Innholdsfortegnelse for May 10, 2019 i Sports Collectors Digest

I hope you have set aside plenty of time to read through this issue of Sports Collectors Digest because it is jam-packed with articles covering a variety of topics. One of my favorite articles in this issue is the one about the 1952 Topps Frank House cards that include the logo of a tiger, but the tiger is in varying colors of orange and yellow. This isn’t my favorite article because I wrote it; rather it is my favorite because it amazes me that new things are found in the appearances of vintage baseball cards 50-plus years later. With the help of Jeff Rice, who is a longtime collector of vintage baseball cards, we attempt to explain to collectors and the Hobby what to look for regarding the tiger logo…

RETURN OF THE TIGER — On eBay, the past month has been rich for buyers and sellers of vintage baseball cards, as you’ll read below. But we’ll lead off with an even bigger story: Tiger Woods. The living golf legend completed an amazing comeback story and won international headlines on April 14 when he won his first major tournament in more than a decade, taking top honors at the 2019 Masters. It was the fifth time he won the famed green jacket for that tournament, and it was his 15th major tournament win overall. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Woods was a hot name in the collectibles market. When injuries and personal issues began affecting his game, he seemed to have disappeared. But this year, he returned to prominence,…

The North Fork Collection of N173 Old Judge cabinet baseball cards from 1888 – 37 in all, sold as individual lots – brought a combined $431,000 at a Sports, Comics, Comic Art & Animation Auction held March 28 by Weiss Auctions. The 500-lot auction grossed a little less than $750,000. The crown jewel of the North Fork Collection was a possibly unique cabinet card photo image of New York Giants captain Buck Ewing wearing civilian clothes. With buyer’s premium, the card realized $109,250, a record for an 1888 N173 Old Judge cabinet card. Also sold were cards for Cincinnati Hall of Fame second baseman John McPhee ($66,125) and Washington catcher and Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack ($48,300). All were excellent, high-grade cards. Other sports cards in the auction also…

Much has been written of the baseball card wars waged between Topps and Bowman in the early 1950s. Technically, they lasted only five years, from 1951 to 1955, ending with Topps buying out Bowman in early 1956. During four of those years, the battles were one-sided, with one company being a clear victor. In 1951, it was Bowman, whose one set clearly eclipsed all five (yes, five) sets produced by Topps. Bowman also prevailed in 1955, when its famous “Television Set” bested Topps in visual appeal, the number of stars in the set, and the sheer size of the set (320 cards, albeit including 31 umpires, to a mere 206 for Topps). On the other hand, Topps clearly bested Bowman in 1952 with its attractive and historic set, still one…

ALABAMA May 18 AL, Scottsboro. Scottsboro Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, Goose Pond Civic Center, 1165 Ed Hembree Dr., Scottsboro, AL. T: 75, F: $25-$30, A: Free. Contact: Stephen Moore – PH: 256-599-0989, Website: www.jacksonssportscards.com Sep 7 AL, Scottsboro. Scottsboro Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, Goose Pond Civic Center, 1165 Ed Hembree Dr., Scottsboro, AL. T: 75, F: $25-$30, A: Free. Contact: Stephen Moore – PH: 256-599-0989, Website: www.jacksonssportscards.com ARIZONA May 18 AZ, Phoenix. Northwest Valley Coin & Card Show, La-Quinta Inn, 2510 W Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023. SH: 9am-3pm, T: 35, F: $40-$50, A: Free. Jun 22 AZ, Phoenix. Northwest Valley Coin & Card Show, La-Quinta Inn, 2510 W Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023. SH: 9am-3pm, T: 35, F: $40-$50, A: Free. Jul 20 AZ, Phoenix. Northwest Valley…

1. $150,100: 2009 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Orange Ref., #25/25, auto (BGS 9.5) 2. $87,609: 2009 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Gold Refractor, #36/50, auto (BGS 9.5) 3. $40,000: 2008 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Sterling Black Refractor, #11/25 (BGS 9.5, auto 10) 4. $37,500: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 3.5) 5. $37,001: 1910 E98 Red Ty Cobb (PSA 9) 6. $30,333: 1958 Topps Ted Williams (PSA 9) 7. $28,100: 1960 Topps Reggie Jackson 8. $27,056: 2015-16 Upper Deck The Cup Connor McDavid, #64/99, auto patch (BGS 9) 9. $25,655: 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson (PSA 10) 10. $23,000: 2009 Bowman Chrome Mike Trout Refractor, #10/10, auto (BGS 10, auto 10)…

If there’s one guy a batter standing at home plate didn’t want to see glaring back at him from the mound, it was Lee Smith. At 6-foot-6, and weighing 250 pounds, Smith was an imposing figure and looked even bigger standing on the hill. Of course, the intimidating right-hander, who is part of the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019, didn’t get by on looks alone. He backed up his commanding presence with a searing fastball and a nasty slider that frustrated major league batters throughout the 1980s and ’90s. “Actually that stare, the look on my face while I was on the mound, started when I came up with the Cubs (1980),” Smitty recalled. “We played a lot of day games then, and the glare from the afternoon…

