I've been toying with the idea of buying some baseball cards. I haven't since 1978. I used to go down to the drug store and pick up a pack of Topps. I'd get something like 12 or so cards and a piece of gum for the trash for 35 cents. In each pack, I'd usually get one or two Red Sox cards. Over the course of the summer I'd end up with a lot of doubles and other cards I didn't want, but it was a simple pleasure, and opening the pack was exciting.

I've done a little bit of research, and it appears there's now a gazillion different sets and kinds of cards. I have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed. Anyway, can anyone help me figure out which are the regular standard cards most like what I used to get? Is it the Topps Series 1? That series seems to be missing a lot of players. Topps Bazooka?

Thoughts? Recommendations? I'm not looking to invest, just to make a small collection my son might be glad to have someday.

Get him the cheapest cards available.
Maybe there are some with the classic look, get those.
There's just so much artificially-rare, opulent crap today...

If you want cheaper cards that have ALL the players - get Topps Total. They aren't worth much, but they cost a fraction of what the other brands/sets do and they include every player - like the old Topps sets, I am talking 700+ players.

Man, those were the days. Trying to build a set from packs and trading doubles with friends Oh the countless home-made checklists. There was nothing like a good .40 cent pack of 80's Topps, Donruss or Fleer.

Cards are awful and gaudy now. I had to have gone a good 10 years without buying any until I realized how much I still enjoyed them on a trip to Cooperstown. Not many people are interested in older cards, especially ones that may be in less than pristine condition - it's all about the insert or autograph or jersey patch card. I relegate myself to a handful or so of cards a year and have added some cards I really appreciate - a Johnny Bench Topps Rookie, a T209 Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown and a 56 Topps Jackie Robinson to name a few.

I'm sure your son will love any cards you give him and you can never go wrong with one of the originals - Topps.

Cool. I hadn't seen that one. It does look like the best. In '05 it came out in June, but I guess I can wait. Funny, they don't have Varitek. They've got Stefan Bailie, Jeremy West, and Willy Mota, but no Tek. I guess he doesn't go in for that sort of thing.

Collect older cards that are in less than good condition (not quite poor, though) -- that's fun. And it's really all about fun, or should be.

Are there any new sets that use the exact same material and design of some of the "vintage" 80's cards?

No, there are some new sets [like Topps T-206, or Bowman Heritage, etc] that copy some of the nicer looking older sets ... although they use better cardstock I would think.

Collecting now, which I still do, is VERY expensive and VERY hard if you are into set building, which I no longer do. Also, Donruss and Fleer have now lost their license, so it is just UD and Topps next year.

Most packs now contain 5 cards or less, and go from $5 to $100+ a pack. The only bonus I guess is that there is the chance you will get a nice autographed or game used card. For example, recently I got a signed Mickey Mantle card, #'d to 19 I think ... and promptly sold it on Ebay for around $1500, since I have no interest in him. Also a Nolan Ryan card autographed, with three different jersey swatches and numbered to 5, and a similar Teixeira card.

Anyhow, I guess my point was that the "big hit" is all the hobby craze now - lots of short printed rookies, autographs and game used material cards ...

One last thing, you can find boxes of 1980's cards, sealed in their original packs for SUPER cheap, if you just want some old fashioned, not worth more than a $1 or so cards.

unholycow....

I have over 5,000 redsox baseball cards and about 98% of all Topps REDSOX since 1955. I hope to one day get to 100% but some are pricey. If you want I will gladly send some of my doubles from the 1980's if you send me a postage envelope, padded is preffered. The 1980's produced so many cards onto the market that they cost much less than todays cards which would cost you a fortune to build. If you want current redsox cards buy the team set for about $5-$6 from a dealer. I send my nephews these older cards and they love them, so long as it is redsox.

I started collecting when I was a kid in 1991. The big thing around that time was Shaq coming to the NBA and I think that's what really got things started. It was a family thing as both of my brothers and father all collected so it was nice to go to card shows and card shops with them, a kind of bonding experience that I look back on with very happy memories. After 5 or 6 years collected we all kind of stop as other priorities took over. Within the past 3 years I started collecting again as I kind of missed taking a chance with opening packs. The hobby has changed a lot and is very confusing for someone just starting out. At this point I've sold of the stuff I have aquired within the last 3 years to pay for a new vehicle for my wife and I and to just get out of the hobby as things are going downhill fast. So far I've sold $750 worth of cards which is a nice surprise.


Ebay and the internet is huge now with card collectors. Do a search of the Sports Cards and Memorabilia section and there seem to be millions of items up for sale of almost anything you can think of. There are some online stores which deal exclusively with sports cards and you can buy boxes and cases of packs fairly cheap.

