1955 Topps #114 Lou Ortiz (Phillies)

Book = $ *BOOK*
Price = $ 17.50
NEAR MINT to NM/MINT

Price = $ 17.50

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.

Vintage Baseball Wire Photos

UPI/AP Wirephotos

Official authentic vintage UPI/AP Wirephotos/Laserphotos are very limited, normally only 1 sent to subscribing newspapers. Photos were black & white printed on electro-static printers, usually sent in 3 stages, Cyan, Magenta & Yellow, then combined into a color photograph. Photos are work products and VG to NEAR MINT. As a bonus, some have editor's blue-line cropping marks.

Scarce, interesting and snapshots of history, wire photos of major subjects and moments make for great collectibles. Wirephotos and laserphotos are no longer transmitted in this manner (stopping around the early 90's). Images are now transmitted from computer to computer with no need for hardcopies.
old UPI wirephotos old AP wirephotos Wirephotos images taken with low res camera so images do not do then justice. The wirephotos are nicer than in the image. Most wirephotos from San Diego Union Tribune archives and make nice additions to your collection.

Click for a complete listing and images of our UPI/AP Sports Wirephotos.

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.

1968 Baseball Marbles
by Creative Creations

These 'Marbles' were issued in 'blister packs' of 20 marbles. The 'Marble' was a ��-diameter clear plastic orb containing a paper insert with the player's portrait on the front a facsimile autograph on the back.
The blister packs themselves are collectible. They measure 9-3/4� x 10-1/2�, with the marbles positioned on front; the pack�s back features a baseball design awash in approximately 60 player's facsimile signatures. The package mentions 24 series of 20 marbles per but only 120 different marbles were created.

One of the more interesting collectibles from the late 1960's, they are sought after by both Team and Player collectors.

For another similar interesting issue see the 1970 Chemtoy SuperBalls.

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.

1955 Topps #114 Lou Ortiz (Phillies)

Vintage Baseball Wire Photos

UPI/AP Wirephotos

1981-1989 Hall of Fame Metallic Plaque cards

1968 Baseball Marbles by Creative Creations

1968 Baseball Marbles
by Creative Creations