1953 Topps - PIRATES - Starter Team Set (11 different)
| Grade | Good to VG |
|---|---|
| Book Value | $ 305 |
| Our Price |
$ 39.95
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|
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on vintage baseball, football, basketball, hockey, sport and non-sports cards.
1970/1972/1973 Topps Candy Lids |
Topps has tried many crazy products, often called "test issues".
Test issues were usually only distributed in limited areas and were difficult
to find. Candy Lids were one of Topps most unusual; little tubs of candy
with player's photos on bottom of the 1 7/8" lids. The 10 cent candy's came 24 to a box.
Sealed tubs can still be found in the $150 to $200 range. Called "Baseball
Stars Bubble Gum", the 1970 Topps Candy Lids set had 24 different
players, while 1973 Topps Candy Lids had 55. 
Topps released their first Candy Lids in 1970. The 1970 Topps Candy Lids
are very, very hard to find and had small photos of Tom Seaver,
Carl Yastrzemski and Frank Howard. 
Topps released two other test issue sets in 1973 (1973 Topps Pinups and 1973 Topps Comics).
The 1973 Topps Comics and 1973 Topps Candy Lids shared many photos and again
had no team logos. If thinking "licensing dispute", you are likely right.
Topps received player's union's permission for these test issues, but not
Major League Baseball's. Issues over rights & fees with MLBPA and the player's
union resulted in Topps started shutting down future production of test
issues putting an end to some of their most fun collectibles.
Mike Schmidt Baseball Cards
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Grade/Condition Centering, corner wear, photo clarity, edges, creases, print flaws ... all combine to determine a card's condition or grade. Along with rarity/scarcity it is the major factor in a card's value.
Graded Card As values increased the condition of cards and the determination of fakes and alterations became increasingly more important. Various companies became "graders" of your cards. For a fee they would grade your card (usually on a 1 to 10 scale) and then placed in a sealed plastic holder with labelling of the vital information.
From past experiences, most people are NOT HAPPY with the grades they receive. To keep values up, graders can be extremely picky. Things you don't see, they do so don't be surprized when the NEAR MINT card you send in ends up with an EX or EX/MINT grade.
There are TOO many grading companies - if you do, do choose carefully. PSA / SGC / GAI / BGS are some of the many companies. It is good to know that getting a card graded by a company that people do not recognize or respect will usually just cost you time and money and not help you in any way.
