1978 Topps BLANK-BACK PROOF #156 Andy Messersmith (Braves)

Grade	NEAR MINT to EX/MINT
Book Value	n/a
Our Price	$ 9.95 Add to cart

1978 Topps BLANK-BACK PROOF #156 Andy Messersmith (Braves) cards value

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.

1981 Donruss Baseball

Collector's were excited when they heard Donruss was entering the baseball card market. Excitement turned to disappointment once they saw the cards. They were awful ! Print on very cheap, weak card stock with were un-inspiring images.
TOP ROOKIES: Hall-of-Famers Tim Raines and Harold Baines.
Who will ever forget "Fernando Mania" ???
Apparently Donruss ...
WIth no Fernando rookie card in the Donruss set, the Topps and Fleer sets (with Fernando) became nuch more desirable. Fernando Valenzuela is NOT in the Hall-of-Fame, but he was 100% the most popular player of 1981.
Another rookie of note was Danny Ainge who later became a NBA basketball player with the Boston Celtics.
Click for complete 1981 Donruss Baseball Checklist, Values & Info
Note: You may be on that page right now.

Values of Team Autographed/Signed Baseballs

The value of Autographed Team Balls depends on several items including:
* The Team or Players * Baseballs signed by more popular teams like the Yankees or Mets tend to be more valuable. Also balls with autographs from popular Hall of Famers increase the value. Some team balls like the 1970's Cincinatti Reds or early Yankees balls have numerous Hall-of-Famers.
* Condition of Baseball & Signatures *
* Number of Autographs * For a ball to be considered a AUTOGRAPHED TEAM BALL it needs to have the autographs of the Manager (often on the sweet spot), all starters and a good number of other players. Obviously, the more autographs the better.
* Authentication * Unfortunately in todays world, it's often best to be sure. Companies like PSA/DBA and UDA (Upper Deck Authenticated), JSA (James Spence) & Beckett provide authentication and Certificates of Authenticity (COA) thet can greatly increase a ball's value. Unfortunately, the cost for verification of team balls often is higher than the cost of the balls themselves.

* Significance * Autographed team baseballs from pennant winners and championship teams tend to have much higher values.

Click for our current Autographed/Signed Team Baseball inventory

Baseball card collecting terms (part B)

Bazooka Bazooka Bubble Gum put baseball cards on the back of their boxes from 1959 thru 1971. Complete boxes and panels can get extremely costly. Most kids back then could not afford complete boxes of bubble gum at one making Bazooka cards quite scarce. I actually don't recall ever obtaining a Bazooka card directly from a box as a kid. Do you ???

Black Sox Scandal Name given to the the most famous scandal in baseball history after the 1919 Chicago White Sox versus the Cincinatti Reds World Series when 8 White Sox players were accused of throwing the series. Details have remained somewhat unclear. The players were acquitted of criminal charges but 8 players still received a lifetime ban from professional baseball including the All-Time great "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

Blank-Back a card in which nothing is printed on the back. These cards are usually not in packs and are either "PROOF ISSUES" or were removed from the factory in some way.

Blanket a term used for collectibles in the 1910's made of fabric .

Border is the part of the card that surrounds the photo or image.

Bowman was a card manufacturer in the 1940's and 1950's that was bought out by Topps. In 1989 Topps started issuing cards using the Bowman brand.

Break a term used to indicate the opening of a set, pack, box or case.

Break Value is the total book value of each card added up individually. The break value of a set is usually way, way more than the value of the complete set.