Below are short bits & pieces on sportscard & baseball trading card collecting.
Please wander around the website for more info, prices, values & images
on vintage baseball, football, basketball, hockey, sport and non-sports cards.
1971 O-Pee-Chee Baseball
Also referred to as OPC or Topps Canada, most vintage OPC sets were near replicas
of the Topps cards from that year. Exactly same in design they usually only
differed with the addition of French to the backs and some fronts.
To the benefit of collector's OPC made several changes in their 1971 set.
The most obvious and useful was a complete redesign of the card backs and the
addition of another player photo ! Additionly, over 20 cards were changed including
the inclusion of what could be considered the first "Traded" cards. Another
difference: Topps cards #202 and #289 were changed to allow the addition of 2
more Expos to the set.
The 1971 OPC set is legendary for its short print run, estimated at perhaps
just 5% of Topps’ Production. This issue is considered quite elusive, even in Canada.
TOP ROOKIE: Steve Garvey
TOP STARS: Nolan Ryan, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks,
Pete Rose, Ted Williams, Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Don Baylor/Dusty Baker RC & MORE !!!
Click for complete
1971 OPC/O-Pee-Chee Baseball checklist and prices
Note: You may be on that page right now.
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1963 Bazooka ALL-TIME GREATS
In 1963, competitive pressures compelled Topps to add a bonus to it's 1963 Bazooka boxes.
These cards were inserted inside boxes of Bazooka bubblegum at 5 per box.
The 41-card set of Hall-of-Famers features black and white photos of the player
inside a gold plaque.
A short biography appears on the back, a first (and last) for Bazooka.
The 41 numbered cards measure 1 9/16" by 2 1/2".
Scarcer silver colored plaques also exist.
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Auction's most costly vintage baseball cards
The history of vintage baseball card auctions is long and colorful.
T-206 Honus Wagner tobacco cards have sold for upto $2.8 million in
auction. The "Holy Grail of Sports Cards", it's extreme-high auction
value can mostly be attributed to great PR and "auction fever".
It's not close to being the rarest baseball card and Honus Wagner is not
Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. Yes, the T-206 set is beautiful & special but
because of the # of cards and scarcities, few collector's try to complete,
which should keep auction competition down compared to say 1933 Goudey
or 1952 Topps baseball card issues.
BUT IT DOES NOT...
There's a story Wagner banned his card because he was anti-tobacco
but there are other stories about financial considerations.
You surely have heard of PSA and may even know that this card was the
FIRST they ever graded. But did you know that dealer (B.l. .ast.o name
encoded) admitted tampering with the card, perhaps having it trimmed
down to size, before PSA graded it so highly for the auction.
Over 5,000 vintage sports and non-sports items in each weekly auction
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Baseball card collecting terms (part A)
Airbrushing is the art of touching up a photo prior to the card being printed.
It was generally done to remove imperfections or update or hide a players
jersey/cap logo. Because of advancements in print technology and computers this is
no longer needed.
All-Star card (AS) usually a subset card picturing a player who participated in the
previous season’s all-star game. Topps created these in their 1958 High Number
issue and has continued the practice fairly regularly to date. Such cards
are usually designated in price guides with the abbreviation of AS.
Assorted A general mix of cards often containing many duplicates.
Auction items are sold to the highest bidder. Auctions used to be live
or thru the mail/phone but today most auctions are online.
Auction Catalog lists the rules and descriptions and often images
of the items in an auction.
Authentication verification that an item (card, autograph) is genuine. Most "game-used"
material inserts have a written declaration of authenticity on the reverse.
Authorized Issue card or memorabilia item that has been properly licensed. If
the item is of a player, his written permission must be given in order for it to be considered authorized.
© 1995-2019 "InterNet's Baseball Card Store" / Joseph Juhasz ... All Rights Reserved
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