http://www.outsidepitchmlb.com/uncovering-the-hidden-treasures-of-topps-baseball-cards/34410
<header id="cb-standard-featured">
[h=1]Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of Topps Baseball Cards[/h] Abby Clopton
<time class="updated" datetime="2015-08-10">August 10, 2015</time>
AL Central, AL East, AL West, Blogs, Kansas City Royals, MLB, NL Central, NL East, NL West
</header> This may be the only time I admit this publicly, but my husband is a lot smarter than me.
Topps printed so many baseball cards in the 1980’s and ’90’s, that my collection didn’t seem all that special. So when it came time to decide to keep or trash, I chose the dumpster. My husband on the other hand, kept his collection.
My decision was based on value. The monetary kind. I had no idea the sentimental value I was tossing aside.
For a while, my husband organized his collection. A binder with duplicates in their own sleeves and a pretty sweet baseball shaped container dividing players by teams and division. But, he also had a box full of hundreds more, a torn up box his mom found in the basement. That box was my mission and boy did I find some gems.
These gems aren’t worth selling, in fact I think the only one I looked up was a Randy Johnson rookie card that now goes for a whopping $9.89, but they are certainly worth keeping.
A Royals fan all my life, I was lucky to marry a man just as loyal.
Not many fans can say they suffered through the many losing years, always hopeful, never jumping on a winning bandwagon. And now, fans like us are getting the ultimate satisfaction. We watched a Game 7 at Kauffman Stadium and less than one year later, our Royals magic number sits at 41 in early August!
Of the hundreds of baseball cards I sorted through, I’m talking roughly 900, maybe one thousand, at least half were Royals. That alone made me jump back to my childhood and that little girl who adored Frank White and still geeks out every time his name is even mentioned. (You can imagine what it’s like when I’m actually in his presence. A great man and a friend to the show I produce here in Kansas City, I have had the pleasure of many insightful conversations with my all-time favorite player and a wonderful man. The best way I can describe Frank, is you can literally see his heart of gold in his eyes. They twinkle just like Santa Clause.)
When I found a #20 Frank White card, my heart skipped a beat, but he wasn’t the only player I found that my career has led me to personally.
Very few people know the amazing story of Brian Holman. He was traded with Randy
Johnson to the Mariners and while pitching for Seattle, he had a near perfect game. 26 batters retired, as close as you can get without reaching that incredibly tough milestone. Holman was a guest on a show I produced in Wichita, KS and when we both moved to Kansas City, he was nice enough to join me again on my new endeavor. Finding his baseball cards made me want to reach out to him. I had to tell him what I found.
When I text him about my plan to frame them along with that Randy Johnson rookie card he also sent me the recent pictures he took in Cooperstown, NY. The duo traded together are still great friends and Randy invited him to his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
I now have a priceless picture to frame with the three cards.
The New York Times talked to Randy Johnson. Click here to read what he said about Holman and what might have been if his career wasn’t cut short.
Those cards of Frank White, Brian Holman and Randy Johnson are close to my heart for personal reasons, but many more I discovered made me squeal like a school girl.
Bo Jackson, several Rickey Henderson cards, a young Mark McGwire, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
And then I found this… Hurricane Rex Hudler.
Four hours well spent.
Read more from Abby Clopton and Follow her on twitter for more MLB news and insight.
<header id="cb-standard-featured">
[h=1]Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of Topps Baseball Cards[/h] Abby Clopton
<time class="updated" datetime="2015-08-10">August 10, 2015</time>
AL Central, AL East, AL West, Blogs, Kansas City Royals, MLB, NL Central, NL East, NL West
</header> This may be the only time I admit this publicly, but my husband is a lot smarter than me.
Topps printed so many baseball cards in the 1980’s and ’90’s, that my collection didn’t seem all that special. So when it came time to decide to keep or trash, I chose the dumpster. My husband on the other hand, kept his collection.
My decision was based on value. The monetary kind. I had no idea the sentimental value I was tossing aside.
For a while, my husband organized his collection. A binder with duplicates in their own sleeves and a pretty sweet baseball shaped container dividing players by teams and division. But, he also had a box full of hundreds more, a torn up box his mom found in the basement. That box was my mission and boy did I find some gems.
These gems aren’t worth selling, in fact I think the only one I looked up was a Randy Johnson rookie card that now goes for a whopping $9.89, but they are certainly worth keeping.
