By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary & Opinion

Before the arrival of Rickey Henderson many years ago, Lou Brock was the king of stolen bases in MLB. He’s a relatively accessible signer and an autograph that’s not tough to find — and not very expensive — with some looking.

But his autograph on a short-printed 2001 Topps Archives reprint of his Rookie Card?

That’s a different story — a story that apparently should offer us all a brief respite from the notion that there isn’t life after cardboard turns a certain age even in today’s seemingly over-saturated, it’s-been-done-before-I-already-have-it environment.

How much for the Brock? You wouldn’t believe it if I typed it.

For those who didn’t click, that’s about $3,000 more — if not even more — than it should be for a typical Brock autograph, the only difference here that it’s a card that’s limited to just 50 copies — one of 14 short-printed Group A autographs in that first two series of Archives, a reprint-based brand (click here for a checklist and OPG) that lasted a few years before it was revived with a slightly different concept last year.

While one may think that some online auction shenanigans were in play here, there were 20 other cards from that set sold in the last month or so on eBay that have topped $500. Nearly all were A-list Hall of Famers and nearly all are short-prints limited to 50 copies. A few different buyers emerged victorious on this one, which, according to the auction listing, was purchased as a set by a group and broken up to be sold. Feedback has been left on several of the big-dollar auctions by the buyers.

The others?

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The autographs in that year’s set were found one in every 20 packs — at hobby or retail — but Group A cards were found at a rate of one in every 3,049 packs some 117-times harder to find than the easiest signature group.

That, combined with the obvious drawing power of most of those players, along with an apparent run of interest between a few bidding parties has led to what we have today, little over a decade after one could find them in packs at, say, a neighborhood Kmart or a hobby shop.

It’s not been uncommon for the biggest names — except for Mays — to sell between $300 and $600. Mays has sold for more. Meanwhile, wax boxes from the two series are still available in online auctions for about $200 at the most with the realistic odds that a Group A auto is not inside as they fall one in every 153rd or so wax box.

So, what should one make of this? Do you chalk it up to the break-up value of a tough set emerging on the market for some hungry bidders for the first time in years? Do you just think it’s the auction block reaction of a couple of interested parties? Is it a realization that once that first month or two’s supply of a product’s eBay floods is dissipated — and over time — even seemingly obtainable but rare cards can be much, much more in-demand than we might think?

Or, could it be the star power of the players involved and some deep-pocketed, old-fashioned collecting interest?

I’d say it’s perhaps all of the above — and more — and while I’d want to go dig through my autograph stashes from all my 2001 Kmart runs where I cleared shelves of packs and blasters in search of some nice ink I know that Group A was one that eluded me quite a bit that year.

Apparently, those cards escaped the grasp of a few of you, too.

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.

Let us know what you think with our poll and in the comments below. 

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

The final checklist for the first Topps high-end baseball card release, 2012 Five Star, has arrived just days before the $500 per-pack product does.

Interestingly, there are 80 cards listed for the product’s base set — no base set previously was announced or even previewed — and the final details on the per-pack inclusions have not been disclosed other than there will be five autographs or Relics per pack. (Update: One base card per is likely.) There also appear to be parallels for some sets, which aren’t noted on the released checklist. (Click here for a Five Star checklist and OPG.)

But what we do know is that each box was slated to include two autographs (one active player, one retired player), one autographed Relic, one autographed booklet or extra autograph and a jumbo Relic, bat nameplate or bat knob card inside.

(Click here for our preview story with a full gallery and poll questions.)

Get a look at some of the final checklist’s inclusions for the base set and all autograph sets … after the jump.

Base set (80 cards) — This one perhaps symbolically leads off with Topps’ poster boy for 2012, Bryce Harper. It includes 30 Hall of Famer or retired players and 50 actives. Hall of Famers here include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Rickey Henderson, Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax to name a few. The retired non-Hall of Famers? Ken Griffey Jr. and Don Mattingly. (And, if you’re wondering, it’s 11 New York Yankees in the base set.)

