1970-71 Topps Basketball #145 Tom Van Arsdale
Grade |
NM/MINT |
Book Value |
$ 6 |
Our Price |
$ 12.50
Add to cart
|
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.
1974 Topps DECKLE EDGE Checklist & Values
This scarce 72-card test issue set was released with very limited
East Coast distribution making them quite scarce.

Officially simply called "Topps Baseball Photos", their serrated or "DECKLED"
edge gave them the name they go by today.
The 2 7/8" x 5" inch cards were sold in 2 card packs with gum or 3 card
packs without for 5 cents.
Click to enlarge Complete Proof Sheet on left
Fronts are similar to b&w Exhibit Postcards from the 50's
with photos and facsimile autographs.
The backs make this very scarce test issue more interesting !
They feature handwritten script of player's name, team, position & date
and location of the photograph as well as a mock newspaper article.
This was Topps 2nd "Deckle Edge" issue, their first being the smaller
and more common 1969 Topps Deckle Edge inserts in 1969 Topps packs.
Variations of 1974 Topps Deckle Edge exist,
making this issue more fun and challenging to collect.
Backs can be found in gray or a much scarcer white.
Also, more limited proof versions with non-scalloped edges exist and
can be found with and without card numbers.
Click for complete
1969 Topps Deckle Edge checklist and prices
Click for complete
1974 Topps Deckle Edge checklist and prices
Note: You may be on that page right now.
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1981-1989 Hall of Fame Metallic Plaque cards
This 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.
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1972 Manama Official Postage Stamps
These beautiful official government issued postage stamps from
Manama were made of a plastic like material and used a an advanced
printing technique to show multiple images as the card was moved.
This technique was later used on a baseball card issue called
"Sportflics".
Each of these postage stamps pictured 2 different players as the
stamp was titled. There were 8 different stamps issued, 4 with
American player-combos and 4 with Japanese player-combos.
A special stamp picturing BABE RUTH alongside the famous
Yankees "MURDERS ROW" was also issued and appears to be
significantly scarcer than the others.
For more info on all our postage stamp issues, click below:
1972 Manama Baseball Postage Stamps Checklist & Prices
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How long have sports cards been around ? (part 1)
The first baseball trading cards date back to 1869. For many years,
baseball cards were packaged in packs of tobacco as a way to increase sales
the same way that today prizes are packaged in boxes of cereal.
In the 1920's and 1930's, candy and gum companies started packaging baseball
cards in their products as well.
Baseball card production was virtually halted in the early 1940's due to paper
shortages created by World War II. The "Modern Era" of baseball cards began in
1948 when Bowman Gum Inc. offered one card and one piece of gum in a pack for a penny.
The first important football set was the Mayo set featuring college players
in 1984. Other than the 1935 National Chicle set no other key football set was
issued until 1948 when noth Bowman and Leaf produced sets.