“Happy Together” by the Turtles was topping the charts. Lyndon Johnson was in the oval office and the war in Viet Nam was dominating the headlines. Vince Lombardi’s Packers were kings of the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals were beginning their World Series-winning campaign. At the Topps factory in Duryea, PA, stacks of the new 1967 baseball cards were rolling through … [Read more...]
Pack Attack: Heritage Sale Includes 136 Lots of Unopened
If you have a nice bankroll, you can have one heck of a pack ripping party over the holidays. Heritage Auctions is offering 136 different lots of unopened material in its December 5-7 Trading Card Auction. Vintage sports card packs and boxes make up the bulk of the listings but those who favor popular high-end modern issues won't be left out. Seven lots carry … [Read more...]
Auction House Hacking Update: Alonso’s 52nd HR Ball Sells; ’58 Topps Football Break on Tap; Rickey Opens Old Packs
Shadowy groups and criminals looking to steal data are a major problem for website owners and over the weekend, we saw two such efforts in the hobby. Heritage Auctions was hit with a malware attack Friday that disrupted a planned close of its latest sports memorabilia auction. The company's entire site remained essentially offline through Tuesday morning. By late … [Read more...]
1958 Topps Football Cello Pack Rip Yields Plenty of Goodies
It's the type of vintage pack break that generates a buzz even among those who have no skin in the game. The 1958 Topps football set houses one of the hobby's top rookie cards with ten cards in each cello pack, there's a fighting chance that one could be inside. Last Wednesday, Just Rip It took a PSA 4 '58 cello and made it available to participants in their regular … [Read more...]
Best Buys in Vintage Hockey Card Packs
For hockey collectors of a certain vintage, there are few experiences like opening up a pack of cards from their youth. Granted, the older you get, the more expensive the experience might be, but there are certainly some bargains out there if grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. Realistically, there are some options that have become quite pricey. Nearly everything issued … [Read more...]
Dozens of Unopened Boxes, Packs in Heritage Auction
The mystery market remains a strong one as the hobby heads into the second quarter of 2019. Between pack breakers and collectors competing for it, prices for many items have never been stronger. Now, a smorgasbord of material has just come up for auction Nearly 100 lots of unopened packs, boxes and cases, many of them dating back more than 40 years, are hitting … [Read more...]
Notes: Durant’s MVP Warm Up Brings Big Bucks; Tobacco Pack Break; 1 Shop Opens, Another Closes
The NBA All-Star MVP’s warmup jacket has sold for $47,180 at NBA Auctions. The amount paid for Kevin Durant’s black zip-up was more than double what was paid for the second biggest seller, a similar jacket donned by LeBron James just prior to this year’s game in Charlotte. The auction came a few weeks after Durant’s All-Star jersey sold for $57,907. James’ … [Read more...]
Notes: Studebaker to Join Beckett; Tobacco Pack Breaks Planned; Big Bucks for Brady (Again); Baseball Card Bar Top
SGC Senior Autograph Authenticator Larry Studebaker is joining Beckett Authentication Services. A source confirmed to us Tuesday night that Studebaker is expected to start his new job as an authenticator for BAS in April. He had been working for SGC since 2013. Beckett opened its autograph authentication business in the fall of 2016, led by former PSA … [Read more...]
Notes: NSCC Tickets, 1969 Cello Rip with Rico for Charity; Talking MLB Authentication
Tickets to the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago went on sale Monday morning. This is the 40th year for the large confab of collectors, dealers, auction companies, authenticators, breakers and anyone else associated with the hobby. General admission and VIP packages are being sold now. Autograph tickets will be available at a later date. The … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1972 Topps 3rd Series Football
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...]