1970 Topps #195 Tom Seaver - 'N.L Playoff Game #1' (Mets vs Braves)

1957 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values

1957 was the beginning of the modern era of baseball cards and their to this day standard size of 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". Many collectors consider the 1957 set the most attractive of the 1950's sets. Of note is a fun error card picturing Hank Aaron batting left-handed. The error was never corrected so there is no extra value.

The set included some very neat multi-player cards and was PACKED with ROOKIES !!!
Frank & Brooks Robinson, Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning, Rocky Colavito, Kubek & Richardson

1957 Topps Baseball card checklist, values and prices.

1991 Topps Desert Shield cards
Checklist & Values

The 792 card 1991 Topps Desert Shield Baseball card set was issued by Topps for the soldiers serving in the Gulf War. The Desert Shield set is a variation of Topps regular 1991 baseball card with each card having a special gold-foiled 'Desert Shield' stamp added to the front. Many of the cards, scooped up by military personnel stateside, never made it overseas. The equivalent of approx 6,500 sets of cards were made. Cards are still sought after and fairly scarce with complete sets nearly impossible to find. Be aware of counterfeits. Fakes can easily be determined by comparing the gold foil logo with a real Desert Shield card.

The Chipper Jones rookie is the key card in the set along with the usual super stars like Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken ...

1991 Topps Topps Desert Shield checklist, values and prices.

Autographed 1961 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values

Following autographs have auction house LOA's (Letter of Authenticity) from hobby's top vintage card authenticators for auction houses PSA/DNA & James Spence !!!

The 1961 Topps baseball card set (#1-#598) only had 587 cards because of missing numbers. Also there are 2 cards #463 (#463 Braves Team card was to be card #426).

Ugh !!! The 1961 Topps capless players !!! Picture your grand-dad. Without a cap. Life was obviously much tougher back then. Baseball expansion created the problem. Los Angeles Angels added, Washington Senators became Minnesota Twins, and Washington got a new Senators franchise. The autographs actually make the "capless" cards more attractive !!!

Baseball card collecting terms (part G)

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.

1970 Topps #195 Tom Seaver - 'N.L Playoff Game #1' (Mets vs Braves)

1957 Topps Baseball Cards Checklist & Values

1991 Topps Desert Shield cards Checklist & Values

Autographed 1961 Topps Baseball Cards Checklist & Values

1957 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values

1991 Topps Desert Shield cards
Checklist & Values

Autographed 1961 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values