Jeffrey D. Mullen Presents Vintage Basketball Cards

A GUIDE TO SEPTEMBER 2003 NEWS

Jeff@vintagebasketballcards.info

September 25

Royal Custard

               A Frank Brian (one of the cards that I don't have) went on sale on ebay the other day for only $250.  What a steal!!!  I would have picked it up if I hadn't just spent $1,500 on an aquarium (Side note: 72 gallon fish tanks are cool).

                On a more interesting note ... I think that we have confirmed my theory that the blue tinted versions came from custard boxes... I got a third picture of a custard box with a movie star on it ... the movie star has the blue tint!!!  Awesome.  Blue variations have been confirmed for basketball, hockey, and movie stars (i can only assume baseball exists in blue ... but I never really tried to confirm this).

Wow

               I was introduced to what will be one of the coolest sites for us to use ... ever.  I can't say anything more than this now, but it will be awesome.  I'm was given a test in confidence in conjunction with possibly patenting it ... it is really cool.

September 25

1970 Series II Pack Graded by GAI

GAI Tallboys

               GAI has started grading tall boys.  Here is a picture of one of them.  I don't like how long they are.  Why aren't they a better fit?  It looks like they are modifying the rack pack molds for the tall boys.

Law School

               Law School Fucking Blows.

Mr. Mint

              I am glad that Mr. Mint has his last auction because he didn't know how to run an auction anyway.  I spent like 30 minutes trying to find a copy of the auction.  The only way you could get a copy of the catalogue (that I could tell) was to have a subscription to Sports Collectors Digest (which nobody reads anymore).  Even past bidders (cough ... me) did not get a catalogue mailed to them directly.  However, I was able to find out what the two topps test cards were going for a few hours before the auction closed... The 1968 PSA 7 Topps Chamberlain was at $2,700 in the last few hours (a PSA 7 sold on ebay in 4/03 for $2,715).  The 1968 PSA 7 Dave D. was going for $850 (a steal in my opinion).  I would love to find out what these cards ended at ... did anyone win them.

September 18

Jeff Actually Liked This One

Vacation

               Sorry guys for the delay, but I took a short vacation (who would have guessed it).  Anyway, just so you guys can visualize how much fun I had ... I went to the beach for a few days and not once did I actually see the beach.  Some more pictures are below of some more girls (that I really didn't like, but hey ... they are cute).

Sportico

               Sportico is having an auction.  Most of you probably have never really paid attention to them.  If you are bored go to their website (I guess its www.sportico.com) 

September 11

God Bless America

September 11, 2001

               This little article has nothing to do with basketball cards whatsoever.  It is going to be just a simple article about my recollection of September 11, 2001.  So track back two years ... I wake up late for work ... in my apartment that was on the hudson ... facing the towers ... I was in Jersey City, N.J.  8 Hours earlier I had been in the trade centers on my way home from school.  A girl was staying over our place (I lived with 2 other guys from college) and as I hopped into the shower at 8:30 .... she asked me how to turn on CNN because she wanted to see the news.  My other roomate was leaving for the PATH train into the trade centers.  Ten minutes later my roomate is banging on my door saying "Jeff, a plane just hit the towers".  I get out of the shower and we are all like "we better hurry and get over to NYC before they shut down transportation" ... Everyone thought it was just an accident and that it was a small plane.  We were retards.  A few minutes later I'm getting dressed and our apartment shakes and we hear a boom ... the second plane had hit.  I took my camera and went to the edge of the water and took some really unbelievable pictures (which I will try and locate on my old computer and post them up). About 8 hours later my roomate walks in ... his story was that he had been in the basement of the towers ... saw smoke ... thought it was just someone leaving a stink bomb and got out of there.  Thankfully, we all made it.  Unfortunately, each and every one of us soon found out that we knew people that did not.  Here is a math problem for you.  2 Million people live on Manhattan Island (12M commute).  Roughly 4,000 people died.  If you were to assume that ONLY people living in manhattan died ... then 1 out of 500 Manhattanites died on September 11.  That is redicluous.

