By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

When the debut edition of National Treasures baseball arrived yesterday from Panini America with a heavy game-used presence of legends such as Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb and Joe Jackson in tow, I couldn’t help but have a few questions.

How much money in memorabilia just left the Panini vault in this one?

How much money could I save elsewhere if I did the unthinkable (for me) and tried to get a box?

How would this one not have been a contender for Product of the Year and other Beckett Baseball awards had it come out during 2012?

After that wave of thoughts washed over me — and after a couple hours of compulsively window-shopping on eBay — I remembered one time years ago when I found my own little national treasure in a pack from Donruss.

My find is the 2003 Leaf Limited Lumberjacks Combos card you see here, a Gehrig-Don Mattingly card that probably impressed much more back then. How? Well, today there are more than 750 different Gehrig memorabilia cards to be found. Back then there were fewer than 150 different cards. It was a really impressive pull then — and I still think it is now, after all, it’s card No. 4, which matches Gehrig’s uniform number.

Yes, it was good to see that there was a photo of the jerseys and bats used in those cards — note two items shown per player though there’s only one or the other per card. (A move to save time during production — even then, when staffs were larger and company calendars not quite as jam-packed.)  These days, of course, things like that are often obsolete because of that whole time thing and because printing plate changes add up fast — and that matters now more than ever with a rougher economy and fewer people buying cards. But that’s fodder for a recent past Beckett Sports Card Monthly and, of course, future issues. (Another aside … do those logos really add that much to the card’s design?)

What also made this a memorable treasure for me was the fact that it was among the first cards I ever submitted to Beckett Grading Services — my second batch if I remember correctly — and it made the grade on June 3, 2004 … a Thursday, according to the database records, and several years before I ended up working here for a different division of Beckett Media. All these years later, on a Thursday no less, this card came to mind with its piece of Gehrig jersey — likely a big brother of some other swatches just entering collections now. (After all, the last two Gehrig gamers to sell via Heritage Auctions topped $700,000 — a price that indicates the swatches had better last long and that they’re probably not coming back to a baseball card set any time soon when they’re gone.)

Grading of mem cards is tough as the thicker stock just isn’t as durable and I consider that grade to be a miracle considering I didn’t own any magnetic cases at the time. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for me. It’s a memorable card.

Another bit of firsts and the Beckett experience for me will come with this card in a few days when it’s among the first I post as part of the new Beckett Graded Registry, a project that’s been in the works for years and finally rounding into final form. I’ll confess as to have never really done much registry dabbling, but it’s an interesting component to the overall grading experience — and a huge influence on collecting markets as people compete for bragging rights and have yet another way to personally assess and expand upon their own collecting experiences.

For me, this card might be part of a custom registry … one accentuating how I often seem to pull Yankees cards from packs — and have done pretty well over the years — without even being a Yankees fan at all. In fact, I’d probably lean toward quite the contrary, but it’s hard to hate the players seen on these cards … just the team. Or something.

The real work, though, comes next — finding a creative name for this ol’ part of the collection.

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

Will a time of reflection reflect our complicated times?

That’s the question we’ll get the answer to on Jan. 9, when the latest class of inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will be unveiled.

This year’s Hall of Fame ballot arrived from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Wednesday with some of the game’s biggest names ever on the ballot — some being players whose statistics eclipsed many others in the record books as they defied age and just kept getting better as their careers progressed.

Now comes the biggest question … yes or no?

Well, if you examine the values of their key baseball cards today vs. a decade ago, you might already have an answer — at least one that reflects how the fans feel. Many values for stars with clouds of suspicion around them are shells of what they were in their prime. Here’s a look at the most-notable players on the ballot when it comes to cardboard. Also, be sure to submit your votes on the ballot below.

