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7 Things To Consider Before Buying Sporting Memorabilia 0

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Caleb Green

Buying sports memorabilia is nothing new. In fact, collecting sporting items like signed athlete equipment, trading cards, contracts, and even a famous athlete’s baby photo dates back to the 1800s when baseball was becoming a popular pastime for New York’s elites. 

Today, collectors are even more aggressive when it comes to hunting down era-defining sports collectibles. It’s gotten so big that items like baseball and basketball cards have reached the million-dollar range in terms of value. The money involved in this business has attracted serious collectors and dealers like Thiago de Mattos and others investors who want a piece of this profitable industry. 

For a rookie collector, this may seem too overwhelming. But this article will cover all that you need to know before you buy your first sporting memorabilia. 

1. Know the Value of an Item

If you’re new to collecting sports memorabilia, do your research. The first step to collecting is knowing the value of a particular item. Factors like rarity, condition, age, authenticity, and the current market price all affect a sporting memorabilia’s value. Knowing the value of an item is essential because it helps you determine the price and the potential investment value a sporting item has. 

As a serious collector, you don’t want to be paying more for something that should cost less. As someone looking at sporting memorabilia as an investment, you’d want a collection that will rise in value over time. You can find most of the information you need online, so make sure to check auction records and online forums to see how much a collectible cost and how to spot fakes. 

2. Choose A Theme For Your Collection

Some sporting memorabilia are so valuable that it costs millions of dollars. And even if you’re not buying those expensive collectibles, collecting rare memorabilia can still break the bank if you try to chase everything. 

This is why it’s crucial that you narrow down your option into a specific theme. Sports collectibles can range from trading cards, signed sports equipment, game-worn jerseys, and many more. Decide which ones you’ll include in your collection. 

When choosing a theme for your collection, make sure that it reflects what you love and appreciate about the sport, team, or athlete. Streamlining your collection this way can help make your hunt for these items easier. You’ll avoid getting frustrated and accumulating a ton of things that you may no longer appreciate later on. 

3. Set A Working Budget

Just recently, a 1:1 Luka Doncic rookie NBA card sold for $4.6 million US dollars. Although that type of collectible is on the upper echelon of trading cards, you need to understand that even lower-value items can have a hefty price tag. 

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Ultimate LaMelo Ball Rookie Card Guide! (Best Cards and Investment Outlook) 3

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Gold Card Auctions

The clear favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season, LaMelo Ball is a special player. Upon entering the All-Star break, he ranked first among rookies in total points (553), rebounds (211), assists (221) and steals (57) despite not starting a game for the Hornets until February 1. 

The only rookie in the last sixty years to lead on four fronts, even team owner Michael Jordan has been impressed with his progress, telling AP;

“I think Melo has adjusted to the NBA game better than any of us ever thought this early in his career, he has exceeded our expectations so far this season.”

Here’s a roundup containing the top six LaMelo Ball rookie cards, along with investment advice during his white-hot streak.

Top 6 LaMelo Ball Rookie Cards 

As the third pick in the 2020 draft, there’s an abundance of Ball RCs, especially if you factor in for the hundreds of parallel versions. To make things a bit easier, we’ve selected the top six Melo rookie cards below, with something to suit almost every budget.

2020 LaMelo Ball Hoops RC #223

The 2020-21 Hoops set contains many of the first RCs released this season, and it’s where we’ll begin. 

Melo’s base card is reasonably simple, with an image of the player located in the middle, holding a basketball in his right hand. The image is set against a black background, with an oval shaped border which will change colour depending on the parallel. 

There’s an RC logo located on the top right corner, and his name is found in chrome at the bottom.

2020-21 Hoops Parallels: Blue, Hyper Blue, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Explosion, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Premium Box Base (/199), Silver (/199), Green (/99), Hyper Red (/99), Green Explosion (/89), Red (/75), Teal (/70), Blue Explosion (/59), Artist Proof (/25), Hyper Green (/25), Orange (/25), Orange Explosion (/25), Red Explosion (/15), Artist Proof Gold (/10), Hyper Gold (/10), Tribute Autograph (/10), Artist Proof Black (1/1) 

2020 LaMelo Ball Donruss Rated Rookie RC #202

Another popular Melo RC that is still reasonably affordable, the Rated Rookie subset contains the next card to make the list. It focuses on the player, with a simple image of the star holding a ball in both hands.  