My advice would be to set a goal or focus if you want to start collecting. Pick a player and collect all of his cards. I chose Hanley Ramirez back in 2003 and decided I would buy 1 of each of his cards released that year. At this point I have basically reached that goal, although the main reason I chose him was that he was the shortstop of the future for the Red Sox. Now that he is on the Marlins I am thinking of selling them once the season starts. A goal my brother set after the Red Sox World Series win was to obtain an authenticated autographed world series baseball from each of the team members.

Pick a team, the Red Sox, or a particular set to collect. Vintage cards will always hold their values so think about completing a set from your childhood or before.

A good internet resource is Beckett which is a monthly magazine published with prices of cards. The website doesn't have the prices unless you subscribe but it does have news, information, and a popular message board about the hobby which can be helpful.

The major problem I have now with collecting really is deciding what to collect. There are so many different card types released now, that collecting all of them is impossible. Every now and again I have to reign myself in, and re-focus on something. A while ago I was on a game used card kick - now I am focused on 'prospecting', basically collecting rookie cards and grabbing players before they blow up. Collecting sets is no longer really possible - and collecting a certain player really isn't either, unless you are just buying them individually. For me, 90% of the fun is opening the packs. The hard part is deciding what to focus on, and what to actually do with my collection. I have started collecting autographed cards of every member of the 2004 WS team, with the Topps commemorative WS set, with minimal luck [I think I am up to 6 players or so now:( ]

I have close to 15,000 cards and maybe close to 2,000 redsox cards and I just bought a few jersey cards one has Nomar and Ted Williams.

I used to love the prospecting part of it and bought tons of boxes in the mid to late '80's and opened every single pack. Hell, I still have binders with all the rookie cards of Bonilla, Incaviglia, Eric Davis, Tartabull, Bo Jackson, Greenwell, Will Clark and so on. I thought they all were going to be future HoF'ers . At one point I was rejecting offers for Jackson rookies at 20 dollars a pop, thinking they'd keep going up in value. I bought 30 Bonds rookies about 10 years ago for 25 cents each, at least those have to be worth something. These days if I buy anything, I usually just keep the packs intact.

Hey, I've got 30 Phil Plantier rookie cards for sale if anyone is interested

I'm a 30+ year old man that just recently began collecting baseball cards again for the first time since I was a lad and first discovered that girls had boobs.

While the variety of cards out there now makes it difficult to decide on what to collection, cost of individual packs are up & there's fewer cards in the packs now than when I was a kid, I must say that there's not a greater joy in the world than opening a new pack of baseball cards to see what you've got inside. While I don't miss the gum stains on the cards, I do miss the smell the gum gave to the cards......what I sweet smell that was (though of course the gum itself wasn't editable).

I like the 2006 Topps Series I cards in general, my only criticism is that I'm finding to many Barry Bonds, Mickey Mantle & Declaration of Independence insert cards. There's only 6 cards per pack as is, so enough with Bonds commemorative HR cards already.

Outside of the random new packs that I pick up in the checkout lines as impulse items, I've narrowed my 'real' collecting to only Red Sox cards, typically vintage cards from the 80's & prior. I search through Ebay auctions on a regular basis (almost daily) & put vintage Red Sox cards on my watch list. I don't want to spend a lot of $ (graded 'PSA' cards are out) so 99% of the items I'm 'watching' I don't wind up bidding on but if something slips through the cracks I grab it! I've found 100's of Red Sox cards from the 50's thru 80's this way over the last few years and due to being selective in my bidding, I haven't spent very much acquiring them. I look through my collection on a regular basis & enjoy the hell out of simply looking at & reading them.

I don't really collect anymore, though I often regret getting rid of mine years ago. I have a few, I've recently tried to get one card from each Yankee with his number retired - but as a kicker I wanted, when possible, to get the card froma year that made them famous (ie a 61 Maris and Ford, 56 Mantle, 76 Munson, 78 Guidry, 85 Mattingly, etc, etc.) They're not in great shape, some old ones are pretty beat up but I don't care, it's my collection and I'm not looking to profit on it. So far I have all except:

Joe DiMaggio: Prices are just absurd
Miller Huggins: Not sure one even exists
and I have this sneaking suspician my Gehrig is a fake!

In general I'd rather collect yearbooks and programs.

I used to be really into it, but trying to keep up is impossible and just not worth it. I grew up in the mid to late 90's card rush when everybody was making them so it was impossible to get everyone. So i started just getting old cards from the 80's and late 70's not even in great shape. Just to have a card of some my favorite hockey and baseball players.

Baseball has made an honest effort to stop the madness by only allowing players that were on the 40 man roster or have MLB experiance get printed this year but a couple Alex Gordon cards got out ruining complete sets for people. But still you get checklists in almost every pack and as was previously stated stupid commemorative cards to boot, its just not worth it.

