I had a letter published in Sports Collectors Digest (god I loved that magazine) way back in 1986. I was an 11 year old kid and had hit the mother lode, pulling SIX Jose Canseco rookies from a single box of 1986 Donruss.
Wow.
I couldn't believe it.
Neither could SCD.
I wish I had the issue, but it's long gone.
(I also had a letter published in The Sporting News maybe six years ago. Amazingly, my letter resulted in one of their writers admitting he was wrong about Pete Rose's HOF candidacy. How often does that happen?)
<< <i>I was in Beckett for my Delmon Young collection. Thank God I sold at a good time and got out from under those cards >>
That was you?
My friend and I were actually just talking about you the other day...we had both wondered if you had taken a bath on those cards once they started to drop fast.
The only thing I've ever done in a sports magazine (and have zero mention for doing so), is identifying an unknown Derek Jeter card produced by score in 1997.
"Back in the day" I had a couple articles written about me in SCD (Frank Barning articles on Cal Ripken), and also wrote a couple of articles (with my by-line) on some rare issues: one was on the 1985 food issue disks and squares (both formats) for KAS POTATO CHIPS and KITTY CLOVER POTATO CHIPS. These were produced by MICK SCHECHTER ASSOCIATES (MSA). The disks came in their products, and also some uncut sheets found their way into the market and were cut into squares. I know the question on a checklist will come up, so here it is: 1) STEVE CARLTON 2)JACK CLARK 3)RICH GOSSAGE 4) TONY GWYNN 5) BOB HORNER 6) KEITH HERNANDEZ 7) KENT HRBEK 8) WILLIE McGEE 9)DAN QUISENBERRY 10) CAL RIPKEN JR 11) RYNE SANDBERG 12) MIKE SCHMIDT 13) TOM SEAVER 14)OZZIE SMITH 15) RICK SUTCLIFFE 16) BRUCE SUTTER 17) ALAN TRAMMELL 18) FERNANDO VALENZUELA 19) WILLIE WILSON 20) DAVE WINFIELD
The other article was on '92 STAR DECALS which were made for coffee mugs, but these were extra decals that never got applied. I did the detective work on this one and confirmed all info. There were less than 50 sheets available. 41 sheets were cut into individual players. the mug had the pic on the front, and stats on the back, so a complete decal has two pieces. 6 decal sheets were left uncut. at the date of the article (7/25/1997), the Ryan was selling for $40, Ripken for $35 and others/commons for $10 each. The original inventory was sold to Greg's Cards (in Wisconsin) and B.A. Murry, a dealer who specialized in oddball issues.
the decal list: BOGGS, BONDS, BRETT, WILL CLARK, CANSECO (DB), CLEMENS, CONE, DAWSON, DIBBLE, DYKSTRA (NB), FIELDER, FRANCO, GOODEN, GRIFFEY JR., GRIFFEY SR.., GWYNN, HENDERSON, HERSHISER, HOWARD JOHNSON, JUSTICE, MATTINGLY, McGRIFF, RIPKEN JR, NOLAN RYAN (DB), SAX, OZZIE SMITH, STRAWBERRY (NB) VIOLA, WINFIELD DB= double backs on proof sheets, NB= no backs on proof sheets. The original licensee was shown as LK Sporks, distributed by Moore Sports Ltd. and licensed tby MLBPA. Written on the outside of the box that the decals were in, it was penciled: No Sandberg-couldn't get rights. each full sheet decal had an area removed that equaled one front and one back decal, presumably for the Sandberg decal. There is no stat 'back' decal for Strawberry and Dykstra and there was an extra stat back for Ryan and Canseco.
the decals were used on a porcelain coffee mug, a porcelain tankard, a clear glass tankard and a clear whiskey 'rocks' glass, according to Dennie Brent, editor the the NOLAN NEWS. the decals were actually fired onto the items, not just stuck on.
one other mention too: in the Cal Ripken special issue when he broke the record, i was one of three Ripken collectors featured in the article on collecting Ripken.
