Post War Cards – Page 10 – Vintage Sports Cards – Baseball – Basketball – Football

18 Awesome Early 1990s Baseball Cards to Collect

November 21, 2024 by John

The early 1990s have a nostalgic place in my collecting soul since I stopped collecting cards somewhere around 1997 before returning to the hobby as an adult. Today, my collecting and hobby interest is focused more on post-war vintage vs. this late “junk” era, but there are some important cards from this time. Some stand out to me today because I remember their popularity at the time, others because of today’s market prices, and others just because of the player’s career performance. No matter the reason, here are 18 early 1990s baseball cards that came to my mind that you might be interested in adding to your collection.

1990 Leaf #300 Frank Thomas

At its release, all the kids in my neighborhood wanted to get these Leaf cards, which we treated as a premium release at the time. I think I focus on the Frank Thomas card from this set today because our family had moved to Chicago, and he became the decade’s premier player.

1990 Score #697 Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson’s accolades across multiple sports led him to be considered one of the best athletes of all time. He was incredibly popular in the hobby, and this photo is simply iconic.

1990 Topps #414 Frank Thomas

I think I focus on this card more as an adult because of what I said earlier about Frank’s performance on the field, and as a hobby historian today, the story of the No Name on Front card brings a lot of attention to 1990 Topps as a set.

1990 Topps #414 Frank Thomas No Name on Front

The No Name on Front 1990 Topps Frank Thomas card is a bucket list card for a ton of collectors.

1990 Topps #USA1 George Bush

We now believe there are two versions of this card: glossy-coated cards that Topps gave to President Bush and ones without the coating that Topps probably didn’t intend for public release. Cards were peaking at this time, so the card got a lot of attention, and it still demands incredible prices today.

1991 Topps #333 Chipper Jones

Chipper didn’t play much until 1995, so I think my inclusion of this card is based on the popularity of the 1991 Chipper Jones cards today and my memories of watching every Braves game on TV.

1991 Upper Deck #SP1 Michael Jordan

I mean…yeah, of course.

1991 Upper Deck #SP2 Ryan/Henderson

Upper Deck did a great job making exciting cards, and this Nolan Ryan and Rickey Henderson card captured a fantastic day in baseball history.

1992 Bowman #302 Mariano Rivera

1992 Bowman was super popular when it was released, but the Rivera card being on this list is more a result of his career accolades than my younger collecting journeys.

1992 Donruss Elite Cal Ripken Jr.

I’ve written a lot about Cal Ripken Jr. in the past; add this one to the bucket list.

1992 Fleer #712 Frank Thomas

If you collected cards during the junk era, you absolutely knew about this card.

1992 Fleer Update #U-92 Mike Piazza

I’ve included the Fleer Update Piazza rookie card on this list due to its popularity today, which is in a tight race with his 1992 Bowman card. But I think, as kids, we all preferred his 1992 Topps Stadium Club card.

1992 Upper Deck #SP3 Deion Sanders

Another multi-sport superstar, Deion Sanders was a high performer on two fields and has continued to be relevant in sports as a commentator, public figure, and coach. Upper Deck did a great job on this 1992 Upper Deck card, blending football and baseball together.

1993 SP #279 Derek Jeter

Today, this is Jeter’s most desirable rookie card, and high-grade variants dwarf most sales of cards from this era.

1993 Topps #98 Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter is one of the most popular baseball players of all time, and Topps is the most celebrated brand, so I feel like this card has to be included on any list of great 1990s baseball cards, though I prefer his Pinnacle rookie card.

1994 SP #15 Alex Rodriguez Foil Die-Cut

Alex Rodriguez was a monster when he came into the majors, and this card was a beast when it first came on the market and was a quick addition to many top 100 baseball cards of all-time lists.

1994 Upper Deck Mantle/Griffey Jr. Autograph

In the days before there were more inserts and specialty cards in sets than base cards, any insert/chase was popular. I think this card may be underrated (despite high prices) when you couple Mantle and Griffey with the way cards were made and printed in the first half of the 1990s.

1995 Pinnacle #128 Ken Griffey Jr.

Who didn’t laugh and get a kick out of the Griffey bubble gum bubble card?

Are there any key early 1990s baseball cards that stand out to you that I may have missed? Let me know in the comments; happy collecting!

1928 Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig H&B Louisville Slugger Bats Advertising Display

November 21, 2024 by John

When Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig appear in the same ad, you know it’s a legendary piece of baseball memorabilia.

