Aw man, I used to love Albert Belle.
― pandemic, Friday, 18 May 2012 17:12 (twelve years ago) link
clemenza, do u buy new baseball cards? i so enjoy opening packs of cards that i was thinking about buying a box of something new, but i don't know what to get
― Mordy, Friday, 18 May 2012 17:14 (twelve years ago) link
A truly fascinating player; I just meant he's not going into the HOF, which for a baseball card = worthless. I liked him too.
― clemenza, Friday, 18 May 2012 17:15 (twelve years ago) link
I was badly hooked in the mid-'90s (just after the strike; like investing all your money in Studebaker stock...), but I haven't bought anything for a few years.
― clemenza, Friday, 18 May 2012 17:16 (twelve years ago) link
Mordy: I think the boxes that tend to be cheap and easily available are, in terms of rookie cards, whatever falls into the steroids window--from about '87 to '93 or so. All those sets with rookies for Sosa, Palmeiro, Bagwell, I-Rod, etc., or burnouts like Belle and Gonzalez.
― clemenza, Friday, 18 May 2012 17:40 (twelve years ago) link
I collected from about '84-'92, so I got to watch my collection go way up in value and then crash down to earth, becoming nearly worthless. Really wish I'd gotten rid of them sooner.
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
that makes me feel a little better, jon. i collected in the early eighties and my brother at one point sold the lot on ebay w/o asking me for permission. i mean, i don't necessarily begrudge him for doing so, i owe him a lot in some respects, but axing someone never hurts
― dell (del), Friday, 18 May 2012 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, my mom kept hinting around '90 that I should sell my collection to get $$$ for college, but at the time I was madly flipping through Beckett's, watching the prices climb and climb, and was all, "no way mom, this is going to be worth SO MUCH MONEY if I wait ten more years!". Stupid me.
My parents sold off all of my comic books and Star Wars toys at a garage sale without telling me, still hold a grudge to this day over that one.
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
oh shit, haha
why did the card prices end up going down? i don't know anything about that world
― dell (del), Friday, 18 May 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
From what I understand it was just the inevitable collapse of artificially high prices. Like there was a period 2 years into his career when Gary Sheffield's rookie card was worth like $75 or something. It was like all of the sudden card values were based on hype and buzz instead of a HOF career or storied past (see also the ridiculous craze for Todd Van Poppel rookie cards). I'm sure someone else could explain it in more detail or with better back-up though.
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
it was pretty much a bubble. too many cards at inflated prices.
xpost
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:10 (twelve years ago) link
Mordy: a coworker and i buy a few packs every year when a new set comes out (ostensibly for graphic design reasons)... Topps now has an exclusive deal with MLB, so for now they're the only game in town. i like what they've done this year tho - they're applying an occasional classic card design to current players, so I got a 1987-style Andrew Mccutchen card in my last pack!
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:15 (twelve years ago) link
Oooh I loved the '87 Topps set when I was a kid.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/dawson-87-topps.jpg
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
do they do a couple different sets? i remember when i bought cards in high school there were all kinds of different sets. ones with real bats, ones with pieces of jersey, ones that are all rookies, etc.
― Mordy, Friday, 18 May 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
iirc they have a 2nd 2012 collectors set, but i cannot recall what its deal was.
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
also: how do you fit a baseball bat inside a pack of cards?!
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
xposts ah how funny
yeah, i've never been savvy enough to convert my trash into cash as it were
like i know i have some books and records lying around that would fetch a decent price, but for whatever reason it's never been in my makeup to suss that out. i would rather give those things to someone who would appreciate it. otherwise i would just spend that money on dinner or a v-necked sweater
not a "humblebrag", prob more of an enduring character flaw and illustrative of my attempts to evade full-fledged adulthood
― dell (del), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
baseball bat splinters!
― Mordy, Friday, 18 May 2012 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, that was a huge trend among all sports card companies at one point, really thin slices of backetballs, footballs, jersy pieces, bat splinters, even tiny pieces of basketball floors iirc.
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
i have tiny basketball floor cards! also bat splinters, jerseys...
― Mordy, Friday, 18 May 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link
Man this thread is taking me back. Remember when the '89 Upper Deck set dropped and it was like the most exciting, revolutionary thing that had ever happened to baseball card?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wSWUUEE2sE/TelpLmlCiMI/AAAAAAAAHJo/YQQBGzfjVuI/s1600/1989%2BUpper%2BDeck%2BF.jpg
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:26 (twelve years ago) link
wait what you are fucking kidding me
― dell (del), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:28 (twelve years ago) link
Another thing that hurt the card industry (as alluded to by clem) was the strike, which conveniently lined up with when Comic Books becoming ultra-hot collectibles (the heyday of Image, Valient, X-Men cartoon show etc.).
