Jeffrey D. Mullen Presents Vintage Basketball Cards
A GUIDE TO APRIL 2003 NEWS
Jeff@vintagebasketballcards.info
Wednesday April 30
Great Item On Sale
From what I hear, sportscardsplus just got a raw set of 1948, 1957, and 1961s wherein half of them are signed. They want $10,000 for the lot (from what I hear). This is kinda cool, but you have to remember that most of these guys are still alive.
I sold all of my 1970 Topps PSA 9s (I had about 10% of the set) so no need for inquiring emails on that subject however I still have a bunch of 1969 PSA 8s to get rid of.
I decided to start up collecting the 1957 Topps in PSA 8. If you have any of them, let me know because I would be interested in trading for them.
I got a scan of the back of the 1957 Russel on Mile High Card Cos auction, it is a really nice card.
On ebay, there is an uncut sheet of 1980-81s going today.
In other news, I can't stress how useful the internet is and how just changing a word can get you different search results. Last night, for example, I found a new store with vintage BOXES (YEAH) and also one with Comspecs. Anyway, off to a review session for law school
Monday April 28 & Tuesday April 29
Personal Update
So, as some of you know, I work full-time during the day and I go to law school at night. These next two weeks define finals weeks so I will not be posting extensive amounts of information. Furthermore, I may accidently skip some posts. All I have to say is that after the finals end, I will be working hard this summer to create an really useful site. If I can figure out how, I would love to create a site where you log in and as you browse the cards ... if you have one ... you can check a box and it will automatically populate a "your cards" section. That may be too much functionality for this ole programmer though. Anyway, please understand the weak postings this/next month.
Auction Update
The results for mastronet's last auction have posted.
New Items for Sale
Well as soon as I posted my 1970 PSA 9 Playoff Game #6 (Chamberlain) on ebay at a buy-it-now of $450 it sold ... I wonder if I could have gotten more for it? Anyway, I posted up two more of my 1969 8's.
Sunday April 27
Auction Update
Lelands auction catalogue is now online at www.lelands.com and they have some really good items. Apparently, Lelands got a big consignment from Bill Sharman.
Items for Sale
I placed two of my cards on ebay last night.
April 24 to April 25
Sorry for the delay in the update ... I was fooling around with making some apparel so that I can be easily recognized at the national. The site I used had an awesome feature that allowed me to pretty much create an online store. I probably will change the look of the merchandise, but some of it (e.g., tile coaster) is really cool. (I'm buying like 10 of these things). Anyway, check out my latest creation!!!
http://www.cafeshops.com/basketballcards
Thursday, April 24
New Additions
I added a few items throughout the website.
-- 1974 Pack
-- 1952 Royal Desserts: Fred Schaus
-- 1952 Royal Desserts: Gordie Howe (not-basketball but cool)
-- 1896 Spalding's Guide to Basketball
-- 1899 Spalding's Guide to Basketball
-- 1900 Spalding's Guide to Basketball
-- A Scan of My BFH Mikan that is on my for sale list.
The pre-1900 spalding guides are practically non-existent. There are only a few of each currently known to the world. To give you an example of the scarcity/demand for these publications. The 1896 publication that you see is valued at around $3,000k to $5,000k. Thanks to Rob Lahammer again for supplying me with the pictures of the Spalding Guides (www.lahammer.com).
Now, I really don't want to sell my recently acquired BFH Mikan, but if anyone wants to purchase it, I have it on sale at $1500. From what I hear, a considerably worse BFH Mikan sold last year for $1200.
Wednesday, April 23
New Additions
As promised I posed up a picture of the advertising sheet for the 1950 BFE. I knew of a few of these, but this is the only one that I know of that still 100% exists. I had heard that the other ones had been cut up to make pristine bread labels because, what happens, is that these advertising pieces was just a segment of an uncut sheet of labels attached to a piece of cardboard. While I was on the subject I also posted the list of cards for the 1950 BFE and also posted a picture of the Fulks (I already had a picture of the Mikan up). I also have the Dick McGuire in my collection so getting a picture of that up won't be to difficult and will happen probably after finals (I'm still in law school). Anyway, 1950 BFE List and Pictures.
Most of you probably have noticed that I my new additions have all been for the 1950s. That is because my goal for this/next month is to post a set list for every 1950 set that I currently have listed on my website. After that is done, I will redesign the 1950s page so that it is mainly just a table of all the possible sets. I will then incorporate my descriptions for each set on each set's individual page. This will result in a cleaner and more professional looking site. However, it will require more clicks on the user's part to get somewhere and it mayl require me to add a "back" link for every page.
Tuesday, April 22
New Additions
Here is the 1959 Kahn's list. Tomorrow I will be posting full color pictures of a BFE advertising piece that is out of this world (it contains an uncut sheet of the labels). Thanks to Rob Lahammer www.lahammer.com in advance for the goods (this guy is one of the nicest guys in the hobby).
