Baseball Cards

1880’s Allen and Ginter Album Page

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A hobby library item I’d love to get my hands on is an 1880s Allen and Ginter Album, one of which you’ll see designated as “A16.” This 6” x 8” page, auctioned off in December 2001, is the most desirable from that album, featuring Cap Anson, King Kelly, Tim Keefe, and Charlie Bennett.

Robert Edward Auctions sold a mid-grade complete 1888 First Series Allen & Ginter “World’s Champions” premium album featuring all fifty cards from the N28 Allen & Ginter set in their Spring 2023 auction for $1380.

I’ll share more about the A17 album for the N29 issue another time.

1976 MSA Sports Discs Hank Aaron

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Last week on Twitter, @nightowlcards shared a blog post called Parallels and the ’70s do mix highlighting MSA Discs, particularly the backs. @BeautyOfAGame responded, “An entire volume could be written about the various MSA sets in the 70s and 80s.” I responded by saying, “Challenge…accepted?…” So, an MSA anthology is on the to-do list now.

Anywho, while going through a stack of random cards in my collection, I ran across this 1976 MSA Sports Discs Hank Aaron Blank Back, which looks absolutely incredible in its slab.

When you read about the set, it’s tough to visualize how gorgeous they are and how much bigger the 3-3/8” diameter discs feel in your hand.

1969 Topps Baseball Dealer Sell Sheet

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After I posted about the 1962 Bell Brand Dodgers salesman advertising sheet earlier this morning, a collector on Twitter asked if I could share a clear copy of the 1969 Topps one with the unique rack pack display on it. So here it is; unfortunately, I do not own it and can’t remember where I found this picture.

Sell sheets are basically printed flyers designed to showcase Topps’ latest products and inform dealers about forthcoming releases. They served as a vital communication channel between Topps and its network of sellers. Today, they’re an invaluable reference for researchers, writers, and passionate collectors, providing critical insights into product codes, distribution details, pricing strategies, and card counts.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1962 Bell Brand Dodgers Ad Sheet

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I try to grab card company sell sheets when they come up for sale for the hobby library; I’m super happy to have picked up this rare one, a 1962 Bell Brand Dodgers salesman advertising sheet, a few months ago.

It was made to advertise the 1962 Bell Brand Dodgers set that was distributed inside packages of Bell Brand Potato chips and Bell Brand Corn Chips. The cards pictured on the front are those used in the 1961 set, though.

The back has more product info, images, and advertising text.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

T200 Fatima Team Cards

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It might be time to start collecting pre-war again. I was flipping through MastroNet’s Sports Auction of Distinction catalog from December 2005 when I ran across this awesome photo of a complete 1913 T200 Fatima Team Cards set and felt inspired. The item description explained that nearly all the day’s stars are present in the 16-card series, including Jackson, Wagner, Thorpe, Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson, Alexander, Speaker, Lajoie, and Speaker.

But if it is time, I’m going to have to be really serious about going after these cards. The Cleveland Americans card, with Shoeless Joe Jackson, is particularly expensive. Plus, they were all printed on lower-quality photographic paper and are really susceptible to creasing, cracking, and chipping.

1972 Laughlin #8 Lou Gehrig Great Feats Original Illustration

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Here’s the original 4” x 5” pen-and-ink illustration (and final card) used for card 8 of the 1972 Laughlin “Great Feats” series, commemorating Lou Gehrig’s 23 career grand slams.

Ron Oser Enterprises auctioned it off in their April 2001 catalog.

Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!