Innholdsfortegnelse for October 23, 2020 i Sports Collectors Digest

Sometime during the Michael Jordan documentary series on ESPN, a fan sent actor Tony Todd a note asking if he still had the baseball bat signed by Jordan. The fan had remembered the actor posting it on social media. Todd, however, had forgotten all about it. “When the guy mentioned it, I sprinted through the house like Carl Lewis,” Todd told noted baseball writer Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I’m running around the house going, ‘Where’s the bat? Where’s the bat?’ I couldn’t find it.” Then it dawned on him. He went to the garage and checked the trunk of his 1966 Pontiac LeMans and found it where it had been stored for 13 years. Where it had been in the 13 years prior to that is unclear, but he’s…

1. $428,100 on 100 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 8) 2. $205,300 on 45 bids: 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady, #/100, auto (BGS 8, auto 10) 3. $100,100 on 238 bids: 1963 Topps Pete Rose (PSA 9) 4. $100,000 on 55 bids: 1910 E98 “Set of 30” Cy Young, red background (PSA 10) 5. $85,100 on 68 bids: 1961-62 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain 6. $75,100 on 71 bids: 1996-97 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant Refractor (PSA 10) 7. $72,700 on 55 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (SGC 5.5) 8. $58,178 on 64 bids: 2018-19 Panini Flawless Luka Doncic Emerald, #2/5, auto patch (ungraded) 9. $55,701 on 48 bids: 2003-04 Topps Chrome LeBron James Refractor (PSA 10) 10. $55,212 on 36 bids: 2003-04 Upper Deck SP Authentic Limited LeBron James,…

Barely a blip on baseball memorabilia’s sales radar screen, Major League Baseball lineup cards—including both dugout and official batting order cards—continue to tell their own unique stories of baseball’s history. Trying to calculate annual lineup card sales would hardly be worth the effort, according to Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage Auctions. “It would be a tiny fraction of 1 percent,” said Ivy. “Probably signed baseballs alone outnumber lineup cards by tens-of-thousands to one.” But while their annual sales may be little more than a rounding error in the overall baseball memorabilia market, lineup cards continue to be an important niche. “They are, effectively, the official documents of a particular game, in the same way a player’s contract is the official document of his particular season,” said Ivy,…

PLAYER: STEALS, BATTING AVERAGE (YEARS ACTIVE) SIGNED BASEBALL VALUE • CHOICE CARD, VALUE Rickey Henderson: 1,406 SBs, .279 (1979–2003) Signed ball, $75–$300 • 1980 Topps #482, $750–$1,200 Lou Brock: 938 SBs, .293 (1961–79) Signed ball, $150–$400 • 1962 Topps #387, $8,000–$14,000 Tim Raines: 808 SBs, .294 (1979–2002) Signed ball, $50–$100 • 1981 Topps #479, $40–$75 Vince Coleman: 752 SBs, .264 (1985–97) Signed ball, $25–$40 • 1985 Topps Traded #24T, $10–$25 Ichiro Suzuki: 708 SBs, .322 (1992-2019**) Signed ball, $150–$400 • 2001 UD SP Authentic #91, $1,500–$2,200 Joe Morgan: 689 SBs, .271 (1963–84) Signed ball, $75–$150 • 1965 Topps #16, $2,000–$2,500 Willie Wilson: 668 SBs, .285 (1976–94) Signed ball, $10–$25 • 1979 Topps #409, $5–$10 Bert Campaneris: 648 SBs, .259 (1964–83) Signed ball, $25–$85 • 1965 Topps #266, $125–$175 Kenny Lofton:…

Inclement weather and stifling summer humidity didn’t keep my kids from pleading with me to take them to Citi Field one year so they could get a Mike Piazza bobblehead. As we stepped off the 7 train and peered at the ballpark from the station’s platform, we could see numerous long lines. It was only 10:30 in the morning for a 1 p.m. game. As we descended the steps of the station, we made our way to a line. Ballpark attendants did their best to keep the people in good spirits as it began to drizzle. “Gates will open at 11:30,” they shouted. Then the sky opened up. Luckily, we brought some cheap garbage bag ponchos. By 11:30 the rain subsided, and the line began to move. Past the ticket…

Gale Sayers, the legendary running back of the Chicago Bears who was once described as “poetry in motion,” died after a reported year-long battle with health issues that included dementia. He was 77. Tributes to the dynamic running back and return specialist poured in from every corner of the sporting world when the news about his death became public Sept. 23. Sayers, a two-time rushing leader and five-time All-Pro First Team, made a lasting impact with his elusiveness and agility during an injury-shortened career that saw him retire after the 1971 season. At age 34, the “Kansas Comet” became (and still is) the youngest player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I had a style all my own,” he once said. “The way I ran, lurchy,…

2020 TOPPS GOLD LABEL BASEBALL The fifth edition of Topps Gold Label is much like the others with quality designs, on-card autographs and the most notable names in baseball making up the 100-card base. Collectors will find retired legends, current superstars and emerging rookies on these stunning cards. Each card receives three versions to collect as well as four different parallels of each. All the Gold Parallels are numbered 1-of-1. The Blue and Red Parallels are numbered from 150 to 25. The Framed Autograph Cards feature more than 50 MLB stars who have signed directly on-card and each comes with a gold frame. They are numbered from 75 to 1-of-1 with the Framed Dual Autographs numbered to 10, 5 and 1-of-1. New to the set is the Golden Greats Framed…