Monday, April 21
New Additions
So as you guys/girls can see, I'm working on getting more information up on this website. Today, I added the list for the 1958 Kahns cards. Now, what is more important is that I scanned and posted half of the set. This is a rare set and completing it, in any grade, is a challenge. I could put a 1948 bowman set together tonight from scratch if I wanted to, but putting a set of 1958 Kahns cards would take a few years.
Sunday, April 20
New Additions
I added the entire set list for the 1957 Kahns. Once again, I will add pictures of each card in the set in the future (probably after I release the picture guide). I am still missing I think 6 from this set. Let me know if you have any for sale.
Auction News
Lelands.com is about to run a new auction. Although they really don't have a list of the lots yet, you can read some of the basketball highlights from PSAs news.
Saturday, April 19
New Additions
I added the entire set list for the 1955 Ashland/Aetna Oil Cards. I also posted the front of one of the best three cards in the set ... Fred Schaus. Anyway, I have about 30% of the set and will upload the other pictures sometime in the future. Please be aware that the backs of these cards have a lot of player information on them.
Friday, April 18
New Additions
I added the entire list for the 1952 Royal Desserts and pictures of a majority of the set. This is one of the hardest sets to find (in the top 5) and would run you roughly $5,000 to obtain all 8 cards if it was put in a major auction. However, I have picked up all mine for $200 each. Yet, only 1 or 2 cards go on sale each year.
Thursday, April 17
Great Item for Sale
I am going to sell all my 1969 PSA 8s and 1970 PSA 9s in order to raise some money to buy a few cards that have popped up. The most notable cards are listed in the PSA set registry. Email me if you are interested in one or more of the cards.
Wednesay, April 16
New Additions
So I added a few new pictures in my limited upload this evening. The first is the front and back of a 1923 (or is it 1925?) Willards Sports Nut Bar wrapper. From my limited knowledge, these are extremely rare and I know of only three that exist. Willards Front, Willards Back.
I also added a picture of a bob cousy pin from the 1950s. I've never seen one of these before, but I assume that they were either handed out at games or received through a fan club (because of the notion of "junior fan"). I'll get more info on this. Bob Cousy Pin.
Tuesday, April 15
Auction News
Mile High Card Co www.milehighcardco.com has just posted up their new auction. Check it out. Sorry for the haitus. I was away in pittsburgh. I actually have a ton of news to post, but I'm really busy catching up with work. Check back soon for some great updates.
Thursday, April 9
Great Item For Sale
I got an email today telling me that there was going to be a 1925 Nut Chocolate Bar Wrapper that will go on auction today on ebay in which the 1925 Willard chocolate cards were distributed. The email also leads me to believe that the wrapper will answer some of my questions as to how these cards were distributed. There should be some heavy bids on the wrapper especially since it contains some notable other sports cards (e.g., a babe ruth card).
Wednesday, April 9
Yankees Game
Yeah, so there are no real updates today as I try and recover of 4 hours "preparing" for the game, 4 hours "increasing the Yankee Stadium's revenue" and 6 hours "celebrating" Hideki Matsui's grand slam.
Tuesday, April 8
Notable Sales
So this last week has let to some notable sales. A 1969 Topps Wilt Chamberlain #1 PSA 9 sold for $5,000 in an ebay auction. Additionally, a Topps Test Wilt Chamberlain received a bid of $2,750 but the bid did not meet the reserve of $3,000 (I assume that the seller decided to sell the card to the high bidder for the $2,750 after the auction ended. I mean the ebay fees for that kind of sale is like $120). Anyway, this week is really bad for me. Not to mention that I will be away on business from Thursday till Sunday. Time to get going to bed ... the Yankee season opener is tomorrow.
Auction news
Mastronet.com now has their entire auction listed. Go to their site to check out the goodies. There is some great memorabilia, some murads, and the first GAI 10 pack that I have laid my eyes on.
Monday, April 7
Vintage Information
I need to find out more about these cards. The 1954 Gunther beer cards are extremely rare and the one that I just got graded by GAI is as good as you'll find them. In fact, expect to find most in PSA 5/6 condition. 1954 Gunther Beer Hoffman Front. 1954 Gunther Beer Hoffman Back.
Sunday, April 6
Great Item for Sale
Steve Taft has started posting some of his cards for sale. You will find mainstream PSA 9s (e.g., 1961 Fleer Russell PSA 9) and some great vintage non-mainstream items (Steve has about 10 1970 A1 cards for sale). http://stevetaft.beckett.com
Saturday, April 5
Vintage Information
1n 1925, Dominion put cards in their Chocolate Bars. I have included some high res scans of the front and back of one of these cards. These cards are small (like two inches by 1/4 of an inch). What you should look at is the tab. Some of the cards you will see do not have the tab still attached to the card because they could be traded in, in quantity, for a prize.. Thus, cards w/tabs intact bring about a premium. I know a lot about either these or the Williards, but I always mess up which one is which. When I finally sort things out, expect a really detailed post into the origin of the card. Front, Back. Anyway, these are rare, but they do pop up and you can get them, if you are lucky, for about $100 each..