A Royals fan all my life, I was lucky to marry a man just as loyal.
Not many fans can say they suffered through the many losing years, always hopeful, never jumping on a winning bandwagon. And now, fans like us are getting the ultimate satisfaction. We watched a Game 7 at Kauffman Stadium and less than one year later, our Royals magic number sits at 41 in early August!
When I found a #20 Frank White card, my heart skipped a beat, but he wasn’t the only player I found that my career has led me to personally.
Very few people know the amazing story of Brian Holman. He was traded with Randy
I now have a priceless picture to frame with the three cards.
The New York Times talked to Randy Johnson. Click here to read what he said about Holman and what might have been if his career wasn’t cut short.
Those cards of Frank White, Brian Holman and Randy Johnson are close to my heart for personal reasons, but many more I discovered made me squeal like a school girl.
Bo Jackson, several Rickey Henderson cards, a young Mark McGwire, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
And then I found this… Hurricane Rex Hudler.
Four hours well spent.
Read more from Abby Clopton and Follow her on twitter for more MLB news and insight.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/a...-aunts-attic-that-could-fetch-over-1-million/
A man accidentally finds baseball cards in Aunt's attic that could fetch over $1 million
By Matt Snyder 1h ago • 1 min read
OK, time to start visiting all your elder relatives and going through their attics. A man in Tennessee found a bunch of unopened baseball, football and basketball cards that could end up fetching over $1 million in an auction by Mile High Card Company.
From the article on Forbes:
The caller revealed that he had boxes of early 1960s Topps and Fleer football, 1959 Fleer Ted Williams, and many other sealed packs. They all had been found fairly recently in his 90-year-old aunt's attic in Tennessee after his uncle passed away. For more than half a century, the uncle had kept packs untouched in a Stroh's beer box almost as old as the cards themselves.
By the way, there was also a 1961 Fleer Basketball unopened box of wax packs, probably containing the rookie cards of Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson.
Not only that, but the person who found the cards also stumbled upon a box with 19 packs of 1948 Bowman cards, the first-ever set of baseball cards. Reportedly this box on its own is worth $500,000 and the total haul for the man who found these cards by accident could well be over $1 million.
A man accidentally finds baseball cards in Aunt's attic that could fetch over $1 million
By Matt Snyder 1h ago • 1 min read
OK, time to start visiting all your elder relatives and going through their attics. A man in Tennessee found a bunch of unopened baseball, football and basketball cards that could end up fetching over $1 million in an auction by Mile High Card Company.
From the article on Forbes:
The caller revealed that he had boxes of early 1960s Topps and Fleer football, 1959 Fleer Ted Williams, and many other sealed packs. They all had been found fairly recently in his 90-year-old aunt's attic in Tennessee after his uncle passed away. For more than half a century, the uncle had kept packs untouched in a Stroh's beer box almost as old as the cards themselves.
By the way, there was also a 1961 Fleer Basketball unopened box of wax packs, probably containing the rookie cards of Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson.
Not only that, but the person who found the cards also stumbled upon a box with 19 packs of 1948 Bowman cards, the first-ever set of baseball cards. Reportedly this box on its own is worth $500,000 and the total haul for the man who found these cards by accident could well be over $1 million.
Forget The Michael Jordan Fleer Rookie, His 'Mythical' Card Skyrockets To $121K on eBay
David Seideman
Forbes
In 1997-98, Skybox produced a 123-card metal basketball insert issue in addition to its base set. The first ten of each the 100 serially printed cards had an emerald green background. One of them featured Michael Jordan.
The PMG Jordan is a holy grail for modern day basketball card collectors.PHOTO BY DAVID SEIDEMAN
In 1997-98, Skybox produced a 123-card metal basketball insert issue in addition to its base set. The first ten of each the 100 serially printed cards had an emerald green background. One of them featured Michael Jordan.
The Precious Metal Gems Green (PMG) cards came in packs costing a few dollars.
For a decade, no one except a few diehards paid much attention. “Initially, the cards were no more popular than other basketball inserts of the era, but that changed about ten years ago when the set became sort of a cult favorite,” notes Rich Mueller in Sports Collectors Daily.
“Nobody saw it coming,” wrote Juan Martinez in the same publication in 2012. ” [The PMGs] have become the de facto Holy Grail of modern basketball cards,1986-87 Fleer be damned.”