REA offered this incredible advertisement in their July 2000 catalog. Here’s the lot’s complete description:

This visually appealing fold over H&B advertising piece was furnished to store owners for window display. The front features a large photo of Ruth and Gehrig examining an H&B Louisville Slugger bat. The interior portion pictures numerous baseball stars endorsing H&B bats as well as an order card for dealers. Unfolded front measures 12″ x 18″ Condition details include separations along the fold lines and tears. An extremely attractive advertising broadside which displays beautifully as is, but would benefit greatly from some minor professional restoration which could easily help return this piece to its original glorious state. This is the only example of this extremely rare advertising piece Robert Edward Auctions has seen to date.

Wikipedia has a great article for Hillerich & Bradsby if you’d like more history about the Louisville Slugger brand.

Prince of Cards – The “Best” Unopened Product You Will Ever See

November 20, 2024 by John

Yesterday, I shared an ad from The Baseball Card Kid, with whom most collectors on the leading unopened FB group had fond memories. This ad from Prince of Cards didn’t precisely elicit identical memories.

The ad is a scan from the June 1996 issue of Sports Card Trader. Here are a few comments from collectors on the Facebook ‘Vintage Wax and Packs’ group after I posed this same ad on September 15th, 2024.

One collector noticed that the 1971 rack was bad since the header hole was wrong, and another group expert commented that the 1969 Aaron/Bench rack was probably bogus, too, showing just how far back people were fabricating this stuff.
Someone noticed that the 1975 mini box at $1,750 was actually higher than the price for one as recently as 2012 or so. And someone commented that they were getting them for around $400 in the early ’90s.
It’s not all bad; one collector said he bought a couple of 1986 Fleer basketball sets from Prince (in the late ’90s), and both Jordan’s graded PSA 8.
A collector remembered the huge find of sealed 61-62 Fleer basketball cases in the late 80s/early 90s.
Another collector recalled buying a 1969 cello pack from this dealer that, when opened, had two wax-stained cards in the middle (circa 1992). Another purchased some 1961 Fleer basketball packs around this time that, when opened a few years later, had 1980s Topps baseball cards in the middle.
A ton of collectors said the packs purchased from this dealer in the early ’90s were bad.

The lesson is to be informed and do as much homework as possible, especially when buying pricey items in the unopened niche.

Mark Murphy The Baseball Card Kid – Unopened Advertising In Late 1993

November 19, 2024 by John

Today, the Baseball Card Exchange is the big player in the unopened space, but in the early ’90s, it was Mark Murphy, The Baseball Card “Kid.” Here’s an ad he placed in the December 1993 issue of Sports Cards Magazine.

You can see along the top that he had just bought a gorgeous run of 1970-1979 Topps Baseball wax boxes and was offering packs from each of them as the first products in the ad. Let’s compare prices in December 1993 to PSA 8-graded wax packs today:

1970 Topps: $200 (5th/6th/7th Series) compared to ~$2000+
1971 Topps: $175 (1st/2nd Series) compared to ~$2000++ (BBCE Auctions recently sold a PSA 8 1st Series pack for $6,667 and 2nd Series packs for $3k)
1972 Topps: $65 (3rd Series) compared to ~$500-750
1973 Topps: $110 (2nd Series) compared to ~$1k
1974 Topps: $60 compared to ~$500
1975 Topps: $90 compared to ~$1k
1976 Topps: $35 compared to $350-425
1977 Topps: $30 compared to ~$225
1978 Topps: $20 compared to ~$150
1979 Topps: $15 compared to ~$115

This ad has so many other awesome products, so I shared the advertisement on the Facebook ‘Vintage Wax and Packs’ group in early September 2024 to see what stood out to people who concentrate on this hobby niche:

Some were surprised by how high some prices were at the time; many thought that everything would have been a lot cheaper in 1993.
One collector commented that the 1982 Topps and 1991 Stadium Club boxes cost the same.
Many commented on how many “bad” decisions one could have made in that ad.
A lot of folks had bought vending boxes from him.
There were many comments about the 1986/87 Fleer basketball packs being $225 or $425 for two.
Many recalled fond memories of dealing with Murphy.

Happy collecting!

A Rare 1966 Exhibit Baseball Uncut Sheet?

November 18, 2024 by John

I ran across a rare item in Ron Oser Enterprises’ April 2001 catalog described as a 1966 Exhibit card uncut sheet from the last year that exhibit cards were issued. But I don’t know that the description was accurate!

