The Post War Cards Newsletter #357

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One of last week’s more interesting hobby stories came via Darren Rovell on X, who highlighted a collector that spent more than two decades assembling a signed 1987 Topps baseball set. According to the post, the collector obtained signatures on all 792 cards and recently sold the set on eBay.

There are a couple of interesting wrinkles, though.

First, the eBay listing simply showed that the item had ended (now I can’t find it all), so there isn’t a publicly visible record of a final sale price. If anyone has details, please let me know.

Second, well over 100 players in the 1987 Topps set have since passed away, making the accomplishment even more impressive.

But there’s also one card that makes the claim of a “complete” signed set impossible: #313, Roberto Clemente’s Turn Back the Clock card, of which there are a handful of graded copies of on eBay.

Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, nearly 15 years before the 1987 set was released. The seller included 24 photos of the set in the listing, but none showed how he handled the Clemente.

Still, pretty darn cool.

• Yahoo Sports: Josh Allen Rookie Card Sells for a New Record in Private Alt Deal

• Front Office Sports: Tom Brady Explains His Aggressive Push Into Trading Cards

• Polygon: A retro Pokémon game collection just sold for a record-breaking $2 million

• ESPN: Dallas Mavericks offer ‘bounty’ for Cooper Flagg 1-of-1 card

• ESPN: Cooper Flagg’s one-of-one rookie card found in Rhode Island

• Sports Collectors Daily: One-of-a-Kind 1986-87 Fleer Box Signed by Michael Jordan Brings Nearly $1.5 Million

• Sports Collectors Daily: Auburn’s NIL Collective Hosting Inaugural Card And Memorabilia Show

• ABC News: Nearly 100 never-before-seen Nintendo cartridges found in Wisconsin game shop

• Value Added Resource: Whatnot Raises $545 Million At $20 Billion Valuation

• PR Newswire: Cardvault by Tom Brady Announces Strategic Investor Group

• ESPN: Joe Montana Super Bowl XXIV jersey fetches record price

• KSAT: $100K+ worth of Pokémon cards stolen from Castle Hills trading card shop, owner says

• Yahoo Sports: Controversies and collecting: How the WNBA’s recent culture war is impacting Sophie Cunningham’s card market

Hunt Auctions wrapped up its latest Internet auction Wednesday night, led by the $5,125 sale of a 2022 Phillies National League Championship ring that was awarded to a staff member. According to the auction description, it’s in a similar style to the rings that were presented to players.

What always stands out about Hunt’s offerings, though, is the incredible variety of niche collectibles. Lot 2 was a 1953 Playboy with Marilyn Monroe on the cover that sold for $2,057, Lot 7 was a T206 Rube Waddell that sold for $3,000, and Lot 22 was a connected set of three Connie Mack Stadium seats (home of the Philadelphia A’s from 1909–1954 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1938–1970) that sold for $254.

The auction also included a ton of Willie Mays memorabilia. Some of the more unique items included his California “SayHey9” license plate, which sold for $604, his Wells Fargo Visa credit card, which sold for $237, and a sheet signed by Mays five times with handwritten notes that sold for $605.

Lastly, and completely at random, I thought this unpunched Yoo-hoo advertising piece featuring Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle that sold for $385 was pretty neat. I’ve highlighted Berra and his connection to the company on the blog before:

• 1964 Yoo-Hoo Yankees Easel Back Counter Sign With Yogi Berra And Mickey Mantle

• Time for Yoo-Hoo: Exploring the Rare Yogi Berra Endorsed Clock