Jeff Bagwell
Astros, 1991-2005 (click here for a checklist or Online Price Guide)
.297 average, 449 HRs, 1,529 RBI, 202 SB, 1994 NL MVP, one Gold Glove, four-time All-Star
First introduced to collectors as the gem in one the worst trades ever and then as the 1991 NL Rookie of the Year, Bagwell was a power-hitting, all-around star for Houston. He’s never been directly caught up in any steroid scandals, but some of his recent comments about their use seem unusual to this writer if Bagwell was against using. Would he get my vote after that? Maybe.
Best Rookie Card: 1991 Ultra Update #79
Value Then (Dec. 2002): $10 Value Now: $6

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Craig Biggio
Astros, 1988-2007 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.281 average, 291 HRs, 1,175 RBI, 414 SB, four Gold Gloves, seven-time All-Star
Another mainstay for Houston, this member of the 3,00o-hit club played consistently and had some strong seasons but none that are overwhelming on their own when looking at the stat sheet (never hit 30 home runs or drove in 100, for example). That said, though, the end result is still Hall of Fame worthy. He’s not the flashiest selection, but he’s a good one. He’d get my vote and he should get in.
Best Rookie Card: 1988 Score Rookie/Traded #103T
Value Then: $8 Value Now: $12

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Barry Bonds
Pirates/Giants, 1986-2007 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.298 average, 762 HRs, 1,996 RBI, 514 SB, seven-time NL MVP, eight Gold Gloves, 14-time All-Star
He’s Major League Baseball’s single-season and career home run leader. He’s got more MVP awards than anyone else — and should have had more — and he was walked more than any player in history. He’s also one with plenty of BALCO baggage — he was found guilty of obstruction of justice and is a felon based on his elusive testimony in the case. His numbers all indicate he should be in the Hall, but there’s little doubt in many people’s minds that those numbers were probably aided. One could also argue that he was the best all-around player in the game before the time of his alleged use began — and some voters probably will cite that as a reason for selecting him. It’ s valid, but it’s not for me. While MLB did not have policies about performance-enhancers during much of his career, Bonds is the debate of all debates here. If I had a vote, I wouldn’t use it — but he’ll probably get into the Hall at some point. He probably should — he’s the ultimate icon, the personification, of the generation of questioned players. Oh, and he sold a boat-load of cardboard through the years, too.
Best Rookie Card: 1987 Fleer #604
Value Then: $50 Value Now: $12

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Roger Clemens
Red Sox/Blue Jays/Yankees/Astros, 1984-2007 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
354-184 record, 3.12 ERA, 4,672 strikeouts in 4,916.2 innings, 1986 AL MVP, seven-time Cy Young winner, 11-time All-Star
See Bonds — but switch everything when it comes to superlatives to pitching. On paper, he’s one of the most-dominating pitchers of the modern era, a four-time 20-game winner, a two-time single-game strikeout record-holder and a guy who won more Cy Young awards than anyone else. He’s also had his share of courtroom time where he was found not-guilty on all six perjury counts against him. But, like Bonds, the damage has been done and his key cardboard is nowhere near its prime or where it should be for a player of his caliber. I wouldn’t vote for him — there’s just too much, if one examines all the details and allegations along with those around him, indicating that he might have used PEDs during his remarkable career.
Best Rookie Card: 1984 FleerUpdate #27
Value Then: $180 Value Now: $120

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Don Mattingly
Yankees, 1982-1995 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.307 average, 222 HRs, 1,099 RBI, 14 SB, 1985 AL MVP, nine Gold Gloves, six-time All-Star
Sorry Yankees fans, he’s a Bronx legend, but “Donnie Baseball” really shouldn’t be part of a legitimate discussion about the Hall. Monument Park? Sure. On cardboard, there’s no doubting how important his Rookie Cards were in the 1980s, but that time has long passed. Put him in Padres pinstripes for his career and nobody would disagree with this argument, either.
Best Rookie Card: 1984 Donruss #248
Value Then: $30 Value Now: $30