When Brady Hill entered his teenage years, he was big into buying baseball cards. Hill watched Darryl Strawberry make a splash as a rookie in 1983, and he jumped on collecting the New York Mets phenom. But Hill’s dad had a little advice for his son: Sell the Strawberry rookies and buy Mickey Mantle. “I was convinced probably early on that Darryl Strawberry was the finest baseball player that ever hit the planet when I was 13,” Hill said. “‘No one’s going to be any better than this guy.’ It turns out dad was right. Sell the Strawberrys and (Don) Mattinglys and go buy Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle.” Dad was a bright guy. He changed his son’s perspective about the hobby. Now, 35 years later, Hill is a big-time…

2018-19 Spectra Basketball Panini America’s Spectra Basketball franchise first made a name for itself years ago by taking the company’s fabled Optichrome printing technology to the next level with extra-thick cards, a bevy of Prizm-friendly designs and a display of color that seems to raise the bar every single year. In early May, the bar gets raised again when 2018-19 Spectra Basketball arrives in hobby shops. Each hobby box of 2018-19 Spectra Basketball (eight cards per box, eight boxes per case) will deliver, on average, four autographs and one memorabilia card. The product once again will be equipped with a full complement of parallels and the calling-card Rookie Jersey Autographs chase. Additional highlights include: • Hard-signed Rookie Jersey Autographs paralleled by Neon Blue (numbered to 99), Neon Green (numbered to…

Retired baseball players are some of the best signers of all professional athletes. With some politeness, accurate postage and a friendly note, you’ll find much success with the individuals below. The list below showcases the player’s name, date autograph request was sent, date the autograph request was returned, where it was sent (in this installment, “H” refers to a home address, “O” refers to an office and “S” refers to the team’s arena). When possible, the autograph request is addressed to the player, in care of the team, and sent to the team’s offices. For more information on athlete mailing addresses, e-mail bryjay41@ hotmail.com.…

Chuck Harmon Chuck Harmon, the first African-American player for the Cincinnati Reds died March 19. He was 94. Harmon served in the Navy and attended the University of Toledo. He made his major league debut on April 17, 1954, seven years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Harmon played two seasons with the Reds as a utility player. He also played for the Cardinals and Phillies during his major league career. Mike Cofer Former Detroit Lions linebacker Mike Cofer died March 21. He was 58. Cofer played college football at Tennessee and was drafted by the Lions in the third round in the 1983 NFL Draft. With the Lions, he played in 123 games from 1983-92, finishing his career with 62½ sacks. He’s the only linebacker in team history…

I have often considered Ted Williams to be the third greatest player in MLB history; topped only by Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Nicknamed the Splendid Splinter, Williams was said to have one of the keenest batting eyes in the game. He hit .344 during his career with six batting crowns, 1,839 RBI, 521 home runs, and 2,654 hits. All of this despite missing three full years to World War II and parts of two seasons to the Korean War. Had he played a full career he may well have hit 700 homers. Williams retired in 1960 and entered the Hall of Fame five years later. He remains one of the greatest hitters the game has ever known. Williams’ signature is one of the most studied of the post-World War…

APRIL 24: 2019 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Collegiate Football 24: 2018-19 Topps Chrome Bundesliga Soccer 26: 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Basketball 26: 2018 Piece of the Game Authenticated Masterpieces Baseball MAY 1: 2019 Score Football 1: 2018-19 Topps Museum Collection UEFA Champions League Soccer 1: 2018-19 Upper Deck Ice Hockey 8: 2018-19 Panini Spectra Basketball 8: 2018-19 SP Authentic Hockey 8: 2019 Topps Tier One Baseball 10: 2018 Leaf Trinity Baseball 10: 2019 Leaf Flash Football 15: 2019 Panini Prizm Baseball 15: 2019 Topps Big League Baseball 15: 2018-19 Topps Museum Collection Bundesliga Soccer 22: 2019 Panini Legacy Football 22: 2018-19 Topps Chrome UEFA Champions League Soccer 22: 2019 Topps Pro Debut Baseball MiLB 22: 2019 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions 22: 2018-19 Upper Deck Chronology Hockey 24: 2019 Leaf Valiant…

What do you call a tiger that is yellow with no orange color mixed in? A group of hobbyists call it a variation of the Frank House (No. 146) card in the 1952 Topps Baseball card set. According to Jeff Rice, a passionate vintage baseball card collector, the standard House card has a Detroit Tigers logo of a tiger on the card that is mostly orange and yellow. But the tiger on some of the House cards is more yellow than orange, or completely yellow. “From my understanding, when Topps produced this (card) they laid down the yellow ink first and then a red ink on top to make the orange color of the tiger,” Rice said. “So a normal tiger is predominately 80 percent orange and 10-20 percent yellow.…