1963 Topps #128 Matty Alou (Giants)

Book = $ *BOOK*
Price = $ 11.95
NEAR MINT to NM/MINT

Price = $ 11.95

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.

1962 Topps Football Bucks
The 1962 Topps Football Bucks resembled U.S. currency and measured 1 1/4" x 4 1/4". But ... instead of Abe Lincoln staring at you, it could be Fran Tarkenton !!!
Drawings of the player's home parks along with brief write-ups appeared on the front. The backs included team and league logos. Printing was done with black and green ink on off-white (very thin) paper stock. Bucks are typically found with a fold crease in the middle as they were inserted in packs in that manner.

The 1962 Topps Bucks were inserts in wax packs of the 1962 Topps regular issue football cards. Player selection was super and the featured ROOKIES of Fran Tarkenton and Mike Ditka !!! Also numerous other Hall-of-Famers including JIM BROWN, BART STARR, Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Lou Groza and other greats !!!

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.

1970 Chemtoy Superballs
Checklist & Prices

Chemtoy & MLB teamed up to offer a set of major league baseball player "Superballs" or "High Bouncing Balls". One of the more interesting collectibles from late 1960's, early 1970's and sought after by Team & Player collectors.
The 285 player set with 12 per team except Twins, White Sox and A's with 11. Each "Superball" has the player's photo inside with name, team, position and Chemtoy inventory number on back.
Click for complete
1970 Chemtoy Baseball SuperBalls checklist & prices
For an interesting similar issue see: 1966-1968 Baseball Marbles

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.

1963 Topps #128 Matty Alou (Giants)

1962 Topps Football Bucks

1993 Topps Finest Refractors Checklist & Values

1970 Chemtoy Superballs Checklist & Prices

1993 Topps Finest Refractors
Checklist & Values

1970 Chemtoy Superballs
Checklist & Prices