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Fred McGriff
Blue Jays/Padres/Braves/Rays/Cubs/Dodgers, 1986-2004 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.284 average, 493 HRs, 1,550 RBI, 72 SB, five-time All-Star
He’s never been caught up in any allegations about steroid use, which should make his power numbers more impressive. But like many sluggers who are from earlier years, though, they just can’t compare. Had he spent his career for one or two teams and played just as well or a tad better, his case might be stronger. Same could be said for his baseball cards as bouncing from team to team can’t help popularity. I’d vote for him, knowing that he’s likely not going in.
Best Rookie Card: 1986 Donruss #28
Value Then: $10 Value Now: $8

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Mark McGwire
Athletics/Cardinals, 1986-2001 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.263 average, 583 HRs, 1,414 RBI, 12 SB, one Gold Glove, 12-time All-Star
He’s an admitted steroid user and did so during his then-magical 1998 season when he became the single-season home run champion. His reluctance to not talk about the past when it mattered is perhaps what people remember most, not the tearful confession before he was set to take an MLB coaching job — or anything from that season that just looks a lot less special now. He did the right thing by not denying what happened and moving along with his life and career. That’s commendable — and something that, to me, would make voting for player who have the bonafide numbers potentially more viable. I’m still a bit of a Bash Brothers fan, too, but when it comes to a Hall of Fame vote, I just don’t think so.
Best Rookie Card: 1985 Topps #401
Value Then: $50 Value Now: $20

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Mike Piazza
Dodgers/Marlins/Mets/Padres/Athletics, 1992-2007 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.308 average, 427 HRs, 1,335 RBI, 17 SB, 12-time All-Star
There’s no doubt that he was one of the best hitters at catcher. But he has been among those who have been questioned in the past, which makes his story from an out-of-nowhere draft pick to legend less interesting to me. In this case I play my cynic card. No vote, but given the position he played I’m sure he’ll get in at some point. He was very popular for two notable franchises for a long time — and that obviously can’t hurt his cards or his chances at the Hall.
Best Rookie Card: 1992 Fleer Update #92
Value Then: $80 Value Now: $30

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Sammy Sosa
Rangers/White Sox/Cubs/Orioles, 1989-2007 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.252 average, 609 HRs, 1,667 RBI, 234 SB, 1998 NL MVP, seven-time All-Star
Three of the best single-season home run marks belong to him, and he’s one of only two to hit 60-plus more than once. The storied power is there. According to The New York Times, though, he was one of the 104 players who tested positive for PEDs during the 2003 survey tests that prompted MLB to adopt a drug policy.  Like other sluggers here, Sosa sold a ton of cardboard in those prime power years but those cards are a shell of what they had been just like his image is. The numbers are gaudy, but I wouldn’t vote for him.
Best Rookie Card: 1990 Leaf #220
Value Then: $80 Value Now: $12

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Larry Walker
Expos/Rockies/Cardinals, 1989-2005 (click here for a checklist or OPG)
.313 average, 383 HRs, 1,311 RBI, 230 SB, 1997 NL MVP, seven Gold Gloves, five-time All-Star
Like McGriff, Walker was a guy who quietly put up numbers — his 1997 season is ridiculous — but three batting titles and 383 home runs later, it’s just not enough. Plus there’s the whole Coors Field debate that was much more fun to pontificate about pre-PEDs. Put him in a Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame for sure, but Cooperstown probably won’t happen until the Veterans Committee.
Best Rookie Card: 1990 Leaf #325
Value Then: $15 Value Now: $8

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.

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How would you vote?

See every name on this year’s ballot below. As with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, you can only select 10 names from the list. Those who get 75 percent of the vote are in. Those who get less than five percent are removed from next year’s ballot.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Topps‘ downsized version of its 2012  flagship set is closer to its public debut less than three weeks from now at the National Sports Collectors Convention.

And now it’s time to see what the autographs and Relics will look like — and find out who’s who on those respective checklists — as the company provided that info to Beckett Media for the product that arrives at the NSCC before it can only be bought at ShopTopps.com, the company’s online store.

The product will be issued in pack form with mini versions of all 661 base cards found in Series 1 and Series 2 (as the case with this year’s factory sets). It also will include autographs and memorabilia cards, too — all in the smaller size a la the 1975 Topps Mini set, which was a test issue only released in Michigan and California. Just like back then, these cards are 2 1/4 inches wide by 3 1/8 inches tall — about three-quarters of the size of a standard card.