               My best friend is a NYC firefighter ... Johnny K.  John has told me stories that I think they should make movies out of.  Unfortunately, John has also told me things that just horrify me.  For one, the windows of the trade center were made to turn into dust if they fell off and hit the ground.  They were made to basically crumble into nothing.  That is why you never saw any glass on the ground when you went to the WTC site.  The heroes that worked on cleaning up the site immediately following the disaster (e.g., the firefighters and police officers) breathed in a lot of this dust.   This dust, however, is basically just minute shards of glass.  In about 10 years ... all of these heroes are going to have major problems lung problems as the glass scratches and cuts away at them.

            This article wasn't meant to do anything but just make people remember what happened.  If you are still reading this then remember September 11 anyway you want to.  For me, it is something that I can still see in the attitudes of New Yorkers and that has scarred me personally.  

            If you want to know my opinion on politics ... then I'll give it to you ... Bush ... you got my blessing ... kick some ass.  As one of the most religious jewish men I know said to me when we started on Iraq "we should just erase those countries from the face of the earth and then stitch everything back together.  Sure it would kill a lot of people, but can you imagine how better off everyone would be."

Notable Sales

               The box of 1971 topps packs, which I pictures a few weeks ago, was sold for $8,000.  It contained 12 packs ( or $667 a pack).

September 9

The Bread for Energy Mikan Find

               I was hoping that the person that had the Bread for Energy Mikan find would email me.  He did.  Thanks to M.C. for giving us the information to his unbelievable find.

"The last time I talked to you was probably a year ago.   I sent an email of myBread for Energy Mikan and my Sports Oddities Mikan Tablet to you.   I seen that you dont have a picture of the Royal Desserts Mikan for your site.   If you would like, I could also send an email including a scan of this card also.   The story of my $2.50 BFE Mikan actually goes like this.   It happened in the early 1990's.   Me and my mom were at antique show in a mall here in West Virginia.  The show started on a Thursday and we were there Friday evening.   We actually didn't know the show was even going on but she was wanting to go over to the mall so we just happened to come upon it.   We both like antiques so we thought we would look around.   We got apart and I saw this lady that had the BFE Mikan.   It wasn't mint, as my scan showed you, but I knew that Mikan stuff was pretty expensive and I wasn't going to even ask for a price since there wasn't a price listed.  It was with about 8 or 9 western star BFE labels (which I could still kick myself for not getting).    I started to walk away then turned and went back and asked her for the prices.   She said they all were $3.00 apiece.   So, I asked her if she'd take $2.00 for it since it had a tear   in it, and she said she'd take $2.50 for it.    I told her to hold it, that I'd be right back.   I had to find my mom because I had spent the money I had and was flat broke.   She gave me the $2.50 and I had the purchase of a lifetime.   At the time I didn t know the value, but I knew I had an old Tuff Stuff where the Sanchez's used to write a basketball column that had some info on Mikan cards (I think I sent that article to you also) and seen there was only one of these that they knew about and I knew I had something very special.   I think Rob Lahhammer was one of the first ones I told and he had told you.   It is true and really did happen this way.   I know it seems almost to good to be true, but I suppose there are still bargains out there to be found."

September 6

1910 Murad Box

1910 Murad

               So, I thought that I would do something I haven't done in awhile ... educate.  I mean that is the purpose of this site ... isn't it?  So above we have a 1910 Murad package ... graded GAI 7 (which you can buy on ebay right now for like $400 bucks).  The boxes are simply gorgeous but the chances that you will get anything of value is practically nil.  If you buy a pack do NOT buy it for a card ... but it for its pristine beauty.  Anyway, the T-51 college series I and II (each series was home to 2 basketball cards) could be found in these packs.  A coupon was also contained in each pack (I have one in my personal collection, I'll try and find it).  If you got a group of them together (I think 100) then you could get a T-6.  The T-6s were supersized versions of the T-51.  Now, the T-51s are commonly referred to as the earliest basketball card ... but we know better (1899 Enamaline Oil for starters).  You usually find them in pretty shitty condition and almost all of them contain a manufacturer's stamp on them.  Find one without a stamp if you can.  You can pick these up on ebay for $10-$20 and they come up on almost a weekly basis.  I would easily pay ten times that for a perfect example.  The T-6s are harder.  You may see 5 go on ebay a year and they will usually go for around $100.  Any example above Fair would go for about $200-$300 though.  Pristine examples are impossible .... I know of only 1 that would grade as NRMT.

