Collectors--and in the 1972 that was mostly young folks--had gotten used to two series of Topps football cards since the company resumed its place as the NFL's official partner in 1968. However, after four years, the company turned things upside down. Football was exploding in popularity, thanks in part to the new ABC-TV smash hit, Monday Night … [Read more...]
Gary V Opens Packs; Panini Snares EPL License; Your Show and Tell
Digital consultant/author/speaker/Jets fan Gary Vaynerchuk got his start in business by buying and selling sports cards as a youngster growing up in Edison, NJ. He's made a lot of money since then but lately he's gotten back into his roots a bit by posting about some recent dabbles into the world sports card buying and selling. One of his earliest ventures was an … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1967 Topps Baseball Cello
Welcome to the second 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 … [Read more...]
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...]
Vintage Breaks Scores by Opening Mini Time Capsules
The National Sports Collectors Convention is usually a productive weekend for those who make their living in sports cards. Sometimes it even alters fortune. Vintage Breaks, a year-old offshoot of vintage card specialist Just Collect, found itself in national news headlines after its big moment in the NSCC spotlight become even bigger. An ultra-rare 1955 Bowman cello … [Read more...]
Updated: 1955 Bowman Cello Break Steals the Show at National Sports Collectors Convention
It was sealed at Bowman Gum Company's Philadelphia plant 63 years ago and stayed that way until Friday afternoon. A 1955 Bowman 20-card cello pack, now valued at somewhere around $10,000 was opened on the main stage at the National Sports Collectors Convention. The hope was that the pack of the condition-sensitive issue would at least contain some common cards that were … [Read more...]
Vintage Cases, Boxes Highlight Collect Auctions Catalog
A fresh grouping of vintage unopened wax, cello and vending boxes are on the auction block this week as Collect Auctions wraps up their final auction of 2017. The lineup includes a 1988-89 Fleer Basketball unopened wax case (current bid $18,366); a 1978 Topps Football unopened 15-box cello case with the original Topps shipping label; a 1979 Topps Football unopened rack … [Read more...]
1960 Topps Tattoos Among Company’s Quirkier Sets
When most collectors think of Topps, their mind generally goes to baseball cards. But the company produced a wide variety of non-card issues and the 1960 Topps Tattoos release was a unique collectible. Tattoos? Yup...well, sort of. There was no artist needed, no painful procedures--and any regrets could be quickly washed away. Here's a bit more on this oddball … [Read more...]
Uncut Sheets, Vintage Cards Highlight Wheatland Auction
A collector’s stash of dozens of uncut sheets from Topps products of the past are among hundreds of items now up for grabs in Wheatland Auctions’ Vintage Sports Card and Memorabilia online catalog. The collection includes semi-high and high number sheets from the 1970 Topps baseball set, a super scarce 1972 Topps Third Series football sheet, multiple sheets of 1974, ’75, ’82 … [Read more...]
Beer Box II Auction Opens Monday, But There’s More
The sequel to the “Beer Box Find” will get much of the attention when Mile High Card Company opens its big fall catalog auction Monday but if unopened boxes from decades ago aren’t your thing, there is plenty of other high-end material in what could be the biggest auction in the company’s 20+ year history. Led by an ultra-high end DeLong complete set, a 1951 Bowman #305 … [Read more...]