Author, publisher and hobby expert Bob Lemke died of congestive heart failure Tuesday morning at a hospital near his central Pennsylvania home. Born in Wisconsin in 1951 and a fixture in the hobby since the 1970s, Lemke was influential in Krause Publications getting into the sports card and memorabilia publishing business with SCD and other titles. … [Read more...] about Hobby Fixture Bob Lemke Passes Away
Standard Catalog
2016 Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards Published
The sixth edition of the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards is being released this week. The paperback guide offers basic info, checklists and pricing information for about 4,000 sets from 1863-1980. The book goes well beyond standard card sets that most collectors are familiar with. It remains the sole updated resource for thousands of regional sets and those … [Read more...] about 2016 Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards Published
Ramblings: Guides and Checklists Brought Order to Chaos
I don’t know about the rest of the readership but I’m fascinated by the race for the presidency. As in many campaigns, there are many great sound bites and famous lines used. And insults aren’t a new thing. Way back in 1884 James Blaine and Grover Cleveland supporters exchanged sing-song chants. Backers of the incumbent president spewed “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine the … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Guides and Checklists Brought Order to Chaos
Ramblings: Reader Reaction
Time to answer the mail once again, starting with some reaction to the column I wrote wondering about Atlantic City’s struggles and plans to hold the 2016 National Sports Collectors Convention there. Carl Poff of Easton, PA, wrote: I have read your articles and enjoyed them in the past. However, it is pretty shameful to kick the hard-working people of Atlantic City when … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Reader Reaction
Ramblings: Don’t Kill Cataloguing
Recently on Net 54 there was a thread discussing the new release of the vintage-only Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards. This huge tome used to include just about any known baseball card set from every year but is now strictly 1981. As a former editor of the Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards & Collectibles, it’s a subject near and dear to my heart. To me, cataloguing … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Don’t Kill Cataloguing
Editor’s Blog: News & Notes in a Rapidly Vaporizing Year
2013 is winding down and tomorrow we will unveil the first-ever Mikey Awards. Compiled by our own erstwhile columnist Mike Fruitman of Mike’s Stadium Sports Cards, the Mikeys will sort out the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between from the sports card product releases of the past 12 months (and, as usual, there were plenty to open). Mikeys will be handed out for … [Read more...] about Editor’s Blog: News & Notes in a Rapidly Vaporizing Year
Rich’s Ramblings: Battle of the Price Guide Books
Recently I had a day off from work and picked up copies of both the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards published by F&W (Krause) as well the brand new Beckett price guide book on autographed cards. As usual that got me to thinking about some of the differences which evolved over the years between Krause and Beckett and the short and long-term influences on the hobby. The … [Read more...] about Rich’s Ramblings: Battle of the Price Guide Books
New Standard Catalog of Football Cards Includes Over 1,000 Sets
A new edition of the Standard Catalog of Vintage Football Cards is now available from Krause Publications. The huge tome features checklists and poricing information for over 1,000 sets as well as black and white images of sample cards to help with identification. The book covers mainstream issues to regional oddities from the NFL, CFL, USFL, and college team sets. … [Read more...] about New Standard Catalog of Football Cards Includes Over 1,000 Sets