There will be 10 cards per pack and one autograph or Relic card in every 24-pack box. There will be 31 players with autographs found in the limited-run product. Some of the notable signers include Bryce Harper, David Ortiz, Don Mattingly, Al Kaline, Yu Darvish, Mike Trout, Tony Gwynn, Stan Musial and Frank Robinson to name a few.

The Relics side will feature a 50-card checklist that includes past and present stars. Some of the players found there will include Trout, Musial, Carl Yastrzemski, Gwynn, Harmon Killebrew, Don Mattingly, Josh Hamilton and Justin Verlander.

We’ll have more on this one next week right here on Beckett.com.

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.

AUTOGRAPHS  
MA-1 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
MA-2 Neil Walker Pittsburgh Pirates
MA-3 Ricky Romero Toronto Blue Jays
MA-4 Brandon Beachy Atlanta Braves
MA-5 Jhonny Peralta Detroit Tigers
MA-6 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
MA-7 Don Mattingly New York Yankees
MA-8 Adrian Gonzalez Boston Red Sox
MA-9 Al Kaline Detroit Tigers
MA-10 Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
MA-11 Mike Trout Angels
MA-12 Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves
MA-13 Edgar Martinez Seattle Mariners
MA-14 Jesus Montero Seattle Mariners
MA-15 Tommy  Hanson Atlanta Braves
MA-16 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
MA-17 Mark Trumbo Angels
MA-18 Josh Reddick Oakland Athletics
MA-19 Tony Gwynn San Diego Padres
MA-20 Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals
MA-21 Gio Gonzalez Washington Nationals
MA-22 Dee Gordon Los Angeles Dodgers
MA-23 Chad Billingsley Los Angeles Dodgers
MA-24 Drew Stubbs Cincinnati Reds
MA-25 Edinson Volquez San Diego Padres
MA-26 Alcides Escobar Kansas City Royals
MA-27 Kyle Drabek Toronto Blue Jays
MA-28 Angel Pagan San Francisco Giants
MA-29 Carlos Santana Cleveland Indians
MA-30 Frank Robinson Cincinnati Reds
MA-31 Rickie Weeks Milwaukee Brewers

RELICS   
MR-1 Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals
MR-2 Mike Trout Angels
MR-3 Mat Latos Cincinnati Reds
MR-4 Dave Winfield San Diego Padres
MR-5 Curtis Granderson New York Yankees
MR-6 Ian Kennedy Arizona Diamondbacks
MR-7 Dan Haren Angels
MR-8 Jordan Zimmermann Washington Nationals
MR-9 Nelson Cruz Texas Rangers
MR-10 Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox
MR-11 Johan Santana New York Mets
MR-12 J.P. Arencibia Toronto Blue Jays
MR-13 Chris Young Arizona Diamondbacks
MR-14 Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies
MR-15 Tommy Hanson Atlanta Braves
MR-16 Kevin Youkilis Boston Red Sox
MR-17 Drew Stubbs Cincinnati Reds
MR-18 Adam  Dunn Chicago White Sox
MR-19 Tony Gwynn San Diego Padres
MR-20 Harmon Killebrew Minnesota Twins
MR-21 Carlos Santana Cleveland Indians
MR-22 Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
MR-23 Mark Trumbo Angels
MR-24 Neftali Feliz Texas Rangers
MR-25 Billy Butler Kansas City Royals
MR-26 Jaime Garcia St. Louis Cardinals
MR-27 Jose Reyes Miami Marlins
MR-28 John Axford Milwaukee Brewers
MR-29 C.J. Wilson Angels
MR-30 Don  Mattingly New York Yankees
MR-31 Justin Upton Arizona Diamondbacks
MR-32 Andy Pettitte New York Yankees
MR-33 Kerry Wood Chicago Cubs
MR-34 Cliff  Lee Philadelphia Phillies
MR-35 Yovani Gallardo Milwaukee Brewers
MR-36 Matt Cain San Francisco Giants
MR-37 Jered Weaver Angels
MR-38 Brandon League Seattle Mariners
MR-39 Rafael Furcal St. Louis Cardinals
MR-40 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers
MR-41 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
MR-42 Elvis Andrus Texas Rangers
MR-43 Brandon Beachy Atlanta Braves
MR-44 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
MR-45 Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers
MR-46 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
MR-47 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
MR-48 Ricky Romero Toronto Blue Jays
MR-49 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals
MR-50 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Panini America unveiled its newest forthcoming baseball card product under its MLBPA licensing deal on Thursday, and it’s one that a few collectors might remember from the Donruss days.

