There was a time when postcards were a cool way to communicate with friends. Lush, exotic photographs of landmarks and hotels, or stunning views of nature were common on the front, with some space on the backs to jot a note — “having a wonderful time, wish you were here,” or something like that. Celebrities and athletic heroes found their way onto postcards too, particularly … [Read more...]
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Vintage Set of the Week: 1954 Bowman Baseball
You can find it right in-between “bold reaction” and “last ditch effort.” The “it” is the 1954 Bowman Baseball card set. Much has been written about the battles between the upstart company Topps and the established baseball card manufacturers at Bowman in the early 1950s. The records clearly show that the Bowman Gum Co. had a significant loss of market share in 1952 and … [Read more...]
SoCal Show Draws Impressive Mix of Old School Dealers and Young Collectors
Dealers and collectors from across Southern California - and as far off as Toronto and Jacksonville - gathered in the Culver City neighborhood of Los Angeles Saturday for the second Southern California Sports Collectors Show. "Traffic was up from our first show," commented show co-promoter Anthony Nex. "There were a group of people actually waiting to get in when I … [Read more...]
Vintage Rookie Cards Still the Gold Standard
by Eamon Donlyn It’s one of those concepts that is generally accepted among all circles in the collecting world. Much like 'guy codes' that are just accepted whether we think about them (or like them) or not: The QB always gets the lead cheerleader Don’t drink another man’s last beer Don’t bring your wife to the poker game Just like quarterbacks, rookie cards … [Read more...]
Sports History: Top 5 Selling Game Programs on eBay
Most may not sell for the premium prices attained by some of the industry's premier trading cards or autographs, but vintage sports programs are often more scarce, more interesting and occasionally, more valuable. It's also a segment of the hobby not dominated by baseball. Old football programs from pro and college sports were among the highest selling sports publications … [Read more...]
Hunt Auctions to Offer Extensive Tobacco-Related Collection
Hunt Auctions will celebrate the 20th anniversary of operations this year. The changes that have occurred in the sports memorabilia business, let alone the world itself, over the last twenty years are certainly numerous and significant, both for the better and the worse. “Through all of the bad and good this hobby has seen we are very, very proud to have grown and matured … [Read more...]
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digitizing Burdick Collection
From now through mid-June, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, home to the massive collection of vintage baseball cards donated by the late hobby pioneer Jefferson R. Burdick, is showcasing cards illustrating some of the earliest and most illustrious players who moved from the Negro Leagues into the Majors. That's not the most exciting news for collectors, … [Read more...]
Artist Gary Cieradkowski Connects with Dad Through Card Designs
They look like they would have come out of packs in some long ago time. Carefully created images of stars and one-hit wonders from a top notch graphic designer. But you won't find them in some ancient unopened pack or some dealer's box of vintage cards. Northern Kentucky resident Gary Cieradkowski creates his own virtual cards, then showcases them on his blog. … [Read more...]
Who Are eBay’s Biggest Sports Card Sellers?
Sports cards are one of eBay's most popular categories, helping build the online auctioneer into a global force. A look at a recent one month period of activity on eBay courtesy of Terapeak reveals which sellers are the most prolific in terms of listings, which dealers sell the most and which actually sell what they list. Sports Collectors Daily examined total listings, … [Read more...]
PSA Population Report Goes Free
As promised, PSA has opened its Population Report for sports cards to free online use. The company announced last month that it would make the data available to visitors on January 1, no longer requiring a membership in the company's Collectors Club. The PSA Population Report is a complete listing of every item graded by the company since its inception in 1991. The Pop … [Read more...]