Re: Miller Huggins, the old tobacco cards would cost you hundreds $ however, here's an alternative:

1967 Topps - Ebay listing

Thank you much, may have to throw up a bid.

Before I started collecting kids, I collected cards. My dad had a set of 1939 Playballs. When he was alive, we used to try to find the cards he was missing in order to complete the set. It was a great bond between my dad and me, just as much as our golf rounds.

He died before we finished the set. But I'm proud to say that I finally finished off my dad's set and now I'll have an amazing gift to give my kids from their grandpa!

Fortunately, my dad already had doubles of Joe DiMaggio because it would have cost a small fortune to add that card to the collection. Plus, for you guys at RSN, he also had this gem of a rookie card in very good condition (I believe by far the most valuable card I own):

Nice story and a great card. Cheers.

It depends on the player and how picky you are about the condition of the cards. I have a few dozen of these, and don't think I've paid over $20 for any of them (most I got for much less). I haven't purchased any in the last few years, but I'm guessing the cost hasn't gone up too much since then?

Yeah, condition doesn't mean much to me. Once I finish up my collection I plan to frame them all together anyhow. Probably do it on a pinstriped matting with the retired number under each card.

JoltinJoe: that's a real cool story. I'm jealous as hell. Dimaggio is by far the hardest Yank I have found to get a card of.

as far as other collecting goes I now need only 5 more yearbooks (52, 58, 59, 68, and 69) to have the complete Yankee set from 1950-2006. I'll be quite happy when I complete this. Also, I need about 5 division series programs to complete a set of home playoff programs (save the single Fenway 'playoff' program I have from '78;) ) from my lifetime, 1977 on.

Just a general note for anyone collecting memoribilia I'd suggest waiting until sometime between november and march since the prices are markedly lower.

Jamie, if you want a DiMaggio at a "reasonable" price you'll probably have to accept a card in mediocre condition. Right now, there is a '39 Playball, PSA 1 with a gaping rip on the front, going for a "Buy It Now" price of $295!

You may want to keep an eye on this auction, currently at $150. But a you can see, the card is not in very good condition.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1939-PLAY-BALL-JOE-DiM...1QQcmdZViewItem

Tobacco cards can be well within your price range if don't mind the condition or player. Each December I go up to Cooperstown and try to add something nice to my collection. Three years ago it was a Johnny Bench Rookie and in 2004 it was a 1956 Cleveland Indians cap signed by Bob Feller.

However, last year's score - a Gold Border Sweet Caporal Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown - may be my favorite.



Another good source of finding scores on cards are local shows. Not sure where some of you are located, but there seems to be a monthly show at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield with a nice selection of vendors. Most kids and younger collectors these days are looking for the hot insert or jersey card, so many of the older cards that vendors bring to these shows can be negotiated due to limited interest.

I went back and forth with myself for about an hour and even left the show to go to the bank before making up my mind, but through this method, I picked up a very nice 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson (The only card of his in my collection) for $60, down from $125. It was also about 3pm on a Sunday, when the show ends at 4.

Alex Gordon:The next hot prospect called up soon?



Apparently this 2006 Topps card is going for upwards of $7500. Topps screwed up and initially printed some of the Gordon cards before receiving consent from the player's association. Wow!

re: the National Sports Collectors Convention is underway, being held at the Anaheim Convention Center, any Cali Rooters attending?

There's a pretty interesting piece on CNN today regarding baseball card collecting & where it is today.

Excerpt: 'Major League Baseball Players Association lent their assistance (in revitalizing the popularity of baseball card collecting), by cutting in half the number of licenses it offers to card manufacturers in an effort to rid the glut of new cards on the market.'



Full article:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/26/pf/baseball_cards/index.htm

Also from the article;
Year: 1954
Manufacturer: Wilson Franks
Position: Left fielder
Value: $100,000

Here is some of the Redsox cards I have picked upin the past year.

The most ridiculous baseball card ever.
We're talking Jeter, Micky and the Shrub.

I saw this on SportsDesk this morning and almost spit my shredded wheat across my living room.
What the heck were the people at Topps thinking?

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb


Honus Wagner card sold for over $2mm

When I was a kid I was crazy about it. Couldn't go into the store w/o getting a pack. I bet I have a couple thousand from '84 - '88. Bunch of Clemens before I hated him.

Any chance those (as a whole, not just Clemens) are worth anything? Assuming my parents still have them at the house. They may have been thrown away.

Im only 23 and I still collect, but I only collect Rookies. I go out of my way and buy rookies and sometimes boxes of Fleer Ultra just to relive the childhood.