By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Detroit Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez may only have a 5-4 record this season, but his win over the Minnesota Twins Friday night was one of the more memorable games of his career.

He nearly threw the second no-hitter of his eight-years in MLB, blanking the Twins for a 6-0 win at home but allowing a single hit in the ninth to Joe Mauer. He would have been just the sixth pitcher to throw a no-no in each league.

Sanchez (click here for a checklist or OPG) appears on just 571 cards for his career, carrying a total value of just $1,919.05, excluding rarities. His 12 Rookie Cards can be found in 2005 MLB products with his priciest being his 2005 Ultimate Signature card that typically checks in at $60 or less. It’s an autographed card limited to just 125 serial-numberd copies.

He did not appear on a Topps card as a rookie, with 11 of his 12 made by Upper Deck and the final card produced by Donruss. His earliest cards can be found in 2004 Just Minors prospect/minor league sets. (Click here to see Sanchez items on eBay.)

The right-hander is 53-55 for his career spent with the Marlins and Tigers. He has 86 certified autograph cards with a few of them noting his previous no-no among season highlights recaps. His only no-hitter was on Sept. 7, 2006, with the Marlins when he blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 2-0 win as a rookie.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Photos courtesy of Topps

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Prince Fielder is used to the big-boy jokes, but he’s got nothing on this.

Topps unveiled the world’s largest baseball card Tuesday morning in Lakeland, Fla., a 90-by-60 foot version of Fielder’s card in the 2013 set.

The unveiling took place with Fielder on hand along with groups of youth league baseball players to help unveil the card at Peterson Park near the Tigers’ spring training home.

“We are excited to kick off the season and celebrate the launch of our new 2013 Topps baseball Series 1 with Lakeland City Baseball, Prince and baseball fans everywhere,” said Marc Stephens, Topps’ Marketing Manager, in a prepared release.

Fielder was on hand as well.

“It is truly an honor and a thrill for me to be featured not only on the 2013 Topps Series 1 box,” Fielder said in a prepared statement, “but also on the largest baseball card the world has ever seen.”

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

If one looked closely at the on-box features of 2012 Panini Cooperstown, the very last line of the product’s features on the back panel of the wax box was a simple one.

“Ty Cobb Georgia Peach (one card) * Lou Gehrig The Iron Horse (one card)”

On Monday, Panini America unveiled exactly what those are — and exactly how tough they are to find.

The two cards were inserted into packs at a rate of one in every 9,600 packs, according to the company. That’s one per every 400 boxes of the product — making some of those elusive autographs perhaps seem much easier to find than they are.

These cards — simply substantially short-printed cards — just might be the rarest non 1/1s  in the product, which does not contain any game-used memorabilia cards.

Autographs are found one per 24-pack box of the Cooperstown-focused product with some boxes including two.

The only copy of either card to surface on eBay — a Gehrig — sold for $35 last week.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera did something this season that’s only happened 15 other times in Major League Baseball history.

He won the Triple Crown — leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI — which was last done in 1967.

Now, the real questions begin … about whether to buy his cardboard … and we want to know what you think. He’s not cheap as it is with his 7,854 cards totaling more than $69,500 not including those too rare to price. (Click here for a full checklist and an Online Price Guide.)

—

— See the rest of the questions after the jump. —

—

—

—

—

Have anything else to say? Tell us in the comments below.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

With the exact postseason picture not quite clear just yet — but five American League teams definitely in — now’s the time to be readying those cardboard caches for potential movement if you’re a seller.

If you’re a buyer, you’ve probably already picked off a few favorites from the bunch.

And if you’re the rest of us? Well, it’s time to sit back and watch it all unfold — and watch the cardboard madness that follows.

There have been more than a few surprises this season — from explosive starts, much-ballyhooed call-ups, dominance on the mound and more, to the dramatic finishes that will unfold in the coming days.

While we’ll let it all shake out in the next two days, here are five players to watch this postseason.

Miguel Cabrera, 3B Tigers (Click here for a checklist or OPG)
With two games remaining, Cabrera is in contention to win the first Triple Crown since 1967. His .329 average is four points higher than newcomer Mike Trout in second, while his career-high 44 homers are just one ahead of Texas’ Josh Hamilton. His 137-RBI total is 10 above Hamilton as well. Presuming Hamilton doesn’t play spoiler, Cabrera’s key Rookie Cards and autographs could see quite a surge in interest with the Triple Crown. His 2000 Topps Traded and Topps Traded Chrome cards check in at Nos. 7-8 on the next Beckett Sports Card Monthly Baseball Hot List with upward-moving values of $40 and $60 respectively. Meanwhile, his 2000 Topps Traded Autograph typically sells for $300 to $500. You can expect added interest in those autos showing him as a Tiger — especially if the AL Central champs improve upon their showing in the postseason this year — though they often aren’t all that cheap as it is.
One to grab: 2012 Topps Allen and Ginter Autographs #MC, $100

