Professional Baseball has a long and fascinating history and no discussion about this history is complete without mentioning one of the greatest baseball players of all time; Babe Ruth.  Babe Ruth was an iconic baseball player born in the late 1800's in Baltimore, Maryland.  Although known as “Babe”, “The Bambino” and “The Sultan”  by his fans, his real name is actually George Herman Ruth Jr. 
Babe got his start in baseball while living at a boarding school, by a man named Brother Mattias.  As he learned the game, Babe quickly excelled at the game and was soon noticed by Jack Dunn, who at the time was the owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles.  At that time, the Orioles were part of the minor leagues.  As Babe was only 19 at the time, Jack Dunn became Babe's guardian and signed him to a contract with the team.  The name Babe came from a nickname that the other players called him, Jack's Newest Babe, or “Babe” for short.  This name would become familiar with fans and would be used throughout  his career. 

(2) 1962 BABE RUTH Topps #143, #144 BV $40

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Babe Ruth Topps Tribute Card # /219

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09 BABE RUTH TOPPS STERLING JERSEY PATCH BAT 6/10 MADE!

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After getting signed by the Orioles, he was quickly traded to the Boston Red Sox where he pitched for 4 games.  As the Boston Red Sox were already full of talented players, Ruth ended up moving down to the Providence Grays, a minor league team affiliate with the Red Sox.  In 1915 Ruth played again for the Boston Red Sox but was still taking a backseat role in the teams roster. 
Although Babe was a pitcher, he was soon proving his skill as a hitter for the Red Sox, but then his tenure with the Red Sox came to an end.  In late 1919, Babe Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees. 

It was his long career with the New York Yankees where Babe Ruth rose to stardom as a power hitter. 
He played with the Yankees for 15 years and then was sold to the Boston Braves.  At the time, the Braves were having severe financial difficulties and thought that signing Babe Ruth would help revive their business.  Unfortunately for Babe, his health was deteriorating fast and he was no longer an asset to the team.  Just 5 days before his retirement, Babe hit a home run that went over the roof of Forbes Field, which was quite a feat at this time.  Babe retired from professional baseball May 30th, 1935 with an impressive 714 career home runs. 

Babe left a legacy in baseball and today we have some very rare baseball cards that highlight his career accomplishments.  Unfortunately baseball cards in those early days were not thought to have much future value and many did not survive.  Today, one of the most sought after sports cards is the Babe Ruth rookie card, which has sold for anywhere from $80,000 all the way up to almost $300,000.  Another rare card includes the Goudey Gum Co. Cards which also command prices of over $10,000 at auction.

 

(2) 1962 Topps Babe Ruth Cards EXMT+ & NM

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Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth Cards

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BABE RUTH CARDs / 1986 WORLD SERIES NEWSPAPERS Etc

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When one thinks of professional hockey there's two players that stand out more than others.  The first is the legendary Gordie Howe, but the second is none other than number 99, Wayne Gretzky.  Wayne Gretzky was born in a small city in Ontario, Canada called Brantford where he lived with his family.  His father, Walter who worked for the telephone company and his mother Phyllis, as well as three brothers and one sister.

Wayne became interested in hockey at a young age when his father built a rink in the backyard.  It didn't take long to see that Wayne Gretzky had an above average understanding of the game of hockey.  He had the ability to visualize the game in his head, and although he wasn't the strongest or fastest player, he excelled.  At age six, Wayne was playing with players a full level above his age as his ability made it too easy for him to play with players of his own age.  Since he was playing with bigger kids, the jersey's that they had to wear were always to large for him, so he tucked them into his pants on one side, which became a trademark throughout his life as a hockey player.

