A pack of 1989 Topps baseball cards had 15 cards. Buy a handful and you were still a long way from completing the 792-card set. Even a couple of rack packs barely put a dent in your list and you probably wound up with a few doubles. If you wanted a big jump-start--or maybe scout out some packs that had stars and rookie cards on top--there was one place to … [Read more...]
Rare 1961 Phillies Cigar Premium is an Affordable Mickey Mantle Issue
More than 50 years after his baseball playing career ended, Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle remains a beloved figure. Even beyond baseball fans, collectors not only pursue his cards and collectibles, but his items are among the most popular in the entire hobby. Most Mantle items have risen steadily in value over the years and are getting more expensive to the everyday … [Read more...]
1974 Topps Puzzles Were a One and Done
Long before video games, Topps was often the go-to choice for kids entertainment and it usually wasn't sophisticated. They went interactive with the 1974 Topps Puzzles issue, one designed to while away at least a half hour or so of a youngster's summer. Today, it's among the most unusual sports products ever produced by the company and fairly rare. Topps often … [Read more...]
1964 Topps Rookie All-Star Banquet Cards Were Quirky And Unique
Topps began honoring its annual Rookie All-Star team with a postseason banquet in 1959. Players were featured in a dinner program, but it soon became obvious to someone at Topps — it was a card company, so why not honor the rookie recipients with a card set? Topps did just that in 1964, issuing a 36-card boxed set for the annual dinner, which was held at the Waldorf-Astoria … [Read more...]
1987 Smokey Bear Set Raised Awareness About Wildfires
Thirty years ago, Smokey the Bear posed with Phillies reliever Steve Bedrosian on an oversized baseball card. And why not? Both excelled at putting out fires. Bedrosian saved 29 games in 1986 and would lead the majors with 40 in 1987. Smokey, meanwhile, was the symbol of awareness of the damage that could be caused by fires. In 1987, the U.S. Forestry Service and Major … [Read more...]
Small Traditions ‘Spring Training Auction’ Includes 1,500+ Lots
You won’t find any 1952 Mickey Mantle cards in Small Traditions’ latest auction but if you’re a player collector, love to open boxes, like modern era rookie cards, collect autographs or love older regional and oddball sets, you might want to grab a cold beverage. The “Oddballs and Autographs” sale includes over 1,500 lots with most carrying an opening bid of $10. The … [Read more...]
Beyond the “Normal” Cardboard: 1969 CITGO Coins
Baseball and business have gone hand-in-hand in the United States for a very long time. Recently baseball's official historian, John Thorn, wrote a great piece on the beginnings of this relationship ("The Dawn of Athlete Endorsements"). Indeed, for many years in America if a business wanted to attract extra notice at the cash register it found a way to attach its presence to … [Read more...]
COMC Challenge: 1951 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
First, we'd like to congratulate Brian Russ, the winner of the last COMC Challenge which asked for you to submit additions to Dennis Biddle's Negro League set checklist. That set has been used by various players primarily for signing autographs at card shows and through the mail. Brian added seven cards to the checklist for COMC. Since these sets are player licensed we see no … [Read more...]
Rich’s Ramblings: Always Room for Baseball History in New Sets
When I was reading the recent article on Joe DiMaggio posted on this site, I started thinking of the old adage that everything old is new again. Way back in 1935, Pebble Beach Clothiers used seven different PCL players to promote their store. They got all seven players to sign trading cards and thus one can consider this the first ever "autograph" set. I still remember when I … [Read more...]