If you've never collected the 1910-1912 Sweet Caporal Pins set because they were, well, pins rather than cards, it's time to get over it. You're missing out on the opportunity to collect a century-old set that's among of the coolest, most affordable, most attainable issues in the hobby. Sweet Caporal Pins: The Basics Sweet Caporal, of course, was a brand of cigarettes and … [Read more...]
Buying On A Budget: Christy Mathewson
A 373 lifetime wins, 2.13 career ERA, sterling personal reputation and membership in the Hall of Fame’s first class all cement his place in history. His magical years on the field as well as his painful demise and untimely death off it years after he inhaled mustard gas fighting in World War I adds to his mystique. Christy Mathewson baseball cards, especially the … [Read more...]
Walter Johnson: Buying The Big Train On A Small Budget
Playing in the major leagues with the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927, Walter Johnson is widely considered as one of the game's best pitchers of all time. As a player in the pre-war era, his cards might not seem all that attainable for the everyday collector at first glance. However, the Big Train's contemporary items may be a little more accessible than you … [Read more...]
One of Hobby’s Best T206 Honus Wagner Cards Heading to Auction
One of the best known examples of the T206 Honus Wagner card is coming to auction next month. Robert Edward Auctions will offer the card in its upcoming spring auction with a starting bid of $100,000 but if past sales are any indication, the winner will pay more than $1 million. The card was unknown to the collecting world for nearly 100 years until it was discovered, along … [Read more...]
M101-4 Ruth, 1933 Goudey Break Up Headlines MHCC Auction
Mile High Card Company’s latest catalog auction opens Monday, featuring a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card graded SGC 60, a high-grade 1933 Goudey Baseball set including the rare Nap Lajoie that will be sold card-by-card and the second best 1961 Topps Baseball set on PSA’s Set Registry. The Ruth card is well-centered without the print lines that are present on … [Read more...]
COMC Challenge: Sweet Caporal Doesn’t Always Mean Baseball Cards
We’d like to begin by congratulating the winner of COMC Challenge #2, Stephen Schauer of Cincinnati, OH who correctly completed the three-card 1997 Topps retail baseball set by naming Chipper Jones as card #1 (Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken complete the set). We did receive a whole bunch of entries for our last contest and I want to thank you for participating. COMC … [Read more...]
Rare Albino Background T206 Eddie Plank Heads to Auction
If you're a dedicated collector of vintage baseball cards, you're probably familiar with the T206 set. It's the home of the 'holy grail' Honus Wagner, of course. It's also where you'll find numerous errors, variations and oddities that are constantly under scrutiny. Now comes an anomaly that is both bizarre and mesmerizing: a T206 Eddie Plank that is not only devoid of … [Read more...]
T206 Eddie Plank a Worthy Challenger to Wagner
Is a six-figure baseball card 'underrated'? If that card is the T206 Eddie Plank, it just might be. While the Honus Wagner card from vintage collecting's most popular set gets most of the attention inside and outside the hobby, the Plank card flies under the radar to those who haven't really studied it. Small headlines are generated when one comes to auction, but there are … [Read more...]
Concerns Over Fake Wagner Cards Not New
Less than 50 years after it was released in packs of cigarettes, the T206 Honus Wagner card was already an enigma. The small number of adult card collectors knew it was hard to find. They corresponded with each other by mail, sharing observations and information. Now, a re-discovered letter from one 1950s collector to another is revealing that fake Wagner cards were in … [Read more...]