September 5

Items on Sale Now

               Two 1969 cards that are going to go for five times what they will in two years (the alcindor though could be a good buy, it probably won't decrease in value too much).

                    1969 Topps LEW ALCINDOR (JABBAR) PSA MINT 9

                    1969 TOPPS WILLIS REED #60 ** PSA 10 **

September 4

New Addition

               I added about 10 entries in the Notable Sales list.  Some I added were from sales back in x/02.  Most occurred in the last month.

September 3

1969? Coca Cola Rockets Team Set

New Addition

               I should almost title this section "the card of the day."  I have pictures of the set somewhere on my computer, but thanks to Pat V. for sending in the above picture.  I think the year is 1968 although the label on the set says 1969/1970.  It is a Coca Cola Rockets Team Set.  I don't have the set, but they pop up on ebay every once and awhile.  Expect to pay $100 for it.  Very undervalued in my opinion.

MastroNet Comment

               Why did the 1957/58 ball go for only $1,200?  In my opinion, it should have gone for a bit more.  I would rather have the ball .. then the $1,800 Busch Bavarian Beer set.  I also thought that the "Jumpin" Joe Fulks Championship ring should have gone for a bit more.  I mean the guy did invent the Jump Shot ... these days I rarely see anyone shoot the ball without a little air (except of course when they are shooting free throws).

1957 #1 Nat "Sweet Water" Clifton PSA 8 on Ebay

               Last time I checked, the bidding was up to $2,500.  I am expecting this card to go for roughly $6,000.

Why is there no 1970-1980 Section?

               I get asked this question a lot so I thought that I would answer it today.  I do not have a 1970 section because I am still trying to figure out all of the pre-1970 cards and put them on my site.  I do have some pictures of some of the rarer 1970 cards that you can see in the Memorabilia section (I think).  Before I get to listing more 1970 cards ... I need to continue with the revision of my website that will put each set/card on its own webpage with pictures/descriptions of the set/card.

Sniping

               I feel like I need to rewrite some of my articles from this website's first month.  This is going to be a remark about sniping.  You should use a sniping service to ensure that you put your bid in for an item.  My schedule is extremely hectic and I do not have the time to wait around for when an auction closes.  I use www.auctionstealer.com (it costs $20 per 3 months) and it allows you to put in a 1) bid and 2) bid placement time (e.g., 3 seconds before the auction ends) for any item.  Sellers are always yelling at snipers for "ruining the fairness of the auction."  However, this is completely wrong.  If everyone snipes then the auction would resemble a sealed bid auction .... which makes more than open bidding auctions.

September 2

Mastronet Results

                Here are some of my favorite items and the prices they sold for.  I have one remark.  WOW ... look at how much the 1959-60 Busch Bavarian Beer set went for!!!  I have seen 3 of these go in the past year for $300-$500 and I saw two at the National that could have probably been had for $200-500.  I have never seen any of these cards that were NOT MINT.  The below prices do not include the buyer's premium (15% I think).

                    Dave DeBusschere 1964 Chicago White Sox Road Jersey  -- $1,854.00

                    1948 Bowman #10 Bob Davies -- PSA9 -- $3,670.00

                    Joe Fulks 1946/47 Philadelphia Warriors Championship Ring -- $7,259.00

                    Wilt Chamberlain 1958-59 Harlem Globetrotters Warm-Up Pants -- $1,685.00

                    1957/58 St. Louis Hawks World Champions Team Signed Basketball -- $1,264.00

                    1959-60 Busch Bavarian Beer St. Louis Hawks Set (5) -- $1,655.00

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