The Top 25 Most Expensive Baseball Cards In 1993

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“For those with cash, here are the top 25 most expensive baseball cards,”…as reported in the October 1993 issue of Sports Cards Magazine.

What really stands out is that there wasn’t a single contemporary or modern card on the list (“Sorry, there are no Frank Thomas or Ken Griffey rookie cards on this list”). However, the author also pointed out there wasn’t even a Ted Williams or a Joe DiMaggio (despite their popularity in the hobby at the time). The “youngest” card was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (though only 41 years old at the time), which is like including a card from 1983 on a list today.

1940’s Pee Wee Reese Wheaties Advertising Sign

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Have you had your Wheaties today? I previously wrote about a 1940s Tommy Henrich Wheaties ad; Pee Wee Reese was a spokesman for the brand, too!

Ron Oser Enterprises offered the above-pictured piece in their April 2001 catalog. They described it as follows:

A particularly striking and extremely rare (only example seen!) trolley sign, an 11″ x 21″ heavy paper sign with a large photo of Reese in his Brooklyn Dodgers cap, and opposite, the familiar orange & blue Wheaties “Breakfast of Champions” cereal box. The photo has a crease at the upper left corner, and the other corners (which were “hinged” at one time) have been lightly retouched (virtually undetectable). Excellent condition and one of the best Brooklyn Dodger advertising pieces we have ever offered. Framed & matted to 17 x 27 inches.

While it may have been the only example they had seen then, I managed to find a few more online. In February 2016, All Sports Auctions sold a “Vintage Pee Wee Reese Wheaties Ad Broadside” for $133.

Also, a collector on the Net54 forums sold a copy with the following description around March of 2021:

This is a very nice cardboard advertising display from the 1940s, featuring Wheaties brand cereal and Pee Wee Reese of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Likely to have been displayed in a grocery/corner store at the time. Piece measures approximately 17 in. by 9 in. Made of a thicker stock paper with some creases throughout each of the corners/sides, small chip in upper left, and some slight toning along edges and back of piece. Printed graphics are still bright and fully intact. Overall, very solid piece that would make a great addition to one’s Brooklyn and/or advertising collection!

14 1950’s and 1960’s Topps Display Boxes

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You just don’t see lots with this many vintage Topps display boxes as you used to when Ron Oser Enterprises offered these 14 together in April 2001.

All were described as five-cent 24-count boxes (unless noted) in excellent or better condition. The lot included the following items:

  • 1951 Topps Red Back (one cent 120 count)
  • 1958 Topps
  • 1959 Topps dated
  • 1959 Topps undated
  • 1960 Topps with a “5th Series” label on top
  • 1961 Topps dated
  • 1962 Topps
  • 1962 Topps with “stamps” ad – along with 9 off-condition 1962 wrappers inside the box
  • 1964 Topps (2)
  • 1965 Topps with Mantle, Koufax, & Killebrew – one wrapper inside the box
  • 1966 Topps
  • 1969 Topps Baseball Stamps – filled with 75 stamp albums

Joe Jackson Autographed Check

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Shoeless Joe Jackson autographs are super scarce. Sotheby’s offered this one, obtained directly from the Jackson family, in their April 1994 Important Baseball Cards and Sports Memorabilia auction.

Here’s the item’s description as it was written in the catalog:

Joe Jackson Autographed Check, original 1916 document acting as a promissory payment toward the purchase of “Shoeless” Joe’s new home in Savannah, Georgia. Signed by Jackson shortly after joining the Chicago White Sox, the team he would ultimately be accused of betraying in the 1919 Black Sox scandal only a few years later. Bold, black ink “Joe Jackson” signature graces the lower right portion of this attractively sized document. One of the few authentic autographs known to ever exist of this legendary baseball figure, who over the years has become a part of American folklore. Obtained directly from the Jackson family, the offered legal document is an exceptional example of this extremely rare and very desirable autograph from “Shoeless” Joe’s playing days with the White Sox. 3 3/4 in. by 8 1/2 in. (9.5 cm. by 21.6 сm.)

The expected price was $25,000-30,000.

PSA’s online price guide values Joe Jackson’s signed checks at $85k today.

SCD’s Minor League Baseball Card Price Guide

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I’ve been looking for a Minor League Baseball Card reference for a while. Finally, I ran across an ad for one in a June 1993 issue of Sports Cards Magazine! There’s also a Standard Catalog of Minor League Baseball Cards out there.

I’d like to know if there are different editions; as you can see, the copy I picked up has a slightly different cover (text) than the one in the ad (2,000 sets vs. 1,900, for example).

Also, this is one of the rare examples where a book from the junk-wax era costs more than it did when it came out!

My copy is 480 pages long and begins with Dave Platta’s incredible 22-page “short” history of minor league cards. It’s a great read.

The book is arranged in two sections: pre-1970 and 1970-1992. Sets produced before 1970 are listed alphabetically, starting with the 1960 Armour Meats Denver Bears and ending with the 1950 World Wide Gum set. Sets made after 1970 follow chronologically and are arranged alphabetically by team name within each year. Upper Deck’s initial Minor League set from 1992 is the last set included.

Also, the pre-1970 sets generally include a short set history or synopsis, while the modern releases are mostly just a checklist with basic prices.

Despite the lack of detail, it’s still a fantastic piece for a hobby library, especially if you collect Minor League Baseball Cards.

Five Incredibly Rare Hockey Wax Packs

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Mastro offered five scarce hockey wax packs in their August 2004 Sports Premier Catalog Auction. Here’s the oldest, from the 1954/55 Topps set featuring a “who’s who” of hockey greats: Kelly, Howe, Worsley, Bathgate, and Sawchuck!

Also included were a 1957/58 Topps Five-Cent Wax Pack, a 1958/59 Parkhurst 5-cent Wax Pack, a 1961/62 Topps Five-Cent Wax Pack, and a 1965/66 Topps Five-Cent Wax Pack.

For good measure, a 1954/55 Topps display box was also part of this catalog!

PS, this auction also included a few lots I’ve discussed previously:

Happy collecting!

1952 Topps Baseball Type Photos and Crossovers

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The 1952 Topps Baseball set is the crown jewel of post-war cards. Driven by my passion for uncovering the original photos behind iconic cards, I’m building the ultimate resource for the photos used in this legendary set. And since many of these images appeared across other sets of the era, I’m including those crossovers too.

If you have any additions, please reach out to me via e-mail or on X.

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