But since talking about base cards are a bit like examining the lugnuts on a Lamborghini, we’ll move on …

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Five Star active autographs (43 signers; one per pack) — First, we’ll start off with the Yankee Count™ and, interestingly, there’s just one to be found here, Robinson Cano.

All players are signed on-card for this one, though quantities are not yet known. They are likely to vary as the set includes the likes of Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, David Wright, Roy Halladay Joe Mauer and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera along with rookies and relative newcomers Harper, Yu Darvish, Trevor Bauer, Brett Lawrie, Eric Hosmer, Giancarlo Stanton, Yoenis Cespedes, Will Middlebrooks and Mike Trout.

Possible worst-case scenario pulls here include Nelson Cruz, Pablo Sandoval, Paul Goldschmidt, Mike Napoli and Madison Bumgarner.

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Five Star Quotable autographs (active; 20 players) — This smaller selection of more-limited autographs will include extra phrases written by the players along with their autographs. There are sure to be some surprises, like this Harper card, but I’d expect most players to focus on career- or sport-related inscriptions. Notables here include Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, David Wright, Josh Hamilton, Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp, Mike Trout and Yu Darvish.

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Five Star retired autographs (42 signers; one per pack) — This is the crop of signers that has the most upside in MLB history. It’s also a tougher selection of players to make value-wise as there are plenty of notable players who have signed plenty of cards in the past 20 years or so. More than half of the players are Hall of Famers.

At the top of this list are Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. Other notables include Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson and Tom Seaver.

Value-wise, lesser players that will be found here include Bill Buckner, Dave Kingman, George Bell, John Kruk, Luis Tiant, Ken Griffey Sr., Robin Ventura and Vida Blue.

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Five Star Quotable retired (20 players) — This set also includes inscriptions along with autographs and it includes 14 Hall of Famers. Players not in the Hall who signed here include Dale Murphy, Frank Thomas (1990s), John Kruk, John Smoltz, Ken Griffey Jr. and fan favorite Will Clark.

Among the biggest names adding extra ink are Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks, Ken Griffey Jr., Nolan Ryan and Rickey Henderson. It should be interesting to see how lively the extra notations do — or don’t — get with veteran signers.

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Five Star Silver-ink autographs (active and retired; 49 players) — This is the largest checklist and it probably has the largest number of cheaper autograph inclusions in Five Star’s basic ink selection. However, it also includes a few signers not appearing in any of the other previously mentioned sets, too.

New names here include R.A. Dickey, Hanley Ramirez, Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Sale, George Foster, Freddie Freeman, Jeremy Hellickson and Terry Pendleton. Meanwhile, there are still eight Hall of Famers to be found here: Sandy Koufax, Jim Rice, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Fergie Jenkins, Dennis Eckersley, Billy Williams and Andre Dawson.

Other notable sigs here value-wise will include Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout, though it’s important to note that with lesser quantities and a high-end brand that many may not break wax for, the market just might be quite brisk for even lesser names. There also appears to be a rarer gold-ink version of this set.

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Five Star Autograph Relics (44 players; one per pack) — This crop combines active and retired players. Only 14 players here are not active and, of those, only five are not Hall of Famers.

Notable ink will include Hank Aaron and Stan Musial leading off the Hall of Fame pack with 1980s greats Tony Gwynn and Ryne Sandberg following.

The active-player crop includes a mix of rookies and veterans with a few more players not yet previously seen on the checklist, including Felix Hernandez, Brandon Phillips, Gio Gonzalez and Justin Upton. Notable active autos to be found here, value-wise, include Albert Pujols and Bryce Harper. Overall, it’s a deep list with plenty of guys who have signed.