2003 UPPER DECK WAYNE GRETZKY CARD-NR/MT TO MINT-LOOK

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Wayne Gretzky Card Artifacts Jersey

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36 Wayne Gretzky card Lot BV + $60

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As he progressed through minor hockey it was clear that he had tremendous talent and this talent was not always welcomed by jealous parents in his hometown.  When he turned 14 he started playing hockey in Toronto and he began playing with the Junior B team, the Toronto Nationals.  Despite his incredible abilities, he was passed by in the OMJHL Midget Draft.  He then went on to play in the Ontario Hockey League for a season with the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, in northern Ontario.  This is where number 99 became famous.  He wanted number 9, but it was already taken so he settled on number 99, a number that he kept for his entire career.  His exceptional abilities then landed him a spot on the 1978 Canadian World Junior Championship team as the youngest player.

Because Gretzky had exceptional talent he was noticed by the NHL and the WHA, but he could not start with the NHL as they would not sign players under the age of 20.  He went on to play with the Indianapolis Racers, but only played 8 games before the team had to find another home for him as they were losing money.  They decided on the Edmonton Oilers, which at the time was part of the WHA, but it soon went bankrupt and joined the NHL. 

Wayne played with the Edmonton Oilers from 1979-1988.  With his first year in the NHL being 1979, the 1979 Gretzky rookie card became very valuable, worth anywhere from $1000 to $80,000 depending on the condition of the card.

Gretzky didn't stop with the Edmonton Oilers, but went on to play for the LA Kings from 1988-1996.  As he was not happy in Los Angeles, Gretzky went on to play a season for the St. Louis Blues in 1996 and then to play 3 seasons as a free agent with the New York Rangers where he played until his retirement.

Following his retirement from the NHL he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and then went on to purchase a minority stake in the Phoenix Coyotes and eventually became their head coach, which is a position that he still holds today.

1980-81 Wayne Gretzky Topps All-Star Card #87

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WAYNE GRETZKY TOPPS 1984-85 #51 NR/MT

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Original Wayne Gretzky Topps Rookie Card 1979

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In the first of a series of articles we look at the life behind the sports card. First up Mickey Mantle

Many baseball buffs would say that Mickey Mantle was perhaps the most talented player their precious game has ever known. Hailed by fellow baseball great Joe DiMaggio as “the greatest prospect I can remember”, New Yorkers today are still proud to say that Mantle played his entire 18-year professional career in the major leagues as a Yankee.

 

Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20th, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Mickey’s father was a minor league player who named his son after major league hall of fame catcher, Mickey Cochrane. Much of the passion Mickey developed for baseball early in life can be attributed to the influence of Mickey’s father and grandfather, who made certain to raise him with a love for the game of baseball and even taught him how to play!

 

When Mickey was just 4 years old, his family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, which was hit hard by the Great Depression. But this didn’t stop young Mickey “The Commerce Comet” Mantle from making his mark early on the world of sports. Not only were Mickey’s friends and family amazed at his obvious talent for baseball, but this rising young star also excelled at high school basketball and football as well. Though there was talk about Mickey becoming a football player, his first love was and would always be baseball.

 

mickey mantle 07 topps update home run history 19 cards

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Mickey Mantle Topps Baseball Card

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1996 Topps Mickey Mantle Reprint Set all 19 cards

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Mickey was drafted into the minors at the age of 18 and was so talented that “The Mick” swung his way clear past the Yankee farm team into the major leagues and onto the New York Yankees. Though it took a bit of back and forth to the minors to motivate Mantle to find his game, he was eventually recalled back to the Yankees to become one of the greatest legends baseball has ever known. Over his 18-year career, Mickey Mantle not only set and broke numerous baseball records, but he also earned himself 16 All-Star selections, 7 World Series Championship titles, 3 American League Most Valuable Player awards, a Triple Crown and a Hutch Award. As a switch hitter, Mantle is also attributed for hitting some of the longest home runs in Major League history. In fact, in 1953 Mickey hit a home run clear out of Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. that was measured by tape at an astounding 565 feet and he also hit a home run out of Tiger Stadium in Detroit that was calculated at 643 feet.

 

In honor of Mickey’s contribution to the game of baseball, on June 8th 1969 Yankee Stadium held Mickey Mantle Day. In addition to the retirement of his Yankee uniform number 7, hanging in the center field near the monuments of such baseball greats as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig was a special commemorative plaque for Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle was elected in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 in his very first year of eligibility.

