| Sports card collecting appeals to a wide variety of | | | | production. These upper end cards went for a |
| people from different age groups and | | | | premium price and led the way for the later more |
| backgrounds. These people collect for various | | | | expensive card lines.Since the late 80's and early |
| reasons which range from the love of sports to | | | | 90's the number of various sports card sets have |
| monetary gain. The sports cards themselves | | | | increased considerably. Each of the 4 main card |
| have grown to represent most of the major | | | | companies produced many sets in each sport |
| sports including Nascar.My first recollections of | | | | category. Some produced under different labels |
| sports card collecting were in the early 50's when | | | | such as Topps Stadium Club etc. Along with this |
| baseball was a major part of my life. These were | | | | increased production came a dilution of card |
| the good times when I looked on life as being | | | | values. Each producer also over produced the lines |
| simple with my greatest concerns being good | | | | that they had.Even though this lowering of values |
| grades in school and finding another pickup game | | | | came along, it probably just did away with some |
| of baseball to play in.This was the era when a | | | | of the inflation of prices due to hype and demand. |
| few extra pennies meant that I walked or rode | | | | Some felt that the newer cards didn't carry their |
| my bicycle about a mile to the store below my | | | | true value and were overpriced when they first |
| house and purchased Topps baseball cards. It | | | | came onto the scene anyway. Some of the new |
| meant that they were separated into teams and | | | | cards had inflated value that caused their prices |
| put into a small toolbox that my father had made | | | | to be as high as the true collectable older cards. |
| for me. I collected Yankee baseball and Mickey | | | | There was no real reason for the new cards to |
| Mantle cards along with others until I graduated | | | | carry the prices that people were asking.No |
| from high school and went off to college. This | | | | matter what the price, true or not, there a still a |
| was the year that my cards were given to a | | | | lot of people collect the sports cards for various |
| younger boy in the neighborhood by my mother. | | | | reason. These people collect in different ways and |
| To this day I still get a funny feeling when I walk | | | | concentrate on different areas of collecting.One of |
| into a store and see the new packs of sports and | | | | the main areas of collecting is the individual player |
| racing cards.When these sports cards were first | | | | rookie cards. These cards may not necessarily be |
| produced, they were used primarily as | | | | from the first year that a player plays in the |
| promotional items for products such as tobacco | | | | major leagues but it is his first card produced |
| which was later replaced with bubble gum. By this | | | | within a set. Generally a player has a first card |
| time, the cards were taking over the focus more | | | | produced by several manufactures and may even |
| so than the products that they were advertising. | | | | be in some subsets. The number of each sets |
| Sports cards, to this day, are still used to draw | | | | produced helps determine the value of the |
| attention to various products.One sports | | | | individual players card in that set. His card value is |
| collectable that some may not consider a sports | | | | also affected by his statistics in his career, others |
| card but has always been a fascination to me is | | | | expectations of him at the plate and how popular |
| the 1952 and 53 Dixie Cup lids. These were Dixie | | | | that he has become on his way to the major |
| Cup ice cream lids with famous pictures under | | | | leagues. Some collectors lose money due to the |
| them and covered with a paper similar to wax | | | | fact that the player does not live up to his |
| paper for protection. The Dixie Cup company | | | | expectations. I have also seen other players card |
| produce these picture lids from the early 30's until | | | | values change because of his life off of the |
| the mid 50's but the 2 afore mentioned years | | | | playing field. In some cases, drug use by a player |
| were the only ones that produced sports figure | | | | has greatly affected the value of his career and |
| pictures.After WWII major league players | | | | also his sports cards.Another type of collecting is |
| returned from the war and the paper stock was | | | | the area of special cards or insert cards added to |
| no loner need for the war effort, the first nation | | | | the regular. This became popular in the mid to late |
| wide baseball card set was produced by the | | | | 80's and early 90's. The insert cards can be |
| Bowman Gum Company of Philadelphia in 1948. | | | | special player cards from other sports. One of the |
| Compared to the standards of today, these cards | | | | first popular inserts that comes to mind was the |
| weren't very much to look at and contained no | | | | Michael Jordan card in the Upper Deck packs. |
| color. The faces were black and white pictures of | | | | Signature cards are also a popular type of insert |
| players. These contained not writing referring to | | | | card. Most of these cards were produced in a |
| the players name or position. The backs had | | | | limited number thus increasing their value due to |
| writing but were kept very simple with some | | | | lesser quantities. Sometimes redeemable cards |
| player information included. There was an | | | | are used that you can turn in for other products |
| advertisment at the bottom of the back. These | | | | or cards. The practice of inserting older valuable |
| were smaller than most of the cards produced at | | | | cards into packs have been used.Some individuals |
| a later date. This was the first nationally issued | | | | collect cards by buying and keeping unopened |
| set since the early 40's.These 48 Bowman cards | | | | packs. This practice seemed to be more |
| were produced in two series and were printed in | | | | prevalent before the price inflation caused the |
| sheets of 36 cards. This was the size of the | | | | values to drop. Unopened cases and boxes were |
| sheets that the factory could produce. This whole | | | | kept as investments for the future. Some of |
| set contained a total of 48 cards and the twelve | | | | these unopened cases were like gold. Some of |
| additonal cards were were substituted for 12 of | | | | their values were unbelievable.Complete sets from |
| the original cards printed on the first sheet. This | | | | certain years are very popular collectables. If |
| resulted in short-prints of some of the cards from | | | | Topps or one of the other manufacturers had a |
| the original series.Naturally, this first set since the | | | | very good card for a certain year or the set |
| war had an abundance of rookie and first time | | | | contained a lot of good rookie cards the sets |
| printed players. Included in these, were players | | | | became more collectable and sought after. Some |
| such as Berra, Musial, Spahn, Sain, Henrich, and | | | | collectors only kept factory sets and others built |
| Rizzuto. Some of the popular and rookie players | | | | sets from boxes and packs. Most ot those that |
| fell into the short-print group making their cards | | | | built their own sets looked for the perfect card |
| even more sought after.Topps, probably the | | | | with the highest grade. Which of the sets, factory |
| most know bubble gum and sportscard producer, | | | | or hand built, has the greatest value is still |
| came onto the scene in 1951 and along with | | | | debatable.A card collector that collects for the |
| Bowman were the only card producers until the | | | | enjoyment does it for many different reasons. |
| early 80's. Topps purchased Bowman in 1956 and | | | | Some collect cards of their favorite teams, |
| was the only producer until this time. In the early | | | | players, regions, or sports. Whatever the reason |
| 80's Fleer and Donruss began producing | | | | for collecting, sports card collecting has in the past |
| sportscards. In 1989 Upper Deck, what I consider | | | | and still is a very popular and sometimes |
| the supreme sports card maker, started | | | | moneymaking hobbie. |