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Five Star Autograph Patch Relics (20 players) — This crop includes only active guys, according to the checklist. It’s heavy on youth with Bryce Harper, Yoenis Cespedes and Trevor Bauer representing for rookies, while younger talents include Brett Lawrie, David Freese, Giancarlo Stanton and Starlin Castro. Veterans in this one are still a bit on the younger side with Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Clayton Kershaw among them.

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AUTOGRAPHED BOOKLETS

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Three-piece Signatures (five cards) — New Yorkers make up almost half of the set here with David Wright and Don Mattingly heading off the list, while Ryan Braun is the only other active player. Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt round out the list.

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Four-piece Signatures (six cards) — These cards will be rarer but the player selection is sweeter. Your likely worst autographs will be of Evan Longoria and Josh Hamilton (not bad), while Justin Verlander, Mike Trout, Yu Darvish pave the way before Willie Mays.

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Autographed Jumbo Relic (five cards) — These big swatches will include Bryce Harper and Sandy Koufax, who will make the biggest noise when pulled. Others won’t be as crazy as they’re Jered Weaver, Jose Bautista and Matt Holliday.

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Dual Signatures (32 cards) — These will pair players from the past and present for one team in many instances, a checklist that leads off with George Bell and Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, for example. While some players here might not ignite bidding wars on their own, pairing a team’s stars from the past and present (or in some cases just the past or present) in one booklet could be interesting to watch.

One of the best combos here is a Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey booklet featuring Senior and Junior, who briefly played together. Others of note include Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, Trout and Bryce Harper (a Rookie of the Year catch-all?) as well as a Nolan Ryan and Yu Darvish card.

Another card to watch, one for fans of Cuban baseball, is a Yoenis Cespedes-Aroldis Chapman, while curious ones pair Ryan Braun with MVP award runner-up Matt Kemp and the Yankees’ Robinson Cano with Boston’s Dustin Pedroia.

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Dual Signatures Patch (28 cards) — This lineup swaps out simple jersey pieces for patches while also mixing up some of the combinations.

Cool ones here will include Yu Darvish and Josh Hamilton, Darvish and Bryce Harper, Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, Buster Posey and Willie McCovey as well as Posey with Joe Mauer. Some of the combos here seem less compelling, likely because of available memorabilia limitations.

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Quadragraph book (10 cards) — These are what they sound like … a card with four signatures. It appears this set will be skip-numbered (some players perhaps couldn’t be nailed down post-printing) but some of the inclusions are pretty impressive.

For the Oakland A’s fan, the checklist leads off with a Dennis Eckersley, Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson and Vida Blue combo. That’s 75 percent Hall of Famers, but it may not compare to the rookie power found on a YuDarvish-Mike Trout-Yoenis Cespedes-Jesus Montero card or a Cubs classic with Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams and Andre Dawson (all HOFers).

These should impress.

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Six-signature books (five cards) — Yep, six. These, too, are also skip-numbered. This time, the players are all grouped by position or theme.  One card that will eventually have six Hall of Famer autos on it is a Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr.

Another card here has Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Roy Halladay, Sandy Koufax, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw, while yet another is a rookie special that should blow some people away … Mike Trout, Yoenis Cespedes, Trevor Bauer, Bryce Harper, Matt Moore and Yu Darvish — all on one card.

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Eight-signature books (three cards) — Eight is enough in this one and 24 sigs on three cards will comprise this entire set. The first? A rookie special starting with Bauer  and ending with Trout and Harper. The second? A sluggers vs. aces combo including Braun and Pujols as well as Kershaw, Halladay and Verlander. The last card? All Hall of Famers (once Griffey is in): Aaron, Gwynn, Billy Williams, Mays, Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson. As the Rip Master says, “Wow.”

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Logoman dual autographs (25 cards) — You know that single MLB logo on the back collar of a uniform? Take that from two notable players’ gamers and put it in a booklet and sign them.

That’s what’s going to be found.

Some of the notables? Miguel Cabrera-Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton-Yu Darvish, Josh Hamilton-Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman-Bryce Harper and Mike Trout-Albert Pujols to name a few.