Josh Reddick — OF, Oakland Athletics (Click here for a checklist or OPG)
If you’re asking “Who?” then clearly you haven’t been watching much of the Green-collar Baseball happening in Oakland these days. (And based on their attendance last night hosting the Texas Rangers with a postseason berth on the line, you’re not alone.) However, the unlikely surprise that is the Oakland A’s this year — the team ranks 29th in salary at roughly $55 million — and their postseason showing could be, in part, attributed to Reddick, who has hit a team-leading 32 home runs and driven in 84 in his first season with the club. In three past seasons with the Red Sox, he hit just 10 homers in 365 at-bats. When it comes to cardboard, he has plenty (dating back to 2007) but not that many options for those who want a card — or an autograph — of him in his Oakland uniform. This Tier One card is a Photoshoppped creation, but since he’s an affordable guy — like many in Oakland — you’ll likely be seeing more of him to come when it comes to the ink. (A’s rookie Yoenis Cespedes is a bonafide hitter for the team and could get attention, too, but with his $9 million salary he’s likely to vanish quickly like many of the team’s past stars. Reddick could stick around.)
One to grab: 2012 Topps Tier One On The Rise Autographs #JR /350, $15

–

Derek Jeter — SS, New York Yankees (Click here for a checklist or OPG)
There are plenty of stars in New York but the focus will be on one guy if they add yet another World Series title. The Captain had a strong year compared to the recent past and he’s signed through next season, which will be his 19th in the majors, all in pinstripes. What will the future hold? How much longer will he play? Where will he rank in MLB history when it’s all said and done? He’s the iconic player of the Yankees so no matter what happens, his baseball cards will get attention. And he’ll continue to overshadow, on cardboard, even the superstars around him.
One to grab: Any certified autograph.

–

Josh Hamilton — OF Texas Rangers (Click here for a checklist or OPG)
Can the two-time defending American League champion Rangers finally win it all? Or will they even win the American League West? On paper the Rangers look dominating but against Oakland they just haven’t been. On paper, there’s been no bigger star this season than former MVP Josh Hamilton, who is second in the AL in both home runs and RBI. While the questions for the team loom large, there’s an even bigger one for the team and their franchise player — will he leave via free agency after the season? Whether he heads elsewhere or remains in Texas, there’s no doubt that he’s got a place deep in the hearts of Texas fans — the franchise’s unprecedented recent run of success could not have been done without him. His RCs and early graphs are strong, but his Rangers sigs such as this Triple Threads patch Relic will generate some good heat, too.
One to grab: 1999 Topps Traded Autographs #T66, $500

–

Manny Machado — 3B Baltimore Orioles (Click here for a checklist or OPG)
Like the Oakland A’s, not many saw this one coming at the beginning of the season — the rise of the Baltimore Orioles, who finished dead-last in the AL East last season. On the stat sheet and on cardboard, there’s not much to see here — a group team of guys who once had their primes on cardboard but aren’t going to be lighting things up any time soon: Matt Wieters, Chris Davis, Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy, Nick Markakis and even Adam Jones, a talented player who spent part of his Sunday trash-talking haters on Twitter, including Hall of Famer Peter Gammons (that tweet since deleted). That lack of superstar power leaves the highly touted rookie as one guy who could move the needle quite well on cardboard with a good game or two in the postseason. He’s hit .267 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in his 49 games this season — so he’s just getting warmed up.
One to grab: Any of his certified autographs.

–

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor | Commentary

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander flirted with throwing his second no-hitter of the season Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians, blanking his AL Central rivals before giving up a hit in the eighth and recording the win in a 4-0 victory.

His first no-no came on May 7 against the Blue Jays and it really didn’t generate much heat for his cards at all … it should have — and a second no-no should have propelled him firmly into the elite of MLB arms in many minds if not already there. It would have been his third career no-no — breaking a tie with Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay for the most by an active MLB pitcher. (It’s worth noting that Verlander is the youngest of the three, too.)

Yet the slugger-centric mentality of the hobby might have left this one once again as one for the highlight reels — and not so much for his cards. It wasn’t to be — but I’m optimistic that such dominating showings might help a few collectors latch onto players whom they might not have in the past. You know, back in the days when we were all marveling at tape-measure home runs that turned out to be, um … wind-aided? (Yeah, that’s it … )

Or, perhaps — though I’d not agree — some may feel that he’s already too valuable.

In all, Verlander appears on 3,017 different baseball cards and of those priced in the Beckett.com database they’ll cost you roughly $29,783 (or less) to own. He’s a relatively plentiful signer — 619 of those are autographed cards — and he’s got nearly just as many game-used cards at 526.

But, of course, it would have been his Rookie Cards that collectors would have latched onto — and he’s got 47 of them since there were plenty of card companies making MLB cards in 2005. Of those 47 — only those tagged as RCs — seven command $100 or more with the most-expensive being his Ultimate Collection card, which is limited to just 99 copies and sells for as much as $300.

However, the most serious money comes with one 2005 Bowman Chrome Refractor — not tagged as an RC since it’s an insert card. His Gold Refractor, limited to 50 copies, books for $800. Meanwhile, lesser Refractors sell for $250 (Blue), $150 (X-Fractor) and $120 (standard Refractor). His standard Chrome autograph commands as much as $80 — perhaps that’s a card with room to grow.

Has Verlander  tapped out his cardboard potential? That’s for the buyers to decide, but performances like those we saw on Tuesday night might not make that call so easy to make.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.