Additionally, I am drafting the ultimate vintage basketball card guide. This guide will contain full-color images of the front and back of every known pre-1970 basketball card. Additionally, the guide will contain detailed information for every card including its scarcity, estimated value, and other related information. A sample page can be viewed here SAMPLE PAGE.
Friday, April 4, 2003
Auction News
I don't know when this was posted, but Mastronet has a preview up for their April 24th Auction. If you are a serious collector, then you should be a subscriber to mastronet. It is $100 a year and the fee basically just goes to publication costs for their auction catalogues. Every catalogue they put out is like a museum exhibit in and upon itself. Nothing of interest in the preview, but expect a few great vintage basketball lots.
Sale News
Sportscards Plus sold their topps test set at $28,000.
Thursday, April 3, 2003
GAI v. PSA
OK, so I received my first GAI card in the mail, my Topps Test Greer. GAI did not have the correct size holder for my Gunther Beer Paul Hoffman so they special ordered it (which is a HUGE plus and GAI should be commended). First thing is first. GAI has the nicest holder that I've ever seen. I do not like how GAI labels the first graded as "first graded" because I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. To me, I would prefer one that was not the first graded (if you want to know why, just ask) unless GAI goes the PSA route and grades easier as they get older. However, I am surprised that my Greer got a GAI 7. In my opinion, the Greer is a 6. I think I'll send the card into PSA to see if they give the Greer a 7 or a 6. Back to the holder, it is about 1/2 as thin as the PSA holder, noticeably more secure (e.g., more tamper proof) and their is a label on the top with the year, issue, name of player, and grade. Thus, you can see all your cards while they are all stacked vertically in a tall-shoebox. Awesome. Anyway, here is the pic. Check it out for yourself. The scan makes the card look much better than it actually is. Greer Front, Greer Back.
Wednesday, April 2, 2003
Vintage Information
Posts like these should be the reason why you are checking back daily. As I've noted before, the best way to learn about the hobby is not to read the on-line guide (b/c they are just pictures), but to read the news articles that I've posted. Ok, here you go. Here is some information about the 1969 Topps Rulers that you probably don't know about (and which I didn't know about until Rob Lahammer told me about it today).
So, try and find a #5 1969 Topps Ruler. Can't? That is because it was pulled before the release of the rulers. #5 was meant to be of big Bill Russel. However, he retired right before the 1969 season so Topps decided to pull the ruler. However, the original art for the ruler does exist and is in a private collection. I can only assume that there were test 1969 rulers that were made that depict Bill Russel. If anyone can confirm ... let me know. Additionally, all of the rulers that I have seen ... have two creases. This is because the ruler's were folded along these creases in order to fit inside of a normal pack. If anyone has any without the creases, I would like to know how you got it (was there a test or advertising set).
Ranting and Raving
I HATE it when you buy cards from dealers and they just mail each card in their own toploaders. I mean ARE YOU FREAKIN DUMB? (It is extremely painful to open a package and see a card jiggling around in a toploader with the corners all snagged). The only reason that I can see people being so stupid is if they are either 1) sending you a lower grade card than what they advertised or 2) are stupid. I mean its actually cheaper to put a card in a card-saver I (however, I prefer to place a card in mylar and thn placing it in a card-saver or top-loader depending on their sizes and thicknesses. Anyway, from now on I'm specifically stating how I don't like my cards shipped in just top-loaders because it is rediculous. I mean I'd rather have the card placed between two pieces of cardboard and taped together. I had this happen to me yesterday when I opened up a 1925 Dominion that i purchased (these cards are very small and thin ... about half the size of a 1948 bowman and the thickness of a topps magic photo) and i can only assume that the card was materially affected.
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
New Additions
I updated the 1948 topps magic picture. (Hopefully I remembered to upload the picture). Anyway, I think there is only 1 topps magic missing from this picture. These topps magic cards would be considered to be of high grade.
Website Update
It is the one month aniversary of the news section. Since the news archive is starting to get pretty large, I plan to put each month of news on its own page. Each page will be listed on the news archive page. Check it out to see what I have planned. Now, most of you will realize that it is the news section in which the largest amount of information is divulged about vintage basketball cards. For example, I spent about 30 minutes yesterday writing about the history of the Kahns cards. If you look on the site under the Kahns cards, there is pretty much zero informatoin given about this subject.
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