read more...] about High Grade Vintage Card Sets Pace Auction
T206 Wagner, Ruth Cards, Autos Highlight Catalog
From a T206 Honus Wagner to multiple Babe Ruth signed baseballs to decades-old mint condition Hall of Famers, dozens of high-quality, high-grade and rare pieces of sports memorabilia have been assembled by Memory Lane Inc. over the last few months for its second Own it Now catalog event. Four times each year, the southern California-based sports memorabilia auction company … [Read more...] about T206 Wagner, Ruth Cards, Autos Highlight Catalog
1961 Post Cereal High Grade Find
They were printed on cardboard, shipped to grocery stores, shuffled into carts and wound up on the breakfast table of families who weren't really that concerned about the box itself. Only that it had cereal inside. Post's four-year early 1960s run of baseball cards has thus produced thousands of lower grade examples that have settled into collections across North … [Read more...] about 1961 Post Cereal High Grade Find
Baseball Card Defects: Worst to First
With high grade Hall of Famers like Mickey Mantle commanding big bucks on the baseball card market, average collectors are looking for ways to stretch their dollar. If you're not buying mint or near mint, you'll be buying a card that has some sort of defect. Maybe more than one. But is one defect worse than another? Collectors talk a lot about 'eye … [Read more...] about Baseball Card Defects: Worst to First
1964 Topps Coin Grading Yields Dividends
They sat on top of 1964 Topps baseball cards, tucked inside the nickel packs and probably became an instant curiosity. Baseball...coins? When the unique little metal insert hit store shelves 46 years ago, they were considered a bonus for youngsters. Now, they're sort of a bonus addition to your vintage set collection. There are 164 different in the set, including Mickey … [Read more...] about 1964 Topps Coin Grading Yields Dividends
Topps Collectibles Include More Than Just Cards
Topps collectibles don't just start and end with standard sports cards. Many serious collectors realize the importance of the multitude of other products the company put into its packs, a practice that began in earnest during the 1960s. What Topps was using as a marketing ploy in past eras has turned into another serious memorabilia collecting hobby for many. While inserts … [Read more...] about Topps Collectibles Include More Than Just Cards
Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards: What to Buy
Thinking Mick? We focus in on some of the best picks for collectors. … [Read more...] about Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards: What to Buy