If I had a million dollars….

I would buy that card. Not the best picture but you get the idea.

Unfortunately, its already out of my price range. Here’s the auction.

Here’s something I got for Christmas this year.

The Barry Halper Collection of Baseball Memorabilia

This is a catalog from a Sotheby’s auction held in 1999. Amazingly, all the items up for sale were owned by a single collector, Barry Halper, who acquired much of his collection directly from the athletes or their families. How else would someone get Ty Cobb’s dentures? (they sold for $7,475) This three-volume set has over 2,000 pictures, descriptions of the items, and estimated auction prices. There’s some really amazing stuff in here and I’ve only begun to go through it.

Scans:
Cover to “The Early Years” volume
500 Home Run Club Cards
Lou Gehrig Ring
T206 Proof Strip
Ted Williams Triple Crown
First Hall of Fame Class

This set makes a great gift for baseball fans, but finding it can be a little tricky. For those interested in grabbing a copy: Find it on eBay!

Here’s a list of live box breaks of 2007 UD Black Baseball on youtube:

1. maggettefan - http://youtube.com/watch?v=gNbCHPNcQzI

2. mainlyrookies - http://youtube.com/watch?v=hXNhuwHo8Tg

3. chri5784 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=ar16veLVqhY

4. chr5784 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=rTtA8Icu1JI

5. jlsobe - http://youtube.com/watch?v=QdRp-tU-5R0

6. TheBackstopDOTnet-http://youtube.com/watch?v=zIdTBx4prkM

7.TheBackstopDOTnet-http://youtube.com/watch?v=euuPhJXOcJw

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Here are some numbers on 2007 Topps Sterling Baseball. This is based on product info and checklists found in the Topps Sterling Sell Sheet. Now while the calculations that I came up with cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate, I am certain they are close enough to be useful for prospective buyers. This guide is for informational purposes only. So don’t blame me if you open 10 boxes based on this and get 10 Justin Morneau triple jersey cards…

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Ranked #6 on Beckett’s list of the Century’s top cards. Harry Frazee was the owner of the Boston Redsox who sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Click on the pic to check out the auction. Buy-it-now is only $250,000, so sell your house and make an offer!

Topps Sterling is back for its second year. Its similar to last year’s product in setup, but the checklist has been changed to include more of today’s active stars, along with HOFers.

Suggested Retail: $230
(You might find one for under $200 on eBay.)

If you are unfamiliar with how Topps Sterling is setup:

Case Details

• 10 boxes per case
• 1 Letter Patch card numbered to 1 (in a mystery pack)
• 1 Relic/Auto/Parallel card numbered to 1
• 1 Mickey Mantle Box
• 1 Barry Bonds Box

Box Details

• 5 cards per box (4 player cards + a single card mystery pack)
• 1 Relic/Autograph numbered to 10 or less
• 3 base cards numbered to 250
• Mystery pack has 1 parallel base card numbered to 50 or less or a GU full letter patch numbered to 1.

The boxes look like this and have a label with a player name on it. All four cards inside will be of that player. The mystery pack can have a card of any player.

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