It’s Limited.

Set to arrive late next month, it will be branded as a 2011 product and include three autograph or memorabilia cards per pack with each 15-pack case including an average of 43 autographs, according to the company.

First arriving in baseball back in 1994, Limited was a bit of a staple for the former Donruss/Playoff company, which included releases all the way until 2005. Since Panini purchased Donruss and its portfolio, the brand has lived on in each of its other sports — football, basketball and hockey.

Base cards will be numbered to just 249 in this high-end brand, which also will include cards including pieces of real gold and silver as well as memorabilia cards of unusual types — batting helmets and buttons to name a couple. It also will include a 30-card Historical Cuts autograph set including notable names from baseball, entertainment and politics. Notables there? George Steinbrenner, Ben Hogan, Lucille Ball and boxer Jack Johnson.

Other inserts will include Rawlings Gold Gloves Signatures — cards with a piece of 14-karat gold as well as an autograph. Meanwhile, Silver Slugger cards will include pieces of silver along with autographs.

Some of the notable legends in this one? Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and Joe Jackson — most possible because of the company’s recently signed deal with the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, active stars and more recently retired names in Limited will include Josh Hamilton, David Wright, Matt Kemp, Dustin Pedroia,  Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr. and Don Mattingly to name a few.

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

As we ready ourselves for new calendars, it’s easy to look back on the past year that was cardboard and assess.

However with two more baseball products to come for 2011, we’re not quite there yet — so that led me to look back a little further.

How far? December 1984 — just the second issue of Beckett Monthly magazine.

Beckett Monthly — now, of course, Beckett Baseball — was the only Beckett magazine for sports cards of any kind and it focused purely on baseball. Its 38 pages cost you $2.50, and it was quite a different animal. Four of those pages were for the 1985 price survey as reader input was one way that collectors and dealers could help establish a better look at the market. Two more of those pages were to show off a single card from all of the notable card sets from 1948 to 1984.

The remaining 32 pages? An editor’s note, letters, pricing and house ads for various Sport Americana books, which predated the Beckett mags.

Oh, how times have changed.

Are you ready for some December 1984 prices?

The 1952 Topps set? $8,700. (That’s $65,000 today.)

The 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie Card? $375. (That’s $8,000 today.)

The 1952 Topps Mantle? Just $1,450 then. It’s $30,000 now — in raw, ungraded form. (Remember, professional grading didn’t exist then, either.)

Back then, a 1955 Bowman set would cost you $510 on the high side. Today? Six grand.

How about Cal Ripken Jr., who was hot enough to grace the cover of the issue alongside Mantle? How’d he fare? A $5.50 card in the $27 1982 Topps set. (Today, he’s a $40 in an $80.)

Or a classic 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Card? Just $35 then … $500 now.

Back then, a Hot List didn’t exist but one card probably would have topped it — a “1984 Topps Extended” Dwight Gooden “RC?” which was the most-expensive card of the year at $3.50. Of course, now it’s known as a 1984 Topps Traded XRC, and it still fetches as much as $10. It’s since been topped as one of the year’s best, of course.

The only other $3-and-up cards from 1984? The 1984 Fleer Update Gooden at $3.25 and the 1984 Topps Darryl Strawberry and Don Mattingly RCs at $3.25 apiece. That’s it.