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Cut Signatures (30 cards) — You can’t have the legends who aren’t with us any longer without leftover stickers or cuts. Here, we have cuts. In fact, we have Babe Ruth, six different Mickey Mantles and Joe DiMaggio here — bonafide big sigs.

However, there are also a lot of sigs that simply aren’t money sigs if not found in limited cuts. (That’s something not unique to Five Star.) Among them are Bob Lemon, Bobby Thomson, George Kell, Enos Slaughter, Lou Boudreau and Rick Ferrell — all guys who signed steadily through the mail for free a decade or two ago.

Other interesting or notable inclusions on this one are Baby Doll Jacobson, Harry Danning, Johnny Vander Meer, Robin Roberts, Willie Stargell and Warren Spahn.

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That’s it for the ink, which should be found roughly four times a box in Five Star. Overall, there should be some amazing inclusions but it will be tough to temper expectations as it’s not going to be easy for the outrageous to appear out of every single box — even at $500 a pop. But if you want a chance at the big stuff? A box is your chance.

Curious about memorabilia options, which will include as many as eight patch pieces in a booklet or a bat nameplate, bat knob or uniform letter? Click the link below to view the entire checklist as released by Topps during the weekend.

Click here to view the complete Five Star checklist before it is verified and imported into the Beckett.com database later this 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.

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Just wanted to let you know that I liked reading your article “You May Not Want to Meet Your Favorite Stars,” which was written around the misfortune of meeting Mr. Reggie Jackson.

I’d like to start off by saying that I am a 33-year-old from Toronto and a long-time baseball card collector.  I buy Beckett price guides a couple times a year, as I mostly buy older cards, specifically 1950s and 1960s, and I figure they don’t change in value that much … not that I collect for the value, anyways. For me, it is mostly collecting guys who I respect or who have met, and that is why your article spoke volumes to me.

I go to Cooperstown, N.Y., every summer for the annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and I have had the privilege to meet many Hall of Famers who have generally all been very nice, with the exception of a miserable Whitey Ford, but that is another story.  I recently met “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks who is most likely the nicest man you’d ever want to meet. Put it this way, I am now in the market for an Ernie Banks Rookie Card. He was awesome, and he even hit on my wife which I didn’t mind because he’s Ernie Banks!

It is always a conflicting moment when we can meet our favorite athletes, because you don’t want your boyhood image of them to be tarnished, but like with Reggie Jackson and your encounter with him, sadly that happens.  When I read your article, I thought about everything I had heard about him from people in Cooperstown, and your encounter with him is not an isolated one. He is not well-liked, and I have always avoided him while in the mecca of baseball … many people do. He often has the shortest lines for autographs and this past summer, he didn’t even show his face mostly because of the negativity he spoke [with Alex Rodriguez] this past summer.

I enjoyed your article, but was not surprised that you had the experience you did with Mr. Jackson.  You’d think that he would be kind or even a bit polite, especially at the National Convention … especially because he needs to make a living some how nowadays … and his autograph is still wanted, for now that is.

– Jon Laframboise, Toronto

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Thanks for the response. There were many emails about that column — some from people in the industry and others who have just had similar encounters. It was exciting to hear from some people I hadn’t expected to hear from — and unfortunate to hear that so many had experiences similar to mine. — Chris Olds

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

Collectors often like to refer to themselves as detail people.

We notice the flaws in cards down to the surface divots and fibers on vintage cards, and we notice the most miniscule markings on modern releases. It’s what we do. And we also notice things like Eric Davis‘ batting glove bunny ears on his 1988 Fleer card. (Go look, we’ll wait.)

Well, at least some of us do.

And some of us out there have noticed the peculiarities of cardboard and other collectibles when they have been viewed using Instgram and shared with others.  The free social media app for your smartphone allows people to share photos of whatever they choose with certain effects added to enhance the moods, the feels, of whatever they were feeling was worth a picture. In the case of some items? Well, grunging up a photo of it can often bring out its flaws, its uniqueness.