 

Mickey Mantle is quoted as saying: "During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season. That means I played 7 years without ever hitting the ball." He may have struck-out for 7 years as a baseball player, but number 7’s baseball cards certainly don’t strike out. Mickey Mantle’s sports cards are still extremely popular and valuable among today’s card collectors.

Mickey Mantle Topps Baseball Card

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Mickey Mantle 1966 Topps Baseball Card

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Baseball 1963 Topps Bomber's Best Mickey Mantle Card

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1960 Topps Mickey Mantle / Boyer Baseball card #120

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TOPPS BASEBALL CARD 1996 SERIES 2 MICKEY MANTLE

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The idea behind Upper Deck card was to create a premium quality sports card, but they also produce figurines of professional sports players. They are a newcomer to the sports card scene, having only been in business since 1988 and made their first introduction into the sports card market with baseball cards in 1989.   In fact they received they're license for Major League Baseball just before Christmas of 1988 and had their first set of baseball cards in stores by February of 1989.     In the first year of operations with their first set of baseball cards, business was so good that they ran out of baseball cards that first year and had to start pre-selling for the following year.  One of the reasons for such brisk sales growth is that the company randomly included authentic autographed baseball cards in packages.  Buyers were eager to get a card with a signature and this caused the type of sales volumes that caused them run out of cards.

After this first successful year, Upper Deck negotiated licenses with the NHL, NFL and NBA to begin production of other types of collectible sports cards.  Upper Deck was always on the cutting edge of promotion as they tried new ideas to gain a foothold in the sports card market.  One such attempt was when they made what were called “Jersey Cards”.  These were unique because they were regular sports cards that had been packaged with small swatches of jersey's that were worn by the players on the field.    These cards were produced for both baseball and basketball.

As success continued into the 1990's and into the new millennium, Upper Deck had the chance to purchase the assets of one of it's competitors, Fleer-SkyBox.  They also bought the Fleer Collectibles, which was a maker of diecast models and in 2007 Upper Deck failed in their bid for rival, Topps.

Moving away from the popular baseball and hockey cards, Upper Deck created a premiere brand of NBA basketball card called the Exquisite Collection.  These premium cards were packaged 5 to a pack and contained a veteran base card, an autographed rookie card with a swatch worn during a game, a jersey card and an autographed patch card.   The autographed cards were not of average players, but rather superstars of the basketball scene including: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, just to name a few.  These cards were instantly a hit even though they sold for around $500, which made them the most expensive sports card packs ever made.  With the popularity of the Exquisite series, Upper Deck created similar sets for the NFL as well.

Upper Deck has proven to be a contender in the sports card industry and have been innovators ever since their introduction.  With the success found in sports cards and collectibles, Upper Deck has now branched out into making trading cards based on TV, Movies and even video games.  As they move into new markets, they will always be remembered as a premium sports card maker.

 

15 CARD 2006-07 UPPER DECK THE LeBRONS SILVER SET

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24 CARD 2005-06 UPPER DECK TRILOGY CUTTING EDGE JERSEYS

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UPPER DECK DIAMONATION FOOTBALL CARD 1999 TROY AIKMAN

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The Topps Company, which is one of the world's largest producers of collectible sports cards has not always been a sports card company.  If we look far into the past, we find that Topps actually started business as American Leaf  Tobacco in the late 1800's.  As World War I broke out, followed by the Great Depression, tobacco supplies were getting harder to find, making their business model more and more difficult to remain profitable.  Since the company already had distribution channels setup with stores throughout the United States, they decided to utilize those channels to distribute chewing gum, which was a new invention at the time.  The business was renamed Topps and the company moved forward into new niches.

We can all remember the bazooka bubblegum that was sold in our local convenience store that came wrapped with a comic, and this was one of Topps first chewing gum products produced by this new company.  To expand their chewing gum business, Topps started to sell their gum along with trading cards, but not the same trading cards that we would think.  Topps did not initially start producing sports cards, but rather a card depicting a western television actor, Hopalong Cassidy.  It was not until the early 1950's that sports card as we are familiar with were produced by Topps.