What is considered Mattingly’s best RC today, 1984 Donruss, was $2.25 — just a little more than the red-hot 1984 Fleer Rookie Card of Juan Samuel at $2.

How’d that work out?

Speaking of 1984 Fleer Update … Roger Clemens? Just 40 cents, while Alvin Davis was $1.35. How about the esteemed Barbaro Garbey? 40 cents. Meanwhile, Kirby Puckett was $1 — the same as Jeff Stone.

Times sure have changed — way more than the calendars have.

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

As Major League Baseball is on the cusp of crowning its latest World Series champion and Beckett Media‘s Holiday Gift Guide issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly is being readied for a trip to the printer, it was fitting that I received a certain piece of mail on Wednesday morning.

It was a 16-DVD Yankeeography megaset (which I won in a contest online) from A&E — a collection that highlights the 27-time World Series champs and their greatest players.

While I haven’t even gotten to the 44 hours of content on the DVDs — got some work on a World Series magazine to do before that can happen — just flipping through the 32-page book that houses the discs themselves is a lesson in Yankee lore and quite an impressive printing and packaging display.

Each of the pages that houses a disc is built much like a game-used memorabilia card with a layer of thick cardboard between the outer pages and a pocket for the disc to reside in. The lavishly illustrated piece introduces what can be found on each DVD nested inside the page. It quickly tells a story, capturing the energy and class of the Yankees organization and its legends such as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle without giving away much of what’s to come on the discs.

The chapters are broken down in the book with memorabilia pieces worked into the montages on the pages. For example, the Dynasties section opens with a photo of Mantle along with his bat from his Triple Crown season in 1956. Also part of that opening spread? A ticket stub from the 1951 World Series. Later in the section — more player-focused — are photos of Elston Howard and Roger Maris, two Yankees with differing stories, with items such as a 1957 World Series press pass.

Among the DVDs themselves, one is solely dedicated to Yankee Stadium. It’s followed by a disc dedicated to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto. After that, there are episodes on each disc for Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, Whitey Ford, Mantle, Casey Stengel, Howard, Maris, Thurman Munson, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly and many more leading up to today’s superstars such as Derek Jeter.

Also included are DVD segments on George Steinbrenner, the 1996 and 1998 seasons and more from notable postseason moments in Yankees history.

While I have never been much of a Yankees fan — my Athletics have been their unofficial farm team for decades — there’s no denying the greatness and the names that come with teams that won 27 world titles. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Yankees are one of the m0st-successful franchises in all of sports and there will be plenty of interest in this release from their fans all around the world.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. 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

Topps has had more than a few collectors ripping into packs this year finding Diamond Giveaway code cards that unlock vintage finds and other promotion-exclusive cards.

Now, though, collectors have a chance to help determine the checklist.

The company announced on Tuesday that the subjects of three Diamond Die Cut cards that are only found via code cards will be decided by an online vote at Topps’ Facebook page. There will be one rookie, one veteran and one retired legend added to the checklist and the voting will begin with the legends. The first round of that voting ends on Sunday.

The matchups? Don Mattingly vs. Ryne Sandberg, Frank Robinson vs. Ozzie Smith, Reggie Jackson vs. Roberto Alomar and Frank Thomas vs. Johnny Bench.

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.

By Chris Olds | Baseball Editor

Visit any sports card and collectibles forum and you’ll likely see one of these types of posts — a recap of what arrived into a collector’s possession that’s one part “Check This Out!” and one part bragging. It’s one part a reflection of a hobby and, perhaps, a reflection of the madness that is what we do as collectors.

It’s the mailday report.