And, to me, it can be quite interesting.

Many people have enjoyed using the program, so much so that the small company was sold to Facebook for $1 billion back in April. (That’s not a typo, and that kind of money could get you all of the card companies these days — with plenty left over to start a collection. And the company’s Twitter feed? It’s got more than 10 million followers, dwarfing all of us in the hobby.) And it’s all, at its simplest, a way for people to share what they enjoy and to collect their own little view of the world in a particular place. And it’s quite popular.

For some of us, that view includes a lot of baseball cards and memorabilia.

I could see the flaws in my New Orleans Zephyrs batting helmet any day of the week as it sits in a shelf on my office daily. Why? Because it’s interesting and it was cheap — not because it was used by a superstar (unless you count one-time can’t-miss Pirates prospect Chad Hermansen among that group). But with a little “Lo-fi” image adjustment and a little more brightness/contrast added, those scuffs and scrapes, those layers of dirt and pine tar seem to take on new meaning. Well, at least I noticed some of it more. (You know, us collectors love our details.) I had noticed the scrapes and cracks before, but seeing the helmet in a new light made me go back and look at it again — and there were things I hadn’t noticed before, cracks and marks that make me wonder more about its previous life and how its owner, the player, treated it.

Vintage baseball cards can often have the same feel with those cards that are more flawed sometimes even more impressive. Roger Maris‘ 1961 Topps card seems to carry, at least for me, a perfect reflection of the haunted hero — a simple portrait taken before his life-changing chase of Babe Ruth‘s single-season home run record.

It’s a pricier card that I decided I wanted — but I kept things reasonable by buying a low-grade copy that had a clean, unobstructed view of his face. On my particular card, he is framed by a crease alongside the top left — damage caused years before he joined my cardboard cache — and some scrapes and surface spotting on the right. But the face remains as clear and concerned as it was back in 1961 when it rolled off the Topps printing press, save for a grouping of tiny white spots near his jaw.

After Instagram, though? Those flaws are enhanced with its worn corners enriched just like its colors. The face feels the same to me, though it seems to glow even more intensely. I can’t help but look at it even more.

It’s trivial, but it’s powerful. And it’s simple — and maybe that’s why many of us enjoy collecting.

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Do you use Instagram? Share some of your cardboard photos in the comments below … we just might show off some of them in a future issue of Beckett Baseball. (Here are a few more images from Olds’ messing around with Instagram — we’re sure you can do better than these.)

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

The National Sports Collectors Convention is the place you visit to pick up memories, add to your collections that you have built over a lifetime and, in a way, shape your own personal view of the sports world.

With my final hour of my final day at the show winding down, it was now-or-never time for finding a certain memorable item to add to my collection since I had purchased just a couple small items — nothing necessary, nothing remotely memorable — while working. Before this year’s event, I had told myself that I should find one item — a better piece — that I could remember the show by, so that was what was in my mind as I made my way out of the Beckett bullpen with one of our writers and we headed down one aisle.

What I got in that last hour was something I never in my life could have expected — something I could have never want-listed or dreamt about. It wasn’t a Rookie Card or an autograph, it wasn’t an unusual piece of memorabilia I couldn’t find anywhere else.

What I got was Reggie Jackson.

What I got was not Reggie on a signed 1969 Topps Rookie Card (something I had eyed the previous year; above) or Reggie on an old candy bar long past its prime. I got the Reggie that made Billy Martin even angrier. I got the Reggie that made reporters cringe. I got the Reggie that made teammates scowl.

I got what made Reggie  ”The Straw That Stirs The Drink.” I got the Reggie that I have heard stories about from show promotors and autograph-acquiring companies in the past.

I got berated for taking photo of Reggie Jackson by Reggie Jackson.

