It may seem odd to classify a baseball card set from the 1980s as vintage, but the 1982 Topps Traded/Update certainly fits the bill. The set is notable for the first Topps solo card of Cal Ripken Jr., but other features made it different. But vintage? Consider this: Only five players on this year’s major league rosters on Opening Day in 2022 were born before 1982. … [Read more...] about Cal Ripken Jr. Was King In 1982 Topps Traded Set
Ozzie Smith
Card Collection Became Unclaimed Property; Now Reunited with Original Owner
Sometimes those “unclaimed property” announcements from your state government can be worth looking into. A St. Louis area man who thought he’d lost part of his sports card collection for good got a nice surprise this week. Kevin Kelly accumulated a sizeable collection but stashed some of it away about 20 years ago inside a safe deposit box. Eventually, he forgot … [Read more...] about Card Collection Became Unclaimed Property; Now Reunited with Original Owner
8 Great 1980 Topps Baseball Cards Beyond Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson’s 1980 rookie card is a thing of beauty, no doubt. Displaying Henderson trademark crouched batting stance, it’d be a nice card even if it wasn’t extremely valuable. High-grade versions of the future Hall of Famer and Oakland Athletic great’s 1980 Topps card cost way more than you’ll pay for a typical complete set. Rickey’s rookie is the first card you … [Read more...] about 8 Great 1980 Topps Baseball Cards Beyond Rickey Henderson
40 Years Later, High-Grade Ozzie Smith 1979 Topps Rookie Cards High in Demand
From 1982 until his retirement after the 1996 season, Ozzie Smith was the face of the St. Louis Cardinals. During that time, he was named as an All-Star in every season, save for 1993. Ironically, that season he batted .288, which was one of the highest averages of his career. However, Smith's earliest cards feature the defensive standout with the San Diego Padres, his … [Read more...] about 40 Years Later, High-Grade Ozzie Smith 1979 Topps Rookie Cards High in Demand
SCP Auctions Opens Spring Catalog with Oscar, Wilt, Ozzie, Vintage Cards
The newly-crowned finest set of 1922 American Caramel E121 baseball cards joins items from the collection of Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith among the headliners in SCP Auctions’ Spring Catalog Auction. The event kicks off the company's 40th anniversary. Launched Wednesday, the auction also includes a score sheet from … [Read more...] about SCP Auctions Opens Spring Catalog with Oscar, Wilt, Ozzie, Vintage Cards
Offbeat Poses Set These Baseball Cards Apart
Poses for baseball cards have been relatively tame through the years. In the 1950s and ’60s, stilted shots of players swinging a bat, or throwing or catching a ball, were commonplace. Mug shots of players were a dime a dozen. Those gave way to action shots by the 1970s. But there have been those baseball cards that have caused collectors to pause and say, “What?” Strange poses … [Read more...] about Offbeat Poses Set These Baseball Cards Apart
Q&A with Louisville Slugger Museum Director Anne Jewell
The following article is excerpted from the upcoming Fall issue of Baseball History and Art magazine, published by Helmar. Mike Shannon conducted the interview with Anne Jewell, executive director of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Born in South Bend, Indiana, to a newspaper reporter (father) and a homemaker (mother), Anne Therese Jewell entered this life as … [Read more...] about Q&A with Louisville Slugger Museum Director Anne Jewell
Vintage Set of the Week: 1979 Topps Baseball
In July of 1979, adults around the world kept one eye on the heavens as they strapped on their Skylab helmets, waiting for America's first space station to crash back to earth after six years in orbit. While collectors may have had an easier time focusing on more grounded events, courtesy of another compelling Major League Baseball season, the 1979 Topps baseball cards they … [Read more...] about Vintage Set of the Week: 1979 Topps Baseball
Vintage Set of the Week: 1980 Topps Set Marked End of an Era
Who knew, back when a few photos of baseball stars were placed onto cardboard, that the baseball card phenomenon would become an enormously competitive, large industry, one that sparked a series of legal challenges that changed the collecting landscape forever? Topps baseball cards were virtually the only game in town from 1956 through 1980. Although other companies tried … [Read more...] about Vintage Set of the Week: 1980 Topps Set Marked End of an Era
Bidding for Ali Fight Gloves, Ozzie’s Gold Gloves Heats Up
The bidding for the Angelo Dundee Estate Collection of boxing memorabilia, the Ozzie Smith Collection of baseball memorabilia, a Babe Ruth sweater from the early 1920s and Mickey Mantle’s 1964-1967 model game-worn jacket is expected to heat up this week, as SCP Auctions closes out its final major catalog auction of 2012. The Dundee collection ends on Friday, Nov. 30 while the … [Read more...] about Bidding for Ali Fight Gloves, Ozzie’s Gold Gloves Heats Up