The Post War Cards Newsletter #27
Ripken's '80 Winter League Contract, 1986 Fleer BK Case Flipping, 1961 Topps Penny Wrappers, A Lot Of News, And Baseball Set Prices In '76
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⚾️ Cal Ripken Jr.’s 1980 Winter League Contract
On October 21, 1980, a young Cal Ripken Jr., still a rising prospect, signed a contract to play for the Caguas club in the Puerto Rican Winter League for $2,350/Month. The document, which surfaced in Mastro's March 2000 auction, features a rare "Calvin E. Ripken Jr." signature.
Ripken got a raise the following winter, signing in 1981 for $3k/mo as indicated on the following contract that Lelands sold for $3,236 in November 2008.
🤸♂️ When Flipping Gets Too Aggressive
I don’t have a problem with folks buying and selling collectibles for a quick profit—it can be a fun way to make a few dollars—but sometimes, I have to laugh. An empty 1986-87 Fleer Basketball case was recently listed on eBay as an auction with a starting bid of $8,600.
I couldn’t help but share a screen capture on X, sarcastically asking if it was “too pricey?” Some folks commented that a wrapper or box would look nicer on a shelf, while others cynically noted their surprise that it had no bids. But I posted it because the exact same case had sold on eBay on February 28th for just $795 (both cases have identical Sharpie markings on the side).
And yeah, the $8,600 flip attempt failed—it closed without a bid on March 15th. They relisted it shortly thereafter for $1,200 (it didn’t sell at that price either), but I wish the seller the best!
✍️ Great Hobby Writing
Beckett: Baseball Cards and Sophomore Season: Interview with NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes
Baseball Cards Comes to Life: Topps Big Cartoon Deep Dive: Bryn Smith
Signature Stories: Commemorating the 90s
Sports CollectorsDaily: 1962 Topps Baseball Stamp Connections – Part 3 & Another Rare 1971 Cuban National Team Card Set with Album Uncovered
The Topps Archives: Carved Out
Night Owl Cards: C.A.: 1973 Topps Jim Breazeale & Joy of a subset: A thrilling start
The Collective Mind: Blog Bat Around
The Chronicles of Fuji: A 90’s Set Building Kit
⚾️ Unopened Item Of The Week - 1961 Topps Penny Wrapper Sales
Monday’s Unopened Market Report included a piece on the 10 Priciest Topps Wax Wrappers Sold On eBay So Far This Year, including this 1961 Topps Baseball 1-Cent “Bazooka” example sold on March 9th for $510.53.
But did you know Topps printed three other penny wrapper variations in 1961? Two match the previous example’s format: “Baseball Pennants” (which are ultra-scarce) and “Vote.”
And then there’s the repeating format you’re probably more familiar with; the following one was also sold on March 9th on eBay (by the same seller as the Bazooka example above) for $414.77.
For more unopened info, consider upgrading your subscription to get next Monday’s Unopened Market Report.
📝 On The Blog
Mar 20, 2025: 10 Original Mickey Mantle Photos Used For His Early Bowman, Topps, and Wheaties Baseball Cards
Mar 21, 2025: A Spectacular Circa 1914 Joe Jackson Baseball Magazine Advertising Display
Mar 22, 2025: Billy Martin’s Final Topps Contract As A Yankee Player: A One-of-a-Kind Piece of History
Mar 23, 2025: Just How Great Are Gretzky’s Rookie Cards?
Mar 24, 2025: Faux Wood Grain Bordered Sports Cards
Mar 25, 2025: 1952 Topps Baseball – A Hobby Game-Changer
Mar 26, 2025: Bob Feller Now Pitching For Popsicle Advertising Sign
📰 In The News
Adweek: Yahoo Sports Taps the Memorabilia Market With Hub Dedicated to the Collectibles Industry & cllct: Cllct partners with Yahoo to create new collectibles hub
cllct: Lawsuit dropped in Victor Wembanyama jersey controversy
Sports Collectors Daily: Leader of Group That Stole, Melted Historic Sports Memorabilia Gets 8-Year Prison Term
NWestIowa: Nebraskan cited for trading cards theft
Sports Collectors Daily: T206 ‘Connecticut’ Wagner Card Set for Auction & Yahoo: T206 Honus Wagner goes to auction with $5 million estimate
The Athletic: From building stadiums to selling trading cards, baseball biz is different in Japan & Chicago Tribune: How Topps is using the Tokyo Series to build its passionate baseball card-collecting community in Japan
The Athletic: The journey of a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card won in a game of pinochle by a Red Sox fan
ESPN: MLB award winners' gold logos to become Topps 'logo' cards
cllct: Michael Jordan rookie from secret signing heads to auction
Department of Justice: Former Employee of Augusta National Golf Club Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Stealing Masters Golf Tournament Merchandise and Memorabilia
Sports Business Journal: Fanatics hits $40M in sales off MLB Tokyo Series
PR Newswire: DICK'S Sporting Goods Purchases Paul Skenes Topps MLB Debut Patch Card
Sports Collectors Digest: New ‘Hobby Hustle’ documentary ranks as hobby’s best film
Sports Collectors Daily: Most Graded Baseball Card Sets Dominated by Post-War Vintage
⚾️ Complete Mint Baseball Card Set Prices 49 Years Ago
In the March 1976 issue of The Trader Speaks, released 49 years ago, Jeff Reiss of Cincinnati, Ohio, placed this ad offering Complete Mint Topps Baseball Card Sets for sale.
According to the CPI Inflation Calculator, $115 in 1976 is equivalent to $653 today, but that’s still quite a deal for a 1954 Topps Baseball Set, considering VgEx ones are over $5k today.
Happy collecting!