We had walked a distance from our bullpen toward some dealers on that side of the Baltimore Convention Center, breezing by some tables, stopping at others. We came up on a table where, a bit earlier in the day, Jackson had been posing with a bat while looking at items one dealer had for sale. After all, he was at the show to sign and he’s also been known as a collector of memorabilia, cards and sports cars (much of it lost in a fire long ago). Turns out, he was still there. We were 10 to 15 feet away from Jackson when two of our writers came up to tell us they were leaving for the day, giving us their last contacts before hitting the road.

Those of us remaining took a few more steps forward, stopping at the table to look at whatever treasures were there when I said, “I guess I should get a picture of Reggie” and started fidgeting with my iPhone, raising it once but it was on my video setting from filming wax breaks and other videos before. I switched its settings and took a few more steps forward when a couple of other collectors walked off after taking a picture of the Hall of Famer from across the two tables.

From six or so feet away, I framed up the image of him and card industry legend  Ken Goldin, who was beside him, looking at a baseball and clicked once (the image at the top) as Jackson himself just started to click.

“How many you need?” he quipped (at least I think thats what he said as it was all a blur). “Take a couple and move on.”

A bit surprised, I looked to my right but nobody was there and spun around to see where my writer had went. Jackson was talking to me and he wasn’t done.

“How many do you need? Six, seven … 10, 11?” clearly agitated and not kidding. “Take a couple and move on.”

“I got one,” I said, holding up a single finger. “One.”

For a split-second, I contemplated saying something to Goldin — a “How are you doing?” and an introduction to break the unnecessary tension as I had talked to him before last year’s show, make Jackson realize he might have screwed up by berating a member of the media. But I was stunned, and I doubted Jackson would care.

All I could come up with was “I’m an A’s fan.” in a flustered response, raising both of my hands over my head, not believing the surreal circumstances.

Jackson wasn’t done barking at me like I was one of the reporters in those 1970s news clips.

“Buy my drinks and I’ll pose for photos with you all night,” he said (or something close to it) as the few other people around on his side of the table chuckled. I quickly quipped “sure” as the laughter died down, but he didn’t hear it and I was done with it. I wondered whether that was his way of making up for being Reggie.

It might have been, but I wasn’t sure so I walked off.

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I was stunned for the rest of the show — the single image was taken at 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 4, according to my iPhone — and I tried to replay it all to myself and to the writer who witnessed it, a few recaps muttered with adjectives that couldn’t be written here.  (“Man, TMZ would have loved that on video,” I later thought.) We worked our way down a few other tables and found a dealer selling ticket stubs, stopped and looked — I was instantly reminded of Jackson again when one Yankees stub showed Jackson from the 1977 World Series.

I was done, annoyed once again. I didn’t buy another thing at the show. Less than 1/10th of the money I brought with me for buying was spent — a record-low.

At first it was shock as this life-long Oakland A’s fan was being trash-talked by one of the guys he’d have on his Mount Rushmore of A’s collecting — Reggie, Rickey, Jose and Swish. Then I thought back to the old notion that “you never want to meet your favorite player” because he might quash your entire image of him and why you collect. But that wasn’t it for me — I’ve met Canseco and I’ve met Swisher — neither was like this. (Heck, I could have met Henderson had I been in the Beckett booth for the whole show — he stopped and took a picture with members of our crew. That’s something I would not have expected out of Rickey.)

Instead, by a short time later and still feeling conflicted, I realized I got Reggie. I got the Reggie that isn’t the Reggie showing when the dog and pony show of the TV cameras are around at an event like the National. No, no. I got the real Reggie.

For me, he’s one of a kind. For him, I’m one of a million (or two). None of this really shocks me — put yourself in his shoes. Doesn’t make it right, but he’s been in the spotlight longer than I have been alive. I’ll give him that. But when I’m in the shoes of the one being treated poorly? Well, it’s different.

I got Reggie — one part of that puzzle that made him an enigma, a star. I got Reggie — the part that we may not always like, but it’s there.

He stirred me up. I hear he’s good at that.

