Auction's Rarest Vintage Baseball Cards![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Rare baseball cards and auctions were made for each other !
Click for more info on my Weekly Vintage SPORTS CARD AUCTIONS
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1981-1989 Hall of Fame Metallic Plaque cardsThis special set of (204) Metallic Plaque cards included every player, executive, manager and umpire who was a member of the Hall of Fame thru 1989. Each 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" gold anodized aluminum card bears an exact replica of the player's official Hall of Fame plaque.The sets, produced in very small quantities and LIMITED TO ONLY 1,000 MADE, were sold by the Baseball Hall of Fame thru it's gift shops between 1981 and 1989 and came in a special "faux-leather" embossed 3-Ring Binder. It has been reported that many cards were damaged in production/distribution so the number actually available of any one card is likely under 1,000. |
![]() Vintage Baseball Wire Photos![]() UPI/AP Wirephotos |
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Official authentic vintage UPI/AP Wirephotos/Laserphotos are very limited,
normally only 1 sent to subscribing newspapers. Photos were black & white
printed on electro-static printers, usually sent in 3 stages, Cyan, Magenta
& Yellow, then combined into a color photograph. Photos are work products
and VG to NEAR MINT. As a bonus, some have editor's blue-line cropping
marks.
Click for a complete listing and images of our
UPI/AP Sports Wirephotos.
Scarce, interesting and snapshots of history, wire photos of major subjects
and moments make for great collectibles.
Wirephotos and laserphotos are no longer transmitted in this manner (stopping
around the early 90's). Images are now transmitted from computer to computer
with no need for hardcopies. |
Starting approximately in 1886, sportscards, mostly baseball cards, were often included with tobacco products, for promotional purposes and also because the card reinforced the packaging and protected cigarettes from damage. These sports cards are referred to as tobacco cards in the baseball card hobby. Over the next few years many different companies produced baseball cards. Tobacco cards soon started to disappear as the American Tobacco Company tried to develop a monopoly by buying out other companies.
They were reintroduced in the 1900s, as American Tobacco came under pressure from antitrust action and Turkish competition. The most famous and most expensive, baseball card is the rare T206 Honus Wagner. The card exists in very limited quantities compared to others of its type because Wagner forced the card to be removed from printing. It is widely (and incorrectly) believed that Wagner did so because he refused to promote tobacco, but the true explanation lies in a dispute over compensation.
Soon other companies also began producing baseball and football cards. Sports magazines such as The Sporting News were early entries to the market. Candy manufacturers soon joined the fray and reflected a shift toward a younger target audience for cards. Caramel companies were particularly active and baseball cards were one of the first prizes to be included in Cracker Jacks. World War I soon suppressed baseball card production.