I tested the waters of live online video to a select few Twitter followers late Monday afternoon with a UStream mailday report after I received a big ol’ box of goodness from CheckOutMyCards.com at lunchtime. The video was one part to show a curious few the end result of how that sales site works and to examine my stuff — a stash that had been amassed over the last few months of buying — while subtlely showing off — ok, maybe not so subtlely — what I collect. (As if you didn’t know, as a regular reader, already …)

This time, though, it was a little less Swisheriffic. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of Nick Swisher — and Jose Canseco on Topps Tiffany cards (a recently completed kick) — but the big guns were something else. It was a selection of cards that caught my eye for one reason or another. A couple were cards I had always wanted and the specimens presented themselves, while a few others were just good buys or unique cards that grabbed my attention. I did some spring cleaning of sorts in the ol’ collection recently — something long overdue — and turned some not-so-wanted cards into these you see here (and more).

So, here’s a rare mailday post from me. (Do you have a cool mailday to report? Start a thread at the first link above or comment below.)

The biggie, was a Roger Maris 1958 Topps Rookie Card in PSA 4 condition. It’s not the prettiest specimen, as seen above, but I’ve seen worse-looking copies — in lower condition with higher prices to boot. Unlike many of you guys out there, dropping $500 on a single card just isn’t an option here — but a lesser-grade guy, one that’s pretty well-centered and free of a heavy dose of 1958 Topps “snow” (white spots in the photo) was. To top that, I got it for roughly the price of a PSA1 or 2 after making an offer to the previous owner. Yes, it’s still a rough copy … but I won’t be able to top it without a firesale from someone who deals in higher-grade vintage. (When’s the last time that happened?)

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The second biggie was another long-term want — a copy of an early Rickey Henderson minor league card. This 1979 TCMA release pre-dates his 1980 Topps RC but isn’t his first MiLB release. It is the earliest one I could ever afford, though. I made an offer to the seller, which turned out to be a deal. This one cost me far less than the roughed-up and ungraded copy on that site right now.

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My third biggie wasn’t really a card that I had been targeting at all — my run of Roger Maris cards basically focuses on 1958-61 — but this card just looked too good to pass up. It’s not a perfect specimen, but it’s very close. It looked good enough for me to buy and I’ll consider getting this 1966 Topps Maris graded by the BGS crew. Better yet? I got it for $20 less than high book price after making an offer.

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This is a card that I’ll readily admit that I probably slightly overpaid for … but it looked pretty darn good, too. I’m not a member of the Donnie Baseball Fan Club by any means, but the O-Pee-Chee print job here looked very, very clean — much brighter and crisper than its ungraded Topps brother already at home. Was it worth the price of two blaster boxes? Maybe not, but I took it. Or, maybe I had been working on the upcoming 1980s issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly too closely and thought it was 1985 all over again …

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This next one might have scared off a few potential buyers with a scuffed up BCCG case, but the card inside — an autographed Trevor Cahill 2007 Bowman Chrome card — looks pretty solid to me. It’ll likely get upgraded to a clean BGS case someday … though I’ve had a stash of cards I’ve been aiming to send in grouped together since roughly 2004. (It’s like that 2004 Topps 205 Series 2 mini master set I’m working on … slowly but surely … I swear.)

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You had enough Oakland and pinstripes, right? (Just imagine if you had seen all 40 cards I had shipped … the entire video was full of them.)  Well, this buy — a 2010 Topps National Chicle printing plate — was a complete late-night impulse buy. Why? The price was right — about the price of five retail packs of that red-hot 2011 Topps Heritage. Not a Tim Wakefield fan at all, but that painting was cool enough I put it on a Beckett Baseball cover last summer. Now, I own one of four plates that helped make the card.

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There were 30-some other inclusions in my mailing, but this one was one of the more unique ones — something I just haven’t seen often. It’s an obligatory pro wrestling inclusion (especially if you know my Tweeting habits) — a 1998 Topps WCW/nWo autograph of a pretty memorable WWE referee also known as “Lil’ Naitch” … a piece of trivia that prompted a quick discussion about the origins of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair‘s nickname that prompted a miniature lesson, err, discussion, about the history of pro wrestling and “The Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. The card cost me a couple the same as a couple of packs at retail but the ability to spark a story about something — one of the reasons I bought such an odd card — was priceless.

Perhaps we’ll bring you more maildays — or more live video/chat sessions — soon.

Until then, keep on collecting.

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.