WIREPHOTO: Mike Schmidt - [04/17/87] 'Counting Down' (Phillies)

Book = $ *BOOK*
Price = $ 9.95

Price = $ 9.95

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.

1993 Topps Finest Refractors
Checklist & Values

Topps went all in in 1993 with their most premium baseball card set to date, the famous 1993 Topps Finest set with RARE parallel issue REFRACTORS. With only 199 cards, 7 per team, the 'Finest' set only had room for the 'Finest' players !

Rare REFRACTORS were randomly placed in some packs. REFRACTORS looked exactly like regular cards unless you knew where AND how to look. Tilting a REFRACTOR in sunshine released a rainbow of colors, "refracting light" Topps scientists liked to say.

Current info is only 241 REFRACTORS were issued of each card making this parallel issue one of the scarcest. Collecting a complete set is made even more difficult by the hoarding of certain cards by collectors AND even major league baseball players !

Click for complete 1993 Topps Finest Refractors checklist, values & prices.
Note: You may be on that page right now.

1932,1933,1936 Chicago Cubs
Picture Pack Team Issue

Oversized, approx 6x9 inch b/w on construction paper like card stock with facsimile autographs.
Set also has some Cubs execs like William Wrigley & Bill Veeck. The years are very tough to tell and may require an expert.

Click for complete 1932,1933,1936 Chicago Cubs
Picture Pack Team Issue Checklist and Prices
Note: You may be on that page right now.

1969 CITGO Coins
In 1969, to commemorate Baseball's 100th Anniversary, CITGO released their "Famous Baseball Player Coin Collection" of 20 brass coated metal coins. On the front, the coins featured the player's name and a raised image of his head. The back displayed a banner honoring baseball's s 100th Anniversary. The coins are approx. 1" in diameter and are very susceptible to tarnishing due to oxidation.
Customers received a single coin in it's sealed pack free with a fill-up and could pay 25 cents for additional coins. The 20 coin set could be inserted into a cardboard backing for display. On the back of the display was a short bio with stats of each player. Click to view an image of the cardboard backing and some more sample coins:
Pictured is an unopened pack containing one coin.

Click for complete 1969 CITGO Coins Checklist and Prices
Note: You may be on that page right now.

Are sports cards valuable ?

Like all collectibles, over time some sports cards go down in value, others go up and some can even become very valuable. Card values are based on many factors: player popularity, scarcity, condition & collector interest. A card can be scarce but without demand value may not be great.

Q: What are some ways to collect cards ? * Complete sets by year & issue
* Cards of your favorite player
* Cards of your favorite team "TEAM SETS"
* Rookie cards
* Hall-of-Famer cards
* I even had a girlfriend that collected Don Mossi (checkout his ears), players whose last name start with "Z", and the Brett brothers George & Ken (she had a crush on George).
* "TYPE COLLECTING" (everyone should at least do a little of this !)

"Type Collecting"
is collecting at least one of each different "type" of issue. On scarcer issues you can add a less expensive common while on others you can select your favorite player or team.

WIREPHOTO: Mike Schmidt - [04/17/87] 'Counting Down' (Phillies)

1993 Topps Finest Refractors Checklist & Values

1932,1933,1936 Chicago Cubs Picture Pack Team Issue

1969 CITGO Coins

1993 Topps Finest Refractors
Checklist & Values

1932,1933,1936 Chicago Cubs
Picture Pack Team Issue