For the record, the Jordan rookie from that year is the world’s most famous basketball card, averaging about $21,000, according to Vintage Card Prices. Jordan is, of course, the world’s greatest player of all time with six championships to his name.
One of the 10 Jordan PMGs in existence is up on eBay in a PWCC auction and has soared to $121,100 after an astounding 62 bids, (This listing is restricted to pre-approved buyers only.) Bidding ends on February 20.
“It’s already blown past the most ever paid for one of Jordan’s highest graded 1986-87 Fleer rookie cards,” Mueller adds.
Cardboard Connection, a collecting site, hails the Jordan PMG as “nearly mythical.”
PWCC declares that “If you’re lucky, you might see this card once in your life, let alone have the chance to acquire it.”
Today, condition almost always determines the value of the highest priced cards such as the $2.88 million mint 1952 Mantle Topps sold last year. So it’s all the more remarkable that this Jordan has real condition issues, including chipping to the edges and “irregular wear to the right edge,” according to PWCC, eBay’s largest card seller.
The Jordan otherwise “exhibits excellent-mint to near-mint qualities,” it adds. For reasons PWCC doesn’t fathom, the card is only listed as “Authentic,” with no grading provided. PSA states that “the ‘Authentic’ label means that the item, in our opinion, is real but nothing more.”
The last Jordan PMG sold privately four years ago for a “record small six-figure sum,” Mueller adds.
The current consignor is a private collector who must be counting his lucky stars. Besides the Jordan, his PMG greens include a rookie year Tim Duncan ($18,188), Scottie Pippen ($7,000), and a Grant Hill ($6,200).
And he never even had his six PMG cards authenticated and graded until recently. He was, thus, likely unaware of the small fortune he was sitting upon—till now.
David Seideman
Forbes
In 1997-98, Skybox produced a 123-card metal basketball insert issue in addition to its base set. The first ten of each the 100 serially printed cards had an emerald green background. One of them featured Michael Jordan.
The PMG Jordan is a holy grail for modern day basketball card collectors.PHOTO BY DAVID SEIDEMAN
In 1997-98, Skybox produced a 123-card metal basketball insert issue in addition to its base set. The first ten of each the 100 serially printed cards had an emerald green background. One of them featured Michael Jordan.
The Precious Metal Gems Green (PMG) cards came in packs costing a few dollars.
For a decade, no one except a few diehards paid much attention. “Initially, the cards were no more popular than other basketball inserts of the era, but that changed about ten years ago when the set became sort of a cult favorite,” notes Rich Mueller in Sports Collectors Daily.
“Nobody saw it coming,” wrote Juan Martinez in the same publication in 2012. ” [The PMGs] have become the de facto Holy Grail of modern basketball cards,1986-87 Fleer be damned.”
For the record, the Jordan rookie from that year is the world’s most famous basketball card, averaging about $21,000, according to Vintage Card Prices. Jordan is, of course, the world’s greatest player of all time with six championships to his name.
One of the 10 Jordan PMGs in existence is up on eBay in a PWCC auction and has soared to $121,100 after an astounding 62 bids, (This listing is restricted to pre-approved buyers only.) Bidding ends on February 20.
“It’s already blown past the most ever paid for one of Jordan’s highest graded 1986-87 Fleer rookie cards,” Mueller adds.
Cardboard Connection, a collecting site, hails the Jordan PMG as “nearly mythical.”
PWCC declares that “If you’re lucky, you might see this card once in your life, let alone have the chance to acquire it.”
Today, condition almost always determines the value of the highest priced cards such as the $2.88 million mint 1952 Mantle Topps sold last year. So it’s all the more remarkable that this Jordan has real condition issues, including chipping to the edges and “irregular wear to the right edge,” according to PWCC, eBay’s largest card seller.
The Jordan otherwise “exhibits excellent-mint to near-mint qualities,” it adds. For reasons PWCC doesn’t fathom, the card is only listed as “Authentic,” with no grading provided. PSA states that “the ‘Authentic’ label means that the item, in our opinion, is real but nothing more.”
The last Jordan PMG sold privately four years ago for a “record small six-figure sum,” Mueller adds.