I also appeared as a 'super collector' as the super collector of the day for the now defunct FX-THE COLLECTABLES show on the FX network. They came to my house and did a satellite uplink and we were on live, going back and forth between my house and the studio in New York. I pretty much knew every question they were going to ask up front (I had been coached).
That was all a long time ago, and I only have about 20 pieces of Ripken memorabilia still around the house. I got out in 1998, but still enjoy reading about other peoples' collections!
<< <i> The other article was on '92 STAR DECALS which were made for coffee mugs, but these were extra decals that never got applied. I did the detective work on this one and confirmed all info. There were less than 50 sheets available. 41 sheets were cut into individual players. the mug had the pic on the front, and stats on the back, so a complete decal has two pieces. 6 decal sheets were left uncut. at the date of the article (7/25/1997), the Ryan was selling for $40, Ripken for $35 and others/commons for $10 each. The original inventory was sold to Greg's Cards (in Wisconsin) and B.A. Murry, a dealer who specialized in oddball issues.
the decal list: BOGGS, BONDS, BRETT, WILL CLARK, CANSECO (DB), CLEMENS, CONE, DAWSON, DIBBLE, DYKSTRA (NB), FIELDER, FRANCO, GOODEN, GRIFFEY JR., GRIFFEY SR.., GWYNN, HENDERSON, HERSHISER, HOWARD JOHNSON, JUSTICE, MATTINGLY, McGRIFF, RIPKEN JR, NOLAN RYAN (DB), SAX, OZZIE SMITH, STRAWBERRY (NB) VIOLA, WINFIELD DB= double backs on proof sheets, NB= no backs on proof sheets. The original licensee was shown as LK Sporks, distributed by Moore Sports Ltd. and licensed tby MLBPA. Written on the outside of the box that the decals were in, it was penciled: No Sandberg-couldn't get rights. each full sheet decal had an area removed that equaled one front and one back decal, presumably for the Sandberg decal. There is no stat 'back' decal for Strawberry and Dykstra and there was an extra stat back for Ryan and Canseco.
the decals were used on a porcelain coffee mug, a porcelain tankard, a clear glass tankard and a clear whiskey 'rocks' glass, according to Dennie Brent, editor the the NOLAN NEWS. the decals were actually fired onto the items, not just stuck on.
>>
Interesting. I assume this is the decal you're talking about. I also have the back decal. They're quite brittle and are listed as LK Decals on Beckett's player checklists.
Comments
Remember when they had a form in the magazine asking for pricing information? It was for dealers and other sellers to report actual sales.
But you know what I would do?
I would send the forms back with comments like...
"Bring the card value down!"
"Definitely bring this one up!"
I was around fifteen, which is somewhat excusable, but it was still pretty darn stupid.
Wow.
I couldn't believe it.
Neither could SCD.
I wish I had the issue, but it's long gone.
(I also had a letter published in The Sporting News maybe six years ago. Amazingly, my letter resulted in one of their writers admitting he was wrong about Pete Rose's HOF candidacy. How often does that happen?)
<< <i>I was in Beckett for my Delmon Young collection. Thank God I sold at a good time and got out from under those cards
That was you?
My friend and I were actually just talking about you the other day...we had both wondered if you had taken a bath on those cards once they started to drop fast.
glad to hear you got out.
mathew
drugs of choice
NHL hall of fame rookies
1) STEVE CARLTON 2)JACK CLARK 3)RICH GOSSAGE 4) TONY GWYNN 5) BOB HORNER 6) KEITH HERNANDEZ 7) KENT HRBEK 8) WILLIE McGEE 9)DAN QUISENBERRY 10) CAL RIPKEN JR 11) RYNE SANDBERG 12) MIKE SCHMIDT 13) TOM SEAVER 14)OZZIE SMITH
15) RICK SUTCLIFFE 16) BRUCE SUTTER 17) ALAN TRAMMELL 18) FERNANDO VALENZUELA 19) WILLIE WILSON 20) DAVE WINFIELD
The other article was on '92 STAR DECALS which were made for coffee mugs, but these were extra decals that never got applied. I did the detective work on this one and confirmed all info. There were less than 50 sheets available. 41 sheets were cut into individual players. the mug had the pic on the front, and stats on the back, so a complete decal has two pieces. 6 decal sheets were left uncut. at the date of the article (7/25/1997), the Ryan was selling for $40, Ripken for $35 and others/commons for $10 each. The original inventory was sold to Greg's Cards (in Wisconsin) and B.A. Murry, a dealer who specialized in oddball issues.
