Monthly Archives: March 2010

Corey Haim's career also reflected on cardboard

Though some collectors might argue with the point, one of the good things about the trading card explosion of the last 20 years is that sports card sets aren’t the exclusive domain of just athletes any longer.

Actor Corey Haim, who was found dead on Wednesday at age 38, appeared in a pair of Upper Deck sports card sets  last year as a tribute to his role in “Lucas” — a film where he played an unlikely football player.

Now that fans of some 1980s teen movies (and more) look back at a career that also included “The Lost Boys” and “License to Drive” they might be looking for a piece of memorabilia. Why? Just because. It happens all of the time.

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Calling all supercollectors … Beckett Baseball wants you!

By CHRIS OLDS | Beckett Baseball Editor

It’s been awhile since we last dedicated an issue of Beckett Baseball to the player collector — in fact it was April 2007 — but we’re confident that there are supercollectors out there who haven’t been found.

Why? Because we keep hearing about you guys in the pages of Beckett Sports Card Monthly where we profile supercollectors each and every month.

But the collections we want to showcase in a future Beckett Baseball issue — or perhaps issues — (later this summer) are a bit different. You see, the bar was set pretty high last time around. For example, the Ichiro Suzuki supercollector from that issue owned more than 4,100 cards valued at more than $97,000 at the time. Bruce’s goal? “To have an Ichiro collection like no other.”

It was that then as it probably is now — and we’ll check in with some of those past supercollectors to see how things look in 2010.

But it’s not about the money as we search for the latest batch of baseball supercollectors for Beckett Baseball in 2010. We want to see the most outrageous collections — perhaps it’s your stash of some prospect gone awry that you still keep up with for some odd reason or perhaps it’s your stash of 47 of 50 Gold Refractors of “Player X.” Or perhaps it’s your collection of 97.3 percent of all Brook Jacoby cards that exist … we want to know about it.

I’ve always had rules about my collecting habits and my very different collections for two players — a pair of former Oakland A’s outfielders who wore No. 33, Jose Canseco and Nick Swisher — reflect that. They also reflect how my rules of collecting have changed over time as well.

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Topps readies Cabinet Relics for 2010 Allen & Ginter

Just when you think that you’ve seen it all in Topps‘ popular Allen & Ginter baseball card set comes this.

That’s am oversized Cabinet Relic card featuring the nameplate off of one of Tony Hawk‘s event-used skateboards.

What else will collectors find? Topps is promising the same approach with baseball Cabinet Relics that will include the whole nameplates from game-used jerseys or complete uniform numbers. (That could be quite interesting, there… )

Topps’ fifth-annual release in its tribute to the multi-sport tobacco cards of the 1880s of the same name will also include booklet cards this year, which will pair autographs and memorabilia pieces for more than one player into one collectible volume.

Also back will be some prehistoric Relics, this time the Monsters of the Mesozoic, which will be limited to 10 copies apiece.

What else does Topps have in store? Find out with a product breakdown after the jump …

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TRISTAR reaps the rewards of new Monday-night "wrestling wars"

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling makes a permanent move to Monday nights with its live broadcast of iMPACT! tonight on Spike TV — and what does that new influx of talent mean to wrestling card collectors?

Some big names will be in the next TRISTAR wrestling card set, which the Houston-based TNA licensee announced on Monday.

The TNA 2010: The New Era will arrive in April packing memorabilia cards and autographs from Hulk Hogan as well as cards of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair (a tough autograph), who also made his TNA debut on Jan. 4. Also included in the product will be the first TNA cards of Jeff Hardy, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Anderson, D’Angelo Dinero, Desmond Wolfe and others.

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Guest commentary: Spotlighting 1980 Topps baseball cards

By Chris Kunkel

Each of us has a trigger that trips a memory or perhaps a measuring point. I knew I was old when all of a sudden I was older than all of the ballplayers.  Around 1980, I became a vintage fan.

That’s why, during a recent visit to the card shop to buy a 1956 Hank Aaron, when  I came across a beautifully bound near-mint 1980 Topps set, my vintage baseball pheromones were triggered.  I purchased it immediately for $120 without even dickering with the owner.

Driving home, I remembered why I collect vintage cards.  Vintage evokes deep memories.  The memories need only be recalled, not re-lived.

I began to remember the 1980 sports scene — the Summer and Winter  Olympics. We boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics because the Russians invaded Afghanistan.  We took glory in the Winter Olympics with hockey’s “Miracle on Ice.”  The Phillies and Mike Schmidt out-manned the Royals in the World Series.

I couldn’t wait to get home ad see what that 1980 Topps set would have to offer.

The aesthetics of the set can only compared to the models of the era. The modest photography doesn’t capture the details of the uniforms or equipment.  Likewise, the graphics are constrained by the use of team colors;  some color choices are horrible.  But, put those two characteristics together and add consistently stellar stats and facts, and you’ve got a fine vintage card.

Browsing through the set reveals characters and brilliant players.  And the hair.  And polyester unis.  Yeah, these oddities solidify this set as vintage.  A clean-shaven Bruce Sutter. A  tired looking Ted Sizemore winding down his career in a Boston uniform.  Lou Pinella looks fit.  Bill Buckner looks happy.

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