The sport of choice for these first set of sports cards made by Topps was baseball and the basic design of these cards was the same as we know today.  Card were designed with a picture and signature on the front, and player statistics on the back.  Throughout the years, they have had different types of pictures, from action pictures, depicting players on the field, to posed portraits which were taken specifically for the purpose of baseball cards and even painted or sketched pictures. Much different than the large royalties that are paid to professional sports players, Topps started out by paying the players royalties in the form of household goods such as refrigerators and other large household items which were considered a luxury in that day.  In those early days, Topps was not the only company selling baseball cards along with chewing gum, and they did have some very stiff competition with companies like Fleer and Bowman selling a similar product. 

For many years it was said that the success of Topps caused them to have a monopoly, especially in the baseball card market, even though they have moved on to making football, basketball and hockey cards.  They had sought to have exclusive contracts with player which did not allow other companies to operate in the same niche market as they were operating in.  This monopoly was broken up in the early 1980's when a lawsuit by Fleer paved the way for other companies to produce similar products.  Of course rookie cards were one of the major issues among competitors as the various sports card companies often raced to become the first to produce a rookie card for a player that showed potential.

Today, Topps is owned by Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners, which is affiliated with Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney.  Over the years, Topps has been a leader in the sports card industry, setting the standard for quality and design which is still in use today.

 

Lot of 5,1961 thru 1969,Graded Topps Baseball Cards

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78 card lot of 1968 Topps Baseball Cards NO DUPS

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Topps Baseball Cards NIB Official 1989 Complete Set

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1965 Topps Baseball -- Complete Set -- All 598 cards!

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1970 Topps Baseball -- Complete Set -- All 720 cards!

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1961 TOPPS BASEBALL 100% Complete Card Set EX-MT *PSA*

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The best way to ensure that your sports cards keep their value is to either buy professionally graded cards to start with or to have you best cards graded. Having your cards graded can ensure that they achieve top dollar when it comes to time to sell them.

There are 2 main grading services available to you and it makes sense to stick with ones that are recognised by all collectors. The 2 are SGC and PSA, Sports Cards Guaranty (is that even a word!) and Professional Sports Authenticator (I think!!)

SGC grade cards from 1-100 rather than the more usual 1-10 however they will also include a 1-10 score on the lable along with a standard letter code so you may see:  84/ 8/ nm-mt on a label. The 1-100 grading system and the quality of the holders is one reason why SCG is rapidly gaining ground over PSA.  PSA still use a 1-10 grade and a letter code.

When you have your cards graded they will be returned to you in a sealed  secure plastic holder along with a strongly affixed lable which contains details of your card. The holder is hermetically sealed to protect the card and to ensure that if you sell it the buyer knows that the card is still in the same condition as when it was first graded.

If you are buying a graded card or having a card graded you can add the details of your cards to their registry where you can display your sets and compare your collections with others . You may even find details of the cards you are buying already listed.

Lot of 5,1961 thru 1969,Graded Topps Baseball Cards

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DEXTER 10 CASE INCENTIVE CARD(GRADED)

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DEXTER 3 CASE INCENTIVE CARD(GRADED)

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86 Star NBA Court Kings Larry Bird Celtics Graded Card

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1500 - BCW "GRADED CARD" RESEALABLE BAGS for PSA / BGS

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1993 Star Nova Set Larry Bird Celtics Graded Promo Card

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1993 Star Platinum Larry Bird Celtics Graded Promo Card

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1986 Star Court Kings Ralph Sampson Graded Card GAI 9

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Kobe Bryant Graded cards

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86 Star Court Kings Rolando Blackman Graded Card GAI 9

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Personally one of my favorite cards to collect are boxing cards, there are much fewer boxers compared to baseball players but you tend to find that there are many more larger than life characters, Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, John L Sullivan.

