Hobby Library

Fleer’s 18-Year Comeback Fight!

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A few weeks ago, after sharing an article from Baseball Cards Magazine about 1952 Topps cards, a collector wrote how much he missed baseball card journalism’s good old days. So here’s another excellent example about 1963 Fleer cards!

Rober L. Parker wrote this piece, which Baseball Cards Magazine published in their 2nd issue (Vol 1, No.2) in 1981.

“Reports of Fleer’s demise as a baseball card power in 1963 were, as Mark Twain would say, ‘greatly exaggerated.’…”

Happy collecting, but also happy writing!

The 1992-93 Topps Archives Basketball Set: A Look at What Could Have Been

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Ever “wonder what Topps basketball cards might have looked like during the hiatus years, 1983-91, when Topps discontinued its hoops series?” Topps presents the 1992-93 Topps Archives Basketball set, with designs matching their baseball counterparts!

That Pippen card was available on eBay in late March 2025 for $145.

Topps highlighted the release in issue 14 of Topps Magazine (Spring 1993) and gave away 20 boxes via a random drawing.

Since I write an Unopened Newsletter and maintain the Unopened Archive page here on the site, here’s a photo of the box, case, factory set (where collectors would find the gold parallels), and factory set case.

For more, check out this great piece from Sports Collectors Daily and the set’s page on TCDB; happy collecting!

Rare 1945 Cubs World Series Ticket Sign: A Cool Hobby Cave Piece from Wrigley Field

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If you’re a Cubs fan, how’s this for a cool hobby cave display piece: a 1945 World Series Ticket Sign from Wrigley Field?

This one came from a 2003 auction catalog, but in June 2016, Lelands sold the following Game 6 copy for $360, and I think it’s the exact same one (see the top right corner)

You can find other 10” x 14” Gate versions of these signs, but this one depicts four mounted proof tickets for Gate 2 and Game 6: Standing Room ($3.60), Lower Grand Stand ($6.00), Mezzanine ($7.20), and Box ($7.20). The tickets were used so ticket takers could identify fakes and differentiate tickets intended for that gate.

And hey, the Cubs actually won this game!

Happy collecting!

With $500, Which Hockey Cards Would You Buy?

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In May 1995, Trading Cards Magazine ran a piece by Jim Stevens asking which hockey cards were worth buying with $500. I thought it’d be fun to see how John Moore’s picks have held up!

You can see that Moore recommended: One Ken Dryden 1971-72 OPC RC #45, $300; one Patrick Roy 1986-87 OPC RC #53, $140; two Dale Hawerchuk 1982-83 OPC RCs #380, $36; and four Paul Kariya 1992-93 UD RCs #586, $24. Total expense: $500.

Let’s assume he was talking about cards that would grade PSA 8s, which is a bit optimistic, but I need to compare against something.

It looks like Ken Dryden’s PSA 8 RC’s are ~$1475, Roy PSA 8 rookies are ~$330, Hawerchuk’s RC is ~$40 (times two is $80), and Paul Kariya’s UD RC is essentially worthless in a PSA 8 slab. So combined, that’s $1,885 from the original $500. But just a moment, the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator says that $500 in May 1995 has the same purchasing power as $1,043.60 in January 2025.

Not bad by Moore overall. But everyone probably should have stuck to Gretzky’s rookie cards, eh? 

Happy Collecting!

Rookie Sensation – 1992-93 Topps Basketball Card Sets

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Topps Magazine’s final issue (Number 16) came out in the Fall of 1993, and it featured this fantastic article by Larry O’Rourke on the 1992-93 Topps Basketball sets!

“After an 11-year hiatus, Topps returned to the NBA in 1992-93 with two star-studded sets, Topps and Stadium Club.”

I almost forgot about the 1992-93 Topps Archives set—regular Topps and Stadium Club are junk-wax staples; hey, Beam Team and ToppsGold!

Happy Collecting!

Unearthing a 1978 Eddie Murray RC Panel: A Nostalgic Find From Oregon Trail Auctions

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In the fifth part of my deep dive into 1978 Topps baseball cards, I explored the allure of Topps Dynamite Magazine Panels. So, I was pleased to find this 1978 Eddie Murray RC insert while perusing the September 1996 Oregon Trail Sports Auctions catalog!

In the 1978 Dynamite Magazine Panel deep dive, I even highlighted a Chronicles of Fuji post from June 2013 when the author sniped a copy with Murray on it off eBay for under $30; maybe it’s the same one!

Happy collecting!

1952 Topps Baseball – A Hobby Game-Changer

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I can never get enough of 1952 Topps, so when I stumbled on Ted Taylor’s “Milestones” article from the September ’87 Baseball Cards Magazine, I knew I had to share it. Classic read!

I wish I could still get a high-quality set for $23,000, like in 1987! Also, the author mentioned picking up 1952 Topps cello packs the following summer in ’53; I’ve heard about this before and will dig deeper, maybe for a future Unopened Market Report Newsletter. Anywho, here’s the entire piece.

Happy collecting!