Don’t let the lack of an autograph put you off, graded copies of the rarer parallels are definitely worth holding onto. 

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Remembering the Topps Candy Lids 1

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Joe Juhasz

1970/1972/1973 Topps Candy Lids
Checklist & Values


1973 Topps Candy Lids Box 1973 Topps Candy Lids Tub Topps has tried many crazy products, often called “test issues”. Test issues were usually only distributed in limited areas and were difficult to find. Candy Lids were one of Topps most unusual; little tubs of candy with player’s photos on bottom of the 1 7/8″ lids. The 10 cent candy’s came 24 to a box. Sealed tubs can still be found in the $150 to $200 range. Called “Baseball Stars Bubble Gum”, the 1970 Topps Candy Lids set had 24 different players, while 1973 Topps Candy Lids had 55.

1970 Topps Candy Lids Front 1970 Topps Candy Lids Back 1972 Topps Candy Lids Ryan Topps released their first Candy Lids in 1970. The 1970 Topps Candy Lids are very, very hard to find and had small photos of Tom Seaver, Carl Yastrzemski and Frank Howard.

In 1973 the candy was replaced by gum, the mini photo of Frank Howard was gone from the top of the lid and team logos were airburshed off the player’s caps. Even the tiny Yaz and Seaver photos logos removed. 1973 Topps Candy Lids are hard to find, but not nearly as scarce as the 1970’s. In 1972 a Topps Candy Lids issue was planned but never released although a few proofs do exist.

1973 Topps Comics Topps released two other test issue sets in 1973 (1973 Topps Pinups and 1973 Topps Comics). The 1973 Topps Comics and 1973 Topps Candy Lids shared many photos and again had no team logos. If thinking “licensing dispute”, you are likely right. Topps received player’s union’s permission for these test issues, but not Major League Baseball’s. Issues over rights & fees with MLBPA and the player’s union resulted in Topps started shutting down future production of test issues putting an end to some of their most fun collectibles.

Click for complete 1973 Topps Candy Lids Checklist and Prices
Note: You may be on that page right now.

The Incredible Value of the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Baseball Card 1

Posted on May 02, 2017 by Ross Uitts

It’s considered the most iconic post-War baseball card in the hobby yet it’s also commonly mistaken as his rookie card.

That’s right, the 1952 Topps #311 card is actually not Mickey Mantle’s rookie card.

That distinction would belong to the 1951 Bowman #253 card.

But even though that one is Mickey Mantle’s true rookie card, it’s actually his 1952 Topps #311 that is the more valuable of the two.

1951-Bowman-253-Mickey-Mantle-rookie-card

And as you might often expect, Mantle is a rare case where a player’s rookie card isn’t his most valuable.

So, why is that?

Well, the story is actually quite fascinating.

Topps has been the biggest name in sports cards since 1952 when they released their first official baseball card set.

And that’s the first of several factors that make’s Mantle’s 1952 Topps card so valuable: he was the most popular player in the industry juggernaut’s first set.  This immediately sends the card’s historical value through the roof. Even common cards of this set can fetch hundreds of dollars in top condition.

The second reason for its high value is because it’s way scarcer that you might expect.

To understand how scarce it is, you’ve got to remember that Topps and other manufacturers released baseball cards in multiple series. At the beginning of the 1952 baseball season, kids were chasing cards in Series 1, tearing through the 5 cent packs in search of their heroes. But Mantle was nowhere to be found. Series 1 only included cards #1-310, and Topps had earmarked Mantle to be card #311.

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  • Vintage Athlete of the Month

    • Archie Griffin: 2-Time Heisman Winner
      December 11, 2022 | 1:42 pm
      Archie Griffin

      The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is the only football player ever to capture college football’s top individual award twice.

      As a star running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Archie Griffin claimed the Heisman Trophy during his junior season in 1974 and then was able to repeat the honor the following season.

      Griffin joined the Buckeyes for the 1972 season, which happened to be the first in which freshmen were eligible to play varsity football, and made an immediate impact. After fumbling in his only carry of his first game, Griffin more than made up for it in his second game by rushing for 237 yards against North Carolina. By the end of the season, Griffin had rushed for 867 yards.

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