With Wander Franco having recently hit his first home run and some other MLB milestones approaching, we reached out to Jordan Field, the Detroit Tigers' Director of Authentics, for some insight and clarification on baseballs that are hit into the stands. While there are certainly other ways of authenticating (video, ticket stubs, affidavits from nearby fans or other … [Read more...] about Notes: Home Run Ball Authentication; Vintage Card Notes; New HOF Prez; New Josh Gibson Cards
Vintage Breaks
1979-80 OPC Pack Break Yields Greatness
A Las Vegas collector turned $150 into a potentially nice payday--or the crown jewel of just about any hockey collection--Wednesday night. He bought a $150 spot in a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey pack break conducted by Vintage Breaks and despite some relatively long odds, it was his spot in the 14-card break that came up when a Wayne Gretzky rookie card came up. "Thad" is … [Read more...] about 1979-80 OPC Pack Break Yields Greatness
Vintage Pack Facts: 1970 Topps Cello Baseball
This is the fifth installment of Vintage Pack Facts, a weekly feature highlighting unopened packs from the past. This series hopes to shed some light on one individual release each week in terms of the variety of packaging methods used, prices at the time, a little about the set itself and more. VintageBreaks.com will often open the packs we’re … [Read more...] about Vintage Pack Facts: 1970 Topps Cello Baseball
Notes: Foreign Hoops Buyers; CU’s Hall Fired; Most Watched Auctions; Giveaway News
Basketball cards may not rank at the top of the North American sports card pecking order but they’ve got one thing going for them that others don’t. While MLB and the NFL can say they have avid followers in other countries, there’s not much doubt that hoops’ appeal is much broader. The game is hugely popular in some of the world’s biggest nations and continues to … [Read more...] about Notes: Foreign Hoops Buyers; CU’s Hall Fired; Most Watched Auctions; Giveaway News
Notes: TV Story on Flooded Shop; Second ’54 Bowman Pack Break Set; O’s Braille Gamer Auction
Last week, Bob D’Angelo reported on the flash flood that swept through a Madison, WI sports card shop that had been in business since the 1980s. The Baseball Card Shoppe had outlasted other stores and gained quite a local following over the years but the damage this time was devastating. Over $300,000 in retail goods was lost, according to owner Tom Daniels, who is now … [Read more...] about Notes: TV Story on Flooded Shop; Second ’54 Bowman Pack Break Set; O’s Braille Gamer Auction
Vintage Pack Facts: 1954 Bowman Baseball
Welcome to the first edition of Vintage Pack Facts. While there aren't many collectors who wouldn't love to rip open a 30, 40, 50 or 60+-year-old pack, there isn't really a readily available knowledge base for all of them. This series hopes to shed some light on one individual release each week in terms of the variety of packaging methods used, prices at the time, a … [Read more...] about Vintage Pack Facts: 1954 Bowman Baseball
Notes: Baltimore Sun Pays Visit to Pack-Pulled Mantle Owner; 1954 Bowman Break
Maryland collector Chris Rothe has taken possession of the 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle card pulled from a pack at the National. As a collector, it’s hard to imagine anyone having a luckier day than he did on Friday, August 3. While he wasn’t watching live when the pack was opened at the National, he was still stunned when he watched it a little later and saw his … [Read more...] about Notes: Baltimore Sun Pays Visit to Pack-Pulled Mantle Owner; 1954 Bowman Break
Editor’s Blog: Trickle Down Effect of Major Hobby News Stories
Several years ago, there were so many stories, columns, blog posts and TV reports about the “dying sports card industry” that it kind of become a running joke. The theme was pretty much always the same. Most of the people writing those words fell into three camps: 1) they collected as kids in the late 1980s or early 90s, were now discovering their cards weren’t worth … [Read more...] about Editor’s Blog: Trickle Down Effect of Major Hobby News Stories
More Than Just Mickey: 1955 Bowman Cello Break Cards Now Graded
Several of the collectors who weren't lucky enough to nab the Mickey Mantle card that came out of that 1955 Bowman cello pack break at the National Sports Collectors Convention came away with some pretty good consolation prizes. All 20 cards from the break were submitted to PSA for grading and the results of the 19 grades known so far were revealed Tuesday night by Vintage … [Read more...] about More Than Just Mickey: 1955 Bowman Cello Break Cards Now Graded
Winner of 1955 Bowman Mantle Didn’t See it Live
It’s only August but Chris Rothe is probably a hands down favorite for “Luckiest Collector of the Year.” The Maryland resident dropped $500 on the 20-spot 1955 Bowman cello pack break conducted by Vintage Breaks and landed the now famous Mickey Mantle card with a value that might be more than 100 times that amount. While a few dozen in the audience at the National Sports … [Read more...] about Winner of 1955 Bowman Mantle Didn’t See it Live