The current consignor is a private collector who must be counting his lucky stars. Besides the Jordan, his PMG greens include a rookie year Tim Duncan ($18,188), Scottie Pippen ($7,000), and a Grant Hill ($6,200).
And he never even had his six PMG cards authenticated and graded until recently. He was, thus, likely unaware of the small fortune he was sitting upon—till now.
https://geekspin.co/lucky-woman-finds-130k-baseball-card-inside-a-used-piano/
Wow
[h=1]LUCKY WOMAN FINDS $130K BASEBALL CARD INSIDE A USED PIANO[/h][h=2]The piano she bought cost just $25k.[/h][COLOR=var(--g1-mtxt-color)]by JOSH JOHNSON<time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-05-09T15:10:15" itemprop="datePublished" title="May 9, 2019, 3:10 pm" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; outline: 0px; vertical-align: top; display: block; white-space: nowrap; background-position: 0px 0px;">about 19 hours ago</time>[/COLOR]
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</figure>When a Maryland woman named Ellen Kelly called a handyman to fix a pedal on her piano, little did she know she was about to receive a six-figure windfall.
As she tells it, shortly thereafter a troublesome pedal prompted her to call a repair person who, in turn, discovered a trove of over 100 early-20th century baseball cards, including a 1916 Babe Ruth card.
</article>
Darren Rovell
✔@darrenrovell
JUST IN: @GoodwinAuctions says it has sold this Babe Ruth rookie for $130,054. It was found in a piano purchased for $25 at an estate sale.
589
5:29 PM - Apr 26, 2019
164 people are talking about this
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While she was initially elated by the discovery, Kelly decided to wait all these years before showcasing her rare find for all to see.
Now able to reflect on the 27-year journey, Kelly says the piano was undoubtedly the “best $25 [she’s] ever spent.”
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$9.95
(5)
300 Unopened Baseball Cards Collection in Factory Sealed Packs of Vintage MLB Baseball Cards From the Late 80's and Early 90's. Look for Hall-of-Famers Such As Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, & Tony Gwynn.
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[h=1]LUCKY WOMAN FINDS $130K BASEBALL CARD INSIDE A USED PIANO[/h][h=2]The piano she bought cost just $25k.[/h][COLOR=var(--g1-mtxt-color)]by JOSH JOHNSON<time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-05-09T15:10:15" itemprop="datePublished" title="May 9, 2019, 3:10 pm" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; outline: 0px; vertical-align: top; display: block; white-space: nowrap; background-position: 0px 0px;">about 19 hours ago</time>[/COLOR]
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</aside><figure class="entry-featured-media entry-featured-media-main" itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-standard; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; background-position: 0px 0px;">
</figure>When a Maryland woman named Ellen Kelly called a handyman to fix a pedal on her piano, little did she know she was about to receive a six-figure windfall.
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The story begins in the year 1992 when Kelly first purchased the piano from an estate sale. Though the instrument had already been in her family for many decades, the low sticker price of $25 was too tempting to resist. She bit the bullet.
As she tells it, shortly thereafter a troublesome pedal prompted her to call a repair person who, in turn, discovered a trove of over 100 early-20th century baseball cards, including a 1916 Babe Ruth card.
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Darren Rovell✔@darrenrovell
JUST IN: @GoodwinAuctions says it has sold this Babe Ruth rookie for $130,054. It was found in a piano purchased for $25 at an estate sale.
589
5:29 PM - Apr 26, 2019
164 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
While she was initially elated by the discovery, Kelly decided to wait all these years before showcasing her rare find for all to see.
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Officially titled “M101-4 Sporting News Blank Back Babe Ruth RC No. 151,” the card was recently sold at a Beckett Goodwin Auction for a whopping $130,053, more than double the pre-sale estimate.
Now able to reflect on the 27-year journey, Kelly says the piano was undoubtedly the “best $25 [she’s] ever spent.”
Shop Related Products
2018 Topps Series 1 MLB Baseball EXCLUSIVE Factory Sealed JUMBO FAT Pack with 36 Cards including Legends in the Making Insert! Loaded with Cool Inserts & Rookies! Look for Autographs & Relics! Loaded!
$9.95
(5)
300 Unopened Baseball Cards Collection in Factory Sealed Packs of Vintage MLB Baseball Cards From the Late 80's and Early 90's. Look for Hall-of-Famers Such As Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, & Tony Gwynn.
$16.95
(149)
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