― Leslie Mann: Boner Machine (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:29 (twelve years ago) link
(xpost)
They even did Nascar cards that had parts of race-used TIRES.
Speaking of '89 Upper Deck, this card was such hot shit in my neck of the woods back in the day:
http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/1988/109494.jpg
― Leslie Mann: Boner Machine (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:32 (twelve years ago) link
At least all you guys had the excuse of being in grade school and high school when you got hooked; I was 33.
Always figured one of the companies would start sticking bits of Ted Williams' brain into chase packs, but I guess they had to draw the line somewhere.
― clemenza, Friday, 18 May 2012 18:33 (twelve years ago) link
well, we could split hairs about "ethics" all day, but is that really so beyond the pale? i think not
― dell (del), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:45 (twelve years ago) link
oh god!a friend bequeathed a buncha books to me and this was amongst them:http://books.gigaimg.com/avaxhome/a8/be/0013bea8_medium.jpeg
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
I had the Ripken "future stars" triple rookie, which seems to go for around $25 on ebay but was once "worth" a lot more.
― this guy's a gangsta? his real name's mittens. (Hurting 2), Friday, 18 May 2012 18:57 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think i gave any sort break down of the classic cards i have, but i feel compelled to share now for some reason, so here a few of my favs that i own:'61 Whitey Ford & Duke Snider'65 Koufax'66 Ernie banks'67 Ed Mathews'72 Mays, Orlando Cepeda'73 Clemente, Brooks Robinson & Aparicio'75 Aaron, Frank Robinson & Killbrew
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 18 May 2012 19:29 (twelve years ago) link
speaking of the memorabilia stuff, an interesting section from the Upper Deck wiki page:
Memorabilia & Relic Cards Upper Deck has changed its practice of using materials certified as "Worn" by the player depicted on the front of the card. The changed wording on the backs of Upper Deck insert cards makes it less clear as to how the materials were used or what player wore the item. EXAMPLE: Steve Nash card 2004... (Back of card) On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a jersey WORN by Steve Nash as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA game. EXAMPLE: Jermaine O'Neal card 2006 Exquisite...(Back of card) On the front of this is a piece of memorabilia that has been certified to us as having been USED in an NBA game. Upper Deck has also stopped adding the word "Jersey" to the fronts of game-used insert cards. The company no longer acknowledges exactly what kind of material was inserted into the cards or how the item was used, and it has eliminated statements claiming the player pictured on the card front actually wore the inserted material. Upper Deck's authenticity has been questioned in regards to players' jersey and uniform materials. The cards state the inserted items are known to Upper Deck to have been used or worn, but since most of the gear is acquired through third parties, the actual use is unknown. Most of Upper Deck's jersey materials are harvested at events like rookie photo shoots, etc.. During such events, players often change shirts dozens of times to generate event-worn uniform material that never sees the field of play. Collectors still debate and question the authenticity of such 'memorabilia", which often includes items manufactured specifically for insert cards, patches, and other desirable content.
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 18 May 2012 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
Which brings me back to Ted Williams' brain--with all the advancements in DNA science, a tiny little scraping from Ted's noggin would be so much easier to authenticate.
― clemenza, Friday, 18 May 2012 20:55 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/medium_RandyJohnsonIsAPrettyGirl-225x300.jpg
― Mad God 40/40 (Z S), Monday, 4 June 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
ha haah a haha
― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 4 June 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
There's still a part of my brain left over from highschool that could get back into collecting baseball cards tomorrow if I let it. That obsessive collect the whole set, find my favorite players, etc gland. Dangerous, dangerous stuff. I dare not let it out.
― Mordy, Monday, August 16, 2010 2:01 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Annyong.
http://leftfieldcards.com/index.html
― Grimy Little Pimp (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 1 September 2012 20:44 (eleven years ago) link
Dangerous, dangerous stuff. I dare not let it out.
I looked up Jose Fernandez out of curiosity, ended up buying some rookie cards online:
Madison Bumgarner -- 2010 ToppsJose Fernandez -- 2013 ToppsFreddie Freeman -- 2011 ToppsClayton Kershaw -- 2008 Topps UpdateAndrew McCutchen -- 2005 Bowman Draft PicksAdam Wainwright -- 2000 Bowman Draft Picks
They were all between $3-5. The Trouts, Cabreras, and Harpers, forget it.
