The week since getting back from the Strongsville show has been a busy one, card-wise. On Friday, my friend Ken hosted a sports card collectors group meetup and we each set up a selling/trading station.
One of the tables was filled with modern basketball, including an impressive collection of Victor Wembanyama cards, each of which were completely out of my price range. Thankfully, one of the tables had a vintage card that I could afford, of a player I had wanted to get a playing-day card of for a long time.
While I don’t know much about the history of the Nippon Professional Baseball league, I know enough to say that Sadaharu Oh is one of the true legends of the sport. He had an eye-popping 868 lifetime home runs, leading the Central League in home runs 15 different times, and he won the Central League MVP nine times. And now I have a third-year card of his, and it’s fantastic. Eventually, I’ll have to get his rookie card.
Then, Saturday morning, I went a little early to a garage sale that had sports cards in its Craig’s List listing. I’d been to the same house for another recent garage sale, and arriving early was a good choice, as I was able to get a sizable collection of cards (about 10-15,000) for less than $200.
I may record videos going through some of the collection, as it included some vintage cards, but I honestly just enjoy discovering random cards that I would otherwise never see. As an added bonus, this collection will likely force me to better familiarize myself with modern cards.
In this issue you'll find:
Auction highlights
News in the hobby
Trending vintage sports cards
Recent Vintage Card Voyage videos
ICYMI
Let’s get into it.
Auction Highlights
In order of closing date (as of Sunday evening PT):
Elite Collectibles (ending on April 21)
⚾ 1972 Topps Nolan Ryan #595 SGC 6.5 - $91
⚾ 1963 Topps Roger Maris #120 PSA 4 - $53
🏀 1970-71 Topps Lew Alcindor #75 (Raw - Damaged) - $33
Sirius Sports Cards Auction (ending on April 23)
⚾ 1954 Topps Larry Doby #70 PSA 8 (OC) - $97
🏈 1951 Bowman Bill Walsh #23 PSA 7 - $88
⚾ 1975 Topps Robin Yount #223 Signed PSA 6 / PSA/DNA 9 - $72
Heritage Auctions Sports Showcase (ending on April 25)
🏈 1948 Bowman Sid Luckman #107 PSA 4 - $75
🏈 1954 Bowman Bobby Layne #53 Signed PSA 2 / PSA/DNA 9 - $80
⚾ 1948 R302-2 M.P. & Co. Joe DiMaggio (Hand Cut) #105 SGC 2 - $85
The Collector Connection (ending on April 26)
⚾ 1963 Topps Ernie Banks #380 SGC 6 - $83
🏈 1952 Bowman Small Tom Landry #142 PSA 3 - $72
🏀 1977 Topps Basketball White Backs Complete Set (Raw) EX/MT - $62
Other active auctions:
Hunt Auctions (ends on April 29)
Clean Sweep Auctions (ends on April 30)
News Briefs
Vintage Sports Cards on the Move
I’m trying something different this week. I put together these lists from a collection of lists on Vintage Card Prices, and they’re the vintage cards (1980 and earlier) whose prices have moved up (and down) the highest percentage this past week.
I will note that sales have various factors to consider, including the subjective nature of vintage cards, the dynamic of a card sold via auction vs. “buy it now,” how long the card may have been in someone’s store (and thus the seller may be more willing to accept an offer), and how some people may overpay while others may get a great deal.
First, let’s tackle cards moving up, starting with baseball:
Card | Pct. Increase | Most Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
1948 Leaf Kent Peterson SGC 60 (Black Cap) | 282% | $103.20 |
1978 Kellogg’s Eddie Murray PSA 8 | 100% | $66.08 |
1971 Topps Pete Rose PSA 5 | 97% | $77.00 |
1965 Topps Athletics 1965 Rookie Stars PSA 4 | 92% | $66.00 |
1979 Topps Willie Stargell PSA 8 | 91% | $112.50 |
1971 Topps Reggie Jackson PSA 4 | 84% | $36.00 |
1955 Bowman Roy Campanella PSA 4 | 76% | $79.00 |
1960 Topps Al Kaline PSA 4 | 72% | $56.78 |
1975 Topps No Hitters PSA 7 (Includes N. Ryan) | 63% | $39.00 |
1962 Topps Gaylord Perry PSA 6 | 60% | $229.50 |
Next, football:
Card | Pct. Increase | Most Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
1972 Topps Roger Staubach PSA 4 | 60% | $97.88 |
1955 Topps All-American Fats Henry PSA 4 | 50% | $45.00 |
1976 Topps Walter Payton PSA 2 | 10% | $200.50 |
1969 Topps Larry Csonka PSA 5 | 10% | $56.00 |
And since there aren’t enough vintage basketball cards, I’ll include hockey as well:
Card | Pct. Increase | Most Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
1972 Topps Julius Erving PSA 2 | 38% | $400.00 |
1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky PSA 6 | 12% | $1,694.00 |
1979 Topps Wayne Gretzky PSA 4 | 10% | $1,241.00 |
1969 O-Pee-Chee Tony Esposito PSA 8 | 7% | $404.00 |
Meanwhile, here are the cards declining, with nine of the 10 being baseball cards:
Card | Pct. Decrease | Most Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
1954 Topps Willie Mays PSA 4 | 68% | $817.00 |
1969 Topps Reggie Jackson PSA 4 | 63% | $220.50 |
1959 Topps Ford Frick PSA 7 | 57% | $99.99 |
1965 Topps Ken Boyer PSA 8 | 55% | $108.00 |
1909 White Borders Piedmont & Sweet Caporal Mitchell, Cincinnati SGC 40 | 52% | $97.00 |
1961 Topps Ernie Banks MVP PSA 6 | 49% | $68.00 |
1956 Topps Roberto Clemente (Grey Back) PSA 4.5 | 49% | $790.00 |
1909 White Borders Piedmont & Sweet Caporal Huggins, Cincinnati SGC 40 | 42% | $152.52 |
1976 Topps Rod McNeil PSA 10 (Football) | 42% | $78.00 |
1957 Topps Frank Robinson PSA 4 | 40% | $250.50 |
Is knowing which vintage sports cards are on the move useful?
Vintage Card Voyage: Recent Videos
This is the YouTube channel I co-host with my friend Ken.
ICYMI
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Thanks for reading.
Marc