1953 Bowman Color # 18 Nellie Fox (White Sox)

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins
Checklist & Values

As a kid I loved shopping with mom hoping to find my next favorite food - the one with baseball cards !!! In 1955,1959 & 1960, kids could enjoy hot dogs with their cards thanks to Armour's coins in 1955, 1959 & 1960.

The 1-1/2 inch plastic coins, almost the same each year, came in many colors with several rare and perhaps even 1-of-1, making a "master" set almost impossible. Add in the variations and you can imagine the task.

See sportscollectorsdaily for great 1955,1959 & 1960 Armour baseball coins article.

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1955/1959/1960 Armour Baseball Coins
Checklist & Values

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.

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.

1969 Topps Deckle Edge checklist and prices

Protecting and Storing your Card Collection

There are many different ways to protect, organize and store your sports cards.

Soft Sleeves also called "penny sleeves" are the most basic protection for your cards. Made of thin plastic, they come in packs of 100 and are very inexpensive.

Top Loads are rigid plastic holders and a step up in protection over "soft sleeves". Called top-loads because you place the card thru a thin opening at the top. They come in many sizes for regular cards upto 8-1/2 x 11 for magazines and even larger.

Screw-Down Acrylic Holders
These are sometimes used for better, more expensive cards. Small screws hold two pieces of clear acrylic together. In a variety of sizes and thickness that not only protect the card but can funciton as a paper weight or display item.

There are also Single-Screw Screw-Downs that use only 1 screw to seal the holder. They are easier to use and provide the same type of protectionas regular screwdowns and they are also much less expensive costing as little as .30 in quantity while 1 inch or 2 inch acrylic screw-downs can cost upto several dollars.

1953 Bowman Color # 18 Nellie Fox (White Sox)

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins Checklist & Values

1972 Manama Official Postage Stamps

1974 Topps DECKLE EDGE Checklist & Values

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins
Checklist & Values

1972 Manama
Official Postage Stamps

1974 Topps DECKLE EDGE
Checklist & Values