Chuck Blatt is a diehard Chicago White Sox fan. He was a White Sox batboy for a game some 40-plus years ago. His all-time favorite player is Dick Allen. He regaled the 2005 season when the Sox finally won the World Series. But it’s the Chicago Cubs that have thrust Blatt into the national spotlight. More so, the CIHCAGO Cubs, as his one remaining authentic Rawlings jersey says. The legacy dates back 30 years to when Blatt owned Sports Fever, a sports collectibles and apparel store in downtown Chicago. He ordered 14 jerseys to sell, as the team had just changed the style of its road jersey. All 14 arrived spelled, CIHCAGO. They also arrived late, he recalled. “They switched jerseys and people wanted to buy them, so I was…

ALABAMA Nov 7 AL, Scottsboro. Scottsboro Sports Cards & Memorabilia Show, Goose Pond Civic Center, 1165 Ed Hembree Dr., Scottsboro, AL, 35769. SH: 9am-2pm, T: 60+, A: free. Contact: Stephen Moore @ 256-599-0989 or stephen@jacksonssportscards.com CONNECTICUT Oct 11 CT, Orange. Orange Collectible Show, American Legion Post 127, 630 Grassy Hill Road, Orange, CT 06471. SH: 9am-2pm, T: 30+, A: $1. Contact: Karen or Fred Riso – PH: 203-265-1813, Email: kmrfdr@gmail.com Oct 17 CT, Plainville. Plainville Sportscard Show, VFW Hall, 7 Northwest Dr., Plainville, CT, 06062. SH: 9am-2pm, T: 45, A: $1. Contact Cliff Gorneault 860-302-0493, clfgorneault@yahoo.com Oct 24 CT, Trumbull. Trumbull Cards Show, Trinity Episcopal Church, 1734 Huntington Turnpike, Trumbull, CT 06611. SH: 9am-2pm, T: 20+, A: $1. Contact: Karen or Fred Riso – PH: 203-265-1813, Email: kmrfdr@gmail.com Oct 25…

THAT CARD AGAIN — As if Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card didn’t get enough attention in SCD two issues ago, when it appeared as the cover story. Well, here it is again, leading a wild month of online bidding. Seller PWCC Auctions listed a wonderfully clean specimen of the seminal card, an example that’s about as perfect as you can expect from such an old piece of cardboard. PSA assessed its condition at 8/Near-Mint-Mint. As you know, we just don’t see PSA 8-grade ’52 Mantles every day. Not surprisingly, the card inspired 100 bids and soared to a price of $428,100. PWCC, which has more than 20 years’ experience brokering cards, calls this classic an “iconic blue-chip investment piece.” Now that’s going out on a limb! Given the card’s weighty…

OCTOBER 2: 2020-21 Panini Contenders Draft Picks Basketball 2: 2019-20 Leaf Lumber Kings Hockey 7: 2020 Panini Absolute Football 7: 2020 Panini Flawless Collegiate Football 7: 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA Basketball 7: 2020 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball 7: 2020 Topps Triple Threads Baseball 7: 2020-21 Topps NHL Sticker Collection Hockey 7: 2019-20 Upper Deck Premier Hockey 7: 2020 Onyx Vintage Extended Baseball 9: 2020 Panini Prizm Racing NASCAR 9: 2020 Panini Spectra Football 9: 2019-20 Topps Museum Collection UEFA Champions League Soccer 9: 2020 Leaf Trinity Football 14: 2019-20 Panini Immaculate Collection Basketball 14: 2020 Topps Gold Label Baseball 16: 2020 Panini Contenders Baseball 16: 2020 Panini XR Football 21: 2020-21 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Basketball 21: 2020 Panini Impeccable Football 21: 2019-20 Panini One and One Basketball 23:…

The photograph of Lou Brock on our cover is a mid-1960s portrait by Ozzie Sweet, the legendary Sport magazine photographer. Sweet gave viewers this spectacular bird’s-eye view of what Brock looked like when leading off first base. To our knowledge, the image has never been used as a cover shot. Thanks to Paul Plaine of Ballpark Prints for permission to use this Sweet classic. It’s one of more than 100 Ozzie Sweet images Plaine acquired at a Sotheby’s auction in 2000. He has many of them on display at www.ballparkprints.com. ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY OZZIE SWEET, PERMISSION PAUL PLAINE…

Basketball cards received a much-needed upgrade during the 1989-90 season when upstart card company Hoops stormed onto the scene. For the previous three years, only Fleer had made basketball cards, and at just 132 cards per set, they literally were not much to get excited about. That changed when Hoops launched its inaugural set of basketball trading cards. NBA Hoops cards were hard to miss. They came packaged in an eye-catching red, white and blue wrapper that boasted itself as “The Official NBA Basketball Card.” And unlike Fleer’s basketball cards, Hoops cards that season were much easier to find. “In my little town, we might have had one place that sold Fleer Basketball, but it was a unicorn for us,” says collector Josh Green of Ardmore, Texas. “Basketball cards weren’t…