I need to get back to work and save myself from such idle pursuits.
― clemenza, Friday, 9 August 2013 18:07 (ten years ago) link
Jerry: "Clemenza let it out?"Elaine: "Let. It. Out."
― clemenza, Friday, 9 August 2013 18:29 (ten years ago) link
Ugliest card ever?
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/08/bob_hamelin_worst_baseball_card_ever_the_case_of_1996_pinnacle_foil_no_289.html
I always thought those Topps Finest cards were hideous.
http://cconnect.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1993-Topps-Finest-Baseball-Jumbo-All-Stars-Barry-Bonds1.jpg
(The 26-year-old Hamelin beat out Manny Ramirez and Jim Edmonds for ROY in 1994. Based only on what they did that year, and not taking into consideration age and projected future value, it's hard to argue with the vote.)
― clemenza, Monday, 26 August 2013 19:50 (ten years ago) link
http://www.chicagonow.com/lists-that-actually-matter/files/2011/06/bob_walk.jpg
― Matt Groening is MY Cousin (Leee), Sunday, 29 December 2013 05:32 (ten years ago) link
Congratulations, you're five dollars richer.
― clemenza, Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:05 (ten years ago) link
i remember those upper deck cards. man, they seemed so expensive at the time. i had that griffey at one point but sold it. i think i sold all my valuable cards. the most valuable ones were the '89 upper decks and the '90 leafs. unfortunately i didn't sell them at peak value, but fortunately i sold them before i lost money. i got some dece drinking money out of david justice and big hurt rookie cards. like i said upthread, it's high comedy to see how much people were willing to pay for certain cards. i'm pretty sure the kevin maas rookie cards peaked at $25. i know the doc gooden fleer rookie was $500 at one point.
― christmas candy bar (al leong), Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:13 (ten years ago) link
impressive that the card is even worth more than it was (the Leaf FT) considering you can now get Upper Deck FT rookies for like $2. I think they were valued at $30 or $40 back in the day, which to me seemed like a shitload of money.
― signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:20 (ten years ago) link
i think the OG upper deck series is regarded as the legit collector's choice one, i remember the 1990 set being really sought after initially but quickly declining. maybe it was just more common and the novelty had worn off a bit. i think it also has to do with the leaf set being more sought after. and after that, everyone was putting out premium cards and the market got flooded and basically destroyed. i know cards are still worth money but i feel like literally every kid i knew back in '88-'90 was into baseball cards, it was a huge peak era, basically as long as the card wasn't dented or creased you were cool. then it turned into shit you'd frame and grade out with a pitchfork score and if it was a millimeter off center, fuck you get out of my store.
― christmas candy bar (al leong), Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:27 (ten years ago) link
Yeah, that $75 seems a little far-fetched.
I've got a whole bunch of rookie cards dating back to that time that I collected for a short time in the mid-'90s, after the bottom dropped out: Griffey, Thomas, Bonds, Bagwell, I-Rod, Maddux, Alomar, Piazza, Jeter, etc. Never the key rookie card, though, always the secondary ones.
― clemenza, Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:37 (ten years ago) link
every kid of my generation grew up hearing stories about how their dads' moms threw away all their baseball cards, which would now be worth so much money, so they never threw away theirs, and hence they're worth nothing.
― signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Sunday, 12 January 2014 03:40 (ten years ago) link
I still have all mine!!! I'd sell them all for $5.
― Jeff, Sunday, 12 January 2014 04:13 (ten years ago) link
yeah got mine too, just got them out the other day. 88-94
― Spottie, Sunday, 12 January 2014 04:17 (ten years ago) link
I think mine are still under my childhood bed. I had a few notables. It looks from eBay like even my 1940 Lefty Gomez is not worth what it once was, and I would think that one is not super common.
― signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Sunday, 12 January 2014 04:20 (ten years ago) link
yeah mine are in my room at my moms place, i wonder how much i could get for them (and my pokemon) cards
― k3vin k., Sunday, 12 January 2014 04:21 (ten years ago) link
did anyone ever actually strike gold, i.e. find a valuable card in a pack instead of buying or trading for it? I think my Will Clark rookie was the one example of that.
― signed, J.P. Morgan CEO (Hurting 2), Sunday, 12 January 2014 04:21 (ten years ago) link