the decal list: BOGGS, BONDS, BRETT, WILL CLARK, CANSECO (DB), CLEMENS, CONE, DAWSON, DIBBLE, DYKSTRA (NB), FIELDER, FRANCO, GOODEN, GRIFFEY JR., GRIFFEY SR.., GWYNN, HENDERSON, HERSHISER, HOWARD JOHNSON, JUSTICE, MATTINGLY, McGRIFF, RIPKEN JR, NOLAN RYAN (DB), SAX, OZZIE SMITH, STRAWBERRY (NB) VIOLA, WINFIELD DB= double backs on proof sheets, NB= no backs on proof sheets. The original licensee was shown as LK Sporks, distributed by Moore Sports Ltd. and licensed tby MLBPA. Written on the outside of the box that the decals were in, it was penciled: No Sandberg-couldn't get rights. each full sheet decal had an area removed that equaled one front and one back decal, presumably for the Sandberg decal. There is no stat 'back' decal for Strawberry and Dykstra and there was an extra stat back for Ryan and Canseco.
the decals were used on a porcelain coffee mug, a porcelain tankard, a clear glass tankard and a clear whiskey 'rocks' glass, according to Dennie Brent, editor the the NOLAN NEWS. the decals were actually fired onto the items, not just stuck on.
one other mention too: in the Cal Ripken special issue when he broke the record, i was one of three Ripken collectors featured in the article on collecting Ripken.
I also appeared as a 'super collector' as the super collector of the day for the now defunct FX-THE COLLECTABLES show on the FX network. They came to my house and did a satellite uplink and we were on live, going back and forth between my house and the studio in New York. I pretty much knew every question they were going to ask up front (I had been coached).
That was all a long time ago, and I only have about 20 pieces of Ripken memorabilia still around the house. I got out in 1998, but still enjoy reading about other peoples' collections!
<< <i>
The other article was on '92 STAR DECALS which were made for coffee mugs, but these were extra decals that never got applied. I did the detective work on this one and confirmed all info. There were less than 50 sheets available. 41 sheets were cut into individual players. the mug had the pic on the front, and stats on the back, so a complete decal has two pieces. 6 decal sheets were left uncut. at the date of the article (7/25/1997), the Ryan was selling for $40, Ripken for $35 and others/commons for $10 each. The original inventory was sold to Greg's Cards (in Wisconsin) and B.A. Murry, a dealer who specialized in oddball issues.
the decal list: BOGGS, BONDS, BRETT, WILL CLARK, CANSECO (DB), CLEMENS, CONE, DAWSON, DIBBLE, DYKSTRA (NB), FIELDER, FRANCO, GOODEN, GRIFFEY JR., GRIFFEY SR.., GWYNN, HENDERSON, HERSHISER, HOWARD JOHNSON, JUSTICE, MATTINGLY, McGRIFF, RIPKEN JR, NOLAN RYAN (DB), SAX, OZZIE SMITH, STRAWBERRY (NB) VIOLA, WINFIELD DB= double backs on proof sheets, NB= no backs on proof sheets. The original licensee was shown as LK Sporks, distributed by Moore Sports Ltd. and licensed tby MLBPA. Written on the outside of the box that the decals were in, it was penciled: No Sandberg-couldn't get rights. each full sheet decal had an area removed that equaled one front and one back decal, presumably for the Sandberg decal. There is no stat 'back' decal for Strawberry and Dykstra and there was an extra stat back for Ryan and Canseco.
the decals were used on a porcelain coffee mug, a porcelain tankard, a clear glass tankard and a clear whiskey 'rocks' glass, according to Dennie Brent, editor the the NOLAN NEWS. the decals were actually fired onto the items, not just stuck on.
>>
Interesting. I assume this is the decal you're talking about. I also have the back decal. They're quite brittle and are listed as LK Decals on Beckett's player checklists.