Never once did I have any inclination of asking Reggie for an autograph — one that, oddly, I don’t have through all these years — I preferred just a snapshot from afar. I got much more, and it oddly sort of made my 2012 NSCC, too — but not in an overwhelmingly positive way.

I was ready to sign off on this entire story by the end of the night, but it ironically presented itself once again the next morning.

My flight out of Baltimore left at 7 a.m., which meant about two hours of sleep after a late-night VIP event I needed to attend on Saturday night. We got to the airport with no problems, and I quickly worked my way to a newsstand location for breakfast and the first food of any kind in about 10 hours. I made a beeline for a $4 bottle of Evian (that, to me was like finding a Honus Wagner in an attic), some pretzels, a sandwich and sleepily rolled to the check-out stand.

It was a line that couldn’t move fast enough as my head hurt just as much as the rest of me after a long show. I leaned on my suitcase, and I glanced up at what was on the counter in front of me to see what the hold-up was. In a sleepy haze I noticed three newspapers — two being New York tabloids — being stacked to be bought, and I remembered my days of working in the industry. “Oldschool readers are still around,” I thought to myself. “That’s good.” Then I glanced over and up … and that’s when everything seemingly went into slow-motion.

It was Reggie Jackson.

Again.

Part of me really wanted to ask him if I could buy his papers instead of his drinks just to see his reaction. But I really didn’t want to get Reggied one more time and we had a person in line between us. Yet, I also wondered if he’d remember me — after all, it might not be that hard to unless he made a habit out of berating fat guys in white dress shirts and khakis at the show. (That’s what I was wearing at the airport, too.)

Even though he treated me like something damp and useless beneath the napkin below The Drink just 13 or so hours earlier, I didn’t want to blow his cover to anyone around us. (I wasn’t a jackass before, wasn’t going to be now — not my style.) Instead, once again in shock, I watched as he paid and walked across the hall in a straight line to the Bayside Landing restaurant to sit and wait for a flight. I collected my things and moved on toward my gate. I ate my breakfast among the crowd and mentally recapped the whole thing, chuckling at it all.

But then I started to think about one more thing.

I collected my belongings and headed back toward the restaurant and the newsstand, intent on doing one more thing to cap this story if Jackson was still there and he was. It was 6:26 a.m. on Aug. 5, according to my iPhone, when facing the wall across from him using my two-way camera just in case he turned around to leave, I snapped this Nighthawks/Edward Hopper-style photo of Jackson, age 66, alone and far, far away from stirring anything.

It’s just my second photo of Reggie Jackson.

It’s the way I’ll choose to remember him for this trip.

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

A favorite from the Donruss stable is back in baseball for the first time in more than a decade.

Panini America unveiled plans for 2012 Panini Signature Series, an autograph-driven product that will include three autographs in every six-card pack and include few prospects compared to its previous baseball releases this year when it arrives in late August.

Oh, and it includes a heavy on-card autograph presence,  too.

Base cards will be limited to 499 with autographs in the product from the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Carl Yastrzemski, Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, Randy Johnson, Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken Jr. to name a few.

Among the autograph inclusions will be Rated Rookies Patches limited to 299  — autographed manupatches of top guys such as Oakland A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes — while Hitters Ink autos will include a mix of the past and present.

The on-card autograph element in this one will include the Signatures insert (limited to 99) and will include present-day MLBPA players such as Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Braun, Dustin Pedroia and Mariano Rivera to name a few.

Rounding out the autograph lineup in this one will be Lumber Cuts (trapped signed wood pieces), Game Ball Signatures (sweet spot leather autos), Signature Stats, Diamond Cuts cut autographs numbered to 25 or fewer copies.

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.

Update: The auction brought in more than $2.4 million.

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

If you ripped wax in the early 1990s, you probably know Dmitri Young as a once up-and-coming prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals — a Rated Rookie back in 1993. Younger collectors might know him as a recently retired journeyman and the older brother of former No. 1 pick Delmon Young.

