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1960 Topps Metallic FB Sticker # 1 Baltimore Colts


Book   = $ *BOOK*
Price = $ 14.95
NEAR MINT to NM/MINT

1960 Topps Metallic FB Sticker # 1 Baltimore Colts Baseball cards value
Price = $ 14.95
         

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Below are short bits & pieces on sportscard & baseball trading card collecting.
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Baseball

1934,1935,1936 Diamond Matchbooks

During much of the Great Depression, matchbook collecting swept the country ! Sports matchbooks started appearing in the 1930s, most issued by Diamond Match Company of New York. Over the next few years, several series were issued with similar designs; b/w photo of the player on front with short write-up and stats on back. The player's name and team was also printed on the 'saddle'.

Please consider the following info as approximate.
1934's first baseball release featured 200 players, in 4 different background colors (red,blue,green and orange) for a total of 800 different covers. The set features plenty of Hall-of-Fame greats like Dizzy Dean and Mel Ott.

1935's issue was tiny with only 24 total covers (8 red,8 blue,8 green).

A third series was later released with 200 or more different covers (players/colors).

1930's matchbook covers appear to be huge bargains for collectors as their current values are fractions of the value of Goudey and other baseball cards from the same era.

Click for complete 1935-1936 Diamond Matchbook Checklist and Prices
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Baseball

Team Autographed / Signed Baseballs


Team signed baseballs were the thing well before single-signed balls exploded on the market.
What is a "Team Signed Baseball" ???
Simple answer: A ball with XXX signatures of a certain team for a certain year. What is difficult is the XXX. Baseball tons of roster moves make it nearly impossible to "Get Them All".

Generally, team signed baseballs from early 1900's had 10 to 15 signatures, the 1940's that jumped to 18 to 25. Joyce Sports Research Collection (Notre Dame) says "signatures must include only members of a specific team from a specific year, and there must be some approximation of completeness."

Not concrete but to me a "team ball" MUST have ALL the team's STARS (unless a rookie or in season trade) and in today's market at least 20, preferably more, and the manager.

Determining Age of Team Signed Balls
"Official" league balls have stamped signatures of current league presidents on the "sweet spot". Starting 1934/1935 balls were produced by Spalding (NL) and Reach (AL). Rawlings took over in 1977/78. Have a possible team roster at hand, ESPN & baseball-reference.com have great sites), decipher a few signatures then solve the puzzle.

Click for our current Autographed/Signed Team Baseball inventory
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Baseball

1969 CITGO Coins

1969 Citgo Coin banner 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:

1969 Citgo Coin front Pictured is an unopened pack containing one coin.

Click for complete 1969 CITGO Coins Checklist and Prices
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Baseball
Baseball card collecting terms (part G)

Grade/Condition Centering, corner wear, photo clarity, edges, creases, print flaws ... all combine to determine a card's condition or grade. Along with rarity/scarcity it is the major factor in a card's value.

Graded Card As values increased the condition of cards and the determination of fakes and alterations became increasingly more important. Various companies became "graders" of your cards. For a fee they would grade your card (usually on a 1 to 10 scale) and then placed in a sealed plastic holder with labelling of the vital information.

From past experiences, most people are NOT HAPPY with the grades they receive. To keep values up, graders can be extremely picky. Things you don't see, they do so don't be surprized when the NEAR MINT card you send in ends up with an EX or EX/MINT grade.

There are TOO many grading companies - if you do, do choose carefully. PSA / SGC / GAI / BGS are some of the many companies. It is good to know that getting a card graded by a company that people do not recognize or respect will usually just cost you time and money and not help you in any way.

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