2000 Upper Deck Hitter's Club INSERTS #HC.4 George Brett (Royals)

Book = $ *BOOK*
Price = $ 31.95
NM/MINT

Price = $ 31.95

Below are short bits & pieces on sportscard & baseball trading card collecting.
Please wander around the website for more info, prices, values & images
on vintage baseball, football, basketball, hockey, sport and non-sports cards.

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins
Checklist & Values

As a kid I loved shopping with mom hoping to find my next favorite food - the one with baseball cards !!! In 1955,1959 & 1960, kids could enjoy hot dogs with their cards thanks to Armour's coins in 1955, 1959 & 1960.
The 1-1/2 inch plastic coins, almost the same each year, came in many colors with several rare and perhaps even 1-of-1, making a "master" set almost impossible. Add in the variations and you can imagine the task.
See sportscollectorsdaily for great 1955,1959 & 1960 Armour baseball coins article.

Click for complete
1955/1959/1960 Armour Baseball Coins
Checklist & Values

1981-1989 Hall of Fame Metallic Plaque cards
This special set of (204) Metallic Plaque cards included every player, executive, manager and umpire who was a member of the Hall of Fame thru 1989. Each 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" gold anodized aluminum card bears an exact replica of the player's official Hall of Fame plaque.
The sets, produced in very small quantities and LIMITED TO ONLY 1,000 MADE, were sold by the Baseball Hall of Fame thru it's gift shops between 1981 and 1989 and came in a special "faux-leather" embossed 3-Ring Binder.

It has been reported that many cards were damaged in production/distribution so the number actually available of any one card is likely under 1,000.

1993 Topps Finest Refractors
Checklist & Values

Topps went all in in 1993 with their most premium baseball card set to date, the famous 1993 Topps Finest set with RARE parallel issue REFRACTORS. With only 199 cards, 7 per team, the 'Finest' set only had room for the 'Finest' players !

Rare REFRACTORS were randomly placed in some packs. REFRACTORS looked exactly like regular cards unless you knew where AND how to look. Tilting a REFRACTOR in sunshine released a rainbow of colors, "refracting light" Topps scientists liked to say.

Current info is only 241 REFRACTORS were issued of each card making this parallel issue one of the scarcest. Collecting a complete set is made even more difficult by the hoarding of certain cards by collectors AND even major league baseball players !

Click for complete 1993 Topps Finest Refractors checklist, values & prices.
Note: You may be on that page right now.

How long have sports cards been around ? (part 1)

The first baseball trading cards date back to 1869. For many years, baseball cards were packaged in packs of tobacco as a way to increase sales the same way that today prizes are packaged in boxes of cereal. In the 1920's and 1930's, candy and gum companies started packaging baseball cards in their products as well.

Baseball card production was virtually halted in the early 1940's due to paper shortages created by World War II. The "Modern Era" of baseball cards began in 1948 when Bowman Gum Inc. offered one card and one piece of gum in a pack for a penny.

The first important football set was the Mayo set featuring college players in 1984. Other than the 1935 National Chicle set no other key football set was issued until 1948 when noth Bowman and Leaf produced sets.

2000 Upper Deck Hitter's Club INSERTS #HC.4 George Brett (Royals)

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins Checklist & Values

1981-1989 Hall of Fame Metallic Plaque cards

1993 Topps Finest Refractors Checklist & Values

1955 / 1959 / 1960 Armour Hot Dog Coins
Checklist & Values

1993 Topps Finest Refractors
Checklist & Values