But what you might not know is that he’s been a serious baseball card collector for some time — a collector of only PSA 10 grade Gem Mint Rookie Cards.

Young’s stash ranges from Stan Musial, Roy Campanella and Ernie Banks to modern-day cards of Derek Jeter, Prince Fielder,  Ryan Braun and even his little brother. Now, through Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based SCP Auctions, he’s decided to part with his collection and some game-used memorabilia in a 497-lot auction that ends on May 18. (Need a Young checklist or OPG? Click here.)

“I love the hobby and what it has meant to my life,” Young told SCP before the auction opened. “I hope the legacy of this collection lives on for many years to come.”

The leader so far is his 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente RC at $139,015, while his 1963 Topps Pete Rose RC is at $89,568 — each with plenty of time remaining. His 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson RC is $87,304, while his Hank Aaron 1954 Topps RC is at $86,316 and his Banks RC from the same year is at $67,188. According to the PSA Population Report, the top three are the only cards to receive grades that high, while the Aaron and Banks are both one of only two cards in that grade.

But the collection also isn’t just about the rarest of the rare, but it’s also a who’s who of baseball history with Hall of Famers alongside memorable — and perhaps not-as-memorable — players. Flipping through the 112-page auction catalog is a time capsule — Al Kaline, Moose Skowron, Harmon Killebrew, Luis Aparicio, Whitey Herzog, Rocky Colavito, Brooks Robinson … the names just come page after page — all in PSA 10 condition.

Fast-forward to the early 1980s and you’ll find guys like Dan Petry, Rick Sutcliffe, Tim Raines, Harold Baines and, of course, Fernando Valenzuela. Later, you’ll find Canadian O-Pee-Chee and Leaf counterparts for many of the biggest stars of that decade before you’ll even find Young himself in lot No. 447 — his 1991 Upper Deck Final Edition card, which is up to $28 after two bids.

Cards from famous collections can carry a premium at times — whether they are Hall of Famers or commons. Nearly all of the PSA slips are marked with “Dmitri Young Collection” — so even lesser cards could command more than one might expect before the auction closes.

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.

Join Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds as he hosts Reed Kasaoka of Baseball Card Exchange (bbcexchange.com) for a retro pack break of 1975 Topps Mini baseball cards in this latest episode of Ripping Retail.

What will they find inside? Watch and find out …

What should they rip next week? Tell us below …

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

If you have card No. 4, then you have No. 44.

You know, the guy who hit three home runs in a single World Series game, Mr. October.

Topps has announced its fourth HTA Prime 9 card, and it’s Reggie Jackson who is the newest player to be part of its hobby shop redemption card program.

All collectors who found a Week 4 redemption card in their 2012 Topps packs (two per hobby or HTA Jumbo box) can exchange their cards for the Chrome Refractor seen here at a participating hobby shop.

Topps will announce the remaining nine Home Run Legends each Friday.

RECAP
Week 4 — Reggie Jackson
Week 3 — Hank Aaron
Week 2 — Babe Ruth
Week 1 — Willie Mays

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

The ongoing saga of how collectors might react to Panini America‘s MLBPA baseball cards offered its lasted chapter on Monday as the company teased a number of cards yet to the signed for its forthcoming Prime Cuts product.

And it all left me saying “Who needs logos when you have inscriptions?”

Prime Cuts is set to include a Notable Nicknames autographed insert set — which means Albert Pujols here should be adding something like “The Machine” signed alongside his pricey sig. That’s an addition that doesn’t come cheap.

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The other insert set, Significant Signatures, uses sepia-toned mugshots as part of the design, a look which also showcases autograph ink. Again, a move that negates the lack of logos in my mind as team colors simply don’t enter the mix.

Maybe I am wrong … maybe I’m not. Take our poll above after you check out the images below.

We’ll see more of the cards — after they are signed — next month.

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.