Some of the most sought after boxing cards are those issued in the early part of the 20th century by American Caramel. The america caramel boxing cards often go for over $250 each and i've seen them fetch $900 or more for a mint condidtion one. Before contining on I'll add a list of some of the American Caramel cards available at the moment

1908 ? AMERICAN CARAMEL CO BOXING CARDS Nr-SET 17 DIFF

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E75 AMERICAN CARAMEL BOXING CARDS LOT OF 3 DIXON, BRITT

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E75 American Caramel Boxing Tom Sharkey PSA 1

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Whilst you can spend thousands of dollars buying cards you can also speculate and try to buy cards that will rise in value. At the time of writing this there is a Floyd Mayweather Jr rookie card selling for $4.99 as it's a limited edition it will undoubtably go up in value. If you get lucky the cards you buy now will increase in value faster than your hours and your pension plans combined!

Before buying it is wise to ensure that the cards you want ahave been graded by eith PSA or SGC. SGC are my personal favorites as they grade between 1 and 100 ensuring that there is no grey areas which can happen if a card is graded between 1 and 10.  If a card has been graded it will come in a sealed secured holder ensuring that you know the card is as claimed.

Below you'll find some of the latest boxing cards offers.

Boxing, JOE LOUIS: Scarce AFRICAN Tobacco Card (1939)

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BOXING: 15 Scarce AFRICAN TOBACCO Cards (1939)

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ARDATH PHOTOCARD BOXING CIGARETTE CARDS,SPORTS CARDS.

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MUHAMMAD ALI Boxing Coin Card 1974 Uncirculated Cent

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CASSIUS CLAY Boxing Coin Card 1960 Uncirculated Cent

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MANNY PACQUIAO Boxing Coin Card 2009 Uncirculated Cent

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Salvador Sanchez 17 boxing fight cards rare must have.

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Adult Sexy Outfit New Boxing Ring Card Girl Costume

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Adult Sexy Outfit New Boxing Ring Card Girl Costume

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1922 RISING BOXING STARS Trade Card Set - Boys Magazine

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What has 3,000,000 active participants and $5,000,000,000 annually spent on it?  I bet you guessed, it's Sports card collecting.  The interesting thisng about collecting sports cards is that 20 years ago it was a hobby and past time persued by school kids but now it has a huge following in the adult population. This is partly because swapping sports cards is no longer confined to the school yard. With the popularity of the internet the school yard has moved online.

The biggest school yard in the online world is without doubt eBay. Just looking at ebay today I found a Mint condition Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie card selling for $45,000 and at the other end of the spectrum is a Ken griffey Jr Bowman card selling for 3 cents.  Now where did I put that Barry Bonds rookie card?

Many people associate sports card collecting with baseball but as you probably know it's much bigger than that. There are sports cards for almost every sport with the most popular being baseball, football, basketball, golf and nascar and the very popular Boxing cards. Even within those niches you'll find subniches. For example you can collect MLB baseball cards, Minor League baseball cards, old negro league baseball cards and rookie cards. It is best to stick to one type of card and become an expert on that niche.

Collecting sports cards can often become more than a hobby for some people. There are a select group of hard core collectors who collect cards as a living. visiting shows, yard slaes, garage sales and auctions . You'll often find them buying large lots of cards just in the hope of finding that 1 special card.

Within the site you'll find cards for many different sites that are for sales today , have a browse and see if you can find that special card or indeed start your collection today by buying a completle collection.

1990 Original unopened Baseball cards Donruss Mariners

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Lot of 5,1961 thru 1969,Graded Topps Baseball Cards

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1964 Topps Giants AL KALINE Baseball Card-Hall of Fame

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78 card lot of 1968 Topps Baseball Cards NO DUPS

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1953 Topps Bill Bruton Baseball Card-Rookie Card RC

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1956 Topps Warren Giles Baseball Card-Rookie Card RC

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Fleer Baseball Cards NIB Official 1988 Complete Set

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50 ULTRA PRO 15 POCKET PAGES BASEBALL TOBACCO CARDS

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Topps Baseball Cards NIB Official 1989 Complete Set

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1992 TOPPS STUDIUM CLUB BASEBALL CARDS

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