My understanding is that the 1964-66 Exhibit cards don’t have ‘Printed in USA’ on the fronts and have blank backs, and it looks like the Berra batting card has that text on the bottom right. I’ve also read that this late series has 32 cards that were reprinted from the 1963 Stat set with blank backs (the ’63 set has 64 cards in the checklist), but Adam Warshaw has the best book on exhibit cards, Exhibit and Related Sports Arcade Cards, and he wrote, “As ESCO declined it issued a series of cards in 1964-66 that are substantially short printed and sell for a lot more than similar cards.” He went on to say that “the postwar run also yielded a key error card. Barney McCoskey is the corrected-common; Barney McCaskey is the error.” And I don’t see that card on the sheet. I also have seen 1963 Stat back checklists, and they don’t include a Mantle Portrait, which is included on the sheet and which Warshaw mentions as a key item in the late series. I’m so confused!

It looks to me like the exact same 1947-66 Exhibits uncut sheet that REA sold for $450 in the summer of 2019. They described it as a “32-card uncut production sheet.” They also wrote, “It is a virtual certainty that this sheet originates from the dispersal of The Exhibit Supply Company archives. Long ago, when the company was no longer in business, many of the photos, uncut sheets, and various advertising materials from the archives of the Exhibit Supply Company were scattered to the four corners of the collecting world.”

So, is this a late series sheet? Does the late series have 32 or 64 cards, and what’s their design makeup? Let me know if you know!

1953 Topps #136 Ken Heintzelman Original Artwork

November 17, 2024 by John

I’ve previously shared the original artwork for the 1953 Topps Willie Mays and Whitey Ford cards that Guernsey’s sold in its famous 1989 Topps Auction. But other examples have also tricked out over the years, including this one of Ken Heintzelman.

Mastro offered this example in its April 2004 Sports Premier Catalog Auction. The hand-painted piece was described as 3-1/2” x 5” in near-mint condition and, obviously, one-of-a-kind.

Here’s the artwork next to the final card.

The Only Card Topps Made for a Pinch Runner: Herb Washington’s 1975 Topps “Rookie” Card

November 16, 2024 by John

In writing an article about 1975 Topps baseball, I had a lot of options: Robin Yount or George Brett’s rookie cards, the mini-cards, the colorful borders, commemorative cards, or stories about unopened products, among many other topics about this super popular 660-card set. But I’ve decided to talk about Herb Washington instead; it is his birthday (November 16th).

The 1975 Topps card, #407, lists Herb Washington as a “Pinch Runner” since that was his only role as a major leaguer; he never had an at-bat. His 1975 Topps card (and the mini and O-Pee-Chee versions) is the only baseball card that ever used “Pinch Runner” as the position label.

Washington was a talented high school runner who went on to run for Michigan State, where he was a four-time All-American in Track and Field.

In 1974, the Oakland A’s signed him as the team’s designated runner, with no expectations for developing other baseball skills. He played in 105 games without batting, pitching, or fielding. He finished his career with 31 stolen bases in 48 attempts, scoring 33 runs.

The 1975 Topps card is the only one made for him since he was released early in the 1975 season when the team signed Don Hopkins and Matt Alexander.

1975 Topps #407 Herb Washington – Reverse

After his 13-month MLB career, he raced as a pro-runner until 1976.

After his running career, Washington owned as many as 27 McDonald’s franchises as a businessman. He sued McDonald’s for systemic racial discrimination and settled the lawsuit in 2021 when McDonald’s bought 13 of his restaurants for $33.5M.

His 1975 Topps baseball card is considered a rookie card and priced a bit higher than most “commons” in the set. Graded 1975 Topps cards are a bit more expensive than you’d think because of the intense popularity of its PSA Set Registry; however, PSA 8s have dipped from ~$130 in 2021 to under $100 today, but the last PSA 9 sold for $368 in August 2024 which is up slightly from 2021. In the Prices by Grade chart below, you can see that there are 3 PSA 10s (up from 2 two years ago), and one of them came up for sale in May 2023; Probstein sold it on eBay for a Set Registry premium price of $3,438!

Herb Washington’s story as a designated runner is usually overlooked when discussing the 1975 Topps Baseball set. While his reception on the team was mixed among players, he still got a World Series championship ring (despite being picked off at a critical moment in game 2).

Happy collecting!