Conference school::sports_memorabilia

    
    Mike,
    
    	You hit it on the head in your last comment. These cards (in my
    opinion) are collectible, but not as desirable as the major league
    rookie or in the case of hockey, the parent club rookie cards. There 
    will always be a demand for the ones you mentioned, but the purests
    will always look to obtain the major league cards before they go
    after the minors or college stuff. 
    	You are right about there being too many cards/variations out 
    there, collectors are begining to focus in on one sport or one
    manufacturer. 
    
    Jim

    re - last notes
    
    I think that these cards will eventually fade away.  It seems phoney to
    me put out a pre-rookie card after the player has gone pro, sometimes
    for several years.  To me there is so much stuff out there, I only like
    the wax packs, I don't really like to buy complete sets.  The amount of
    cards confuses the buyers, they don't know what to collect.  I think
    many people collect because they like to but also because they like to
    trade, sell, deal, ect..  Consider if you decide to spend cash on cards
    that the rest of the industry decides they do not want them any more. 
    Where does that leave you when you decide to trade or sell later. 
    Probably with some nice cards that you can't get rid of.  
    
    I place these types of cards in the same place as the regional or food
    issues that come out.  I have a Hostess panel from the 70's with Rose,
    Seaver, and Carew on it.  The Beckett "bible" states that its worth at
    least $25.  I think that finding someone willing to pay that much for
    would be as remote as the Bruins winning the cup (hopefull but not
    probable :)).  Further it does not get regular press in some of the
    more popular magazines, by this I mean a price listed each month.  So
    hopefully this stuff will just fade from the hobby scene.  JMHO.
    
    Jon 

    With each set of the Classic Hockey Draft picks they say "Includes
    eclusive BONUS CARD". Does any one know what these BONUS cards are?
    I've purchased a set but I want to keep it sealed for $ reasons.
    
    Jim

    
    	Jim 
    
    		The bonus cards are:
    
    	For Baseball a Frankie Rodriguez card
    
    	For hockey   a Rocket Ismail on ice (on skates with I think a
    Hockey stick)
    
    	These cards are only in the dealer sets and not in the sets you'll
    find at Spags, Toys-r-us ect.

    I know my mother has a Little League Card for my nephew... Any idea
    what I could get for it....?
    
    Dick

    If you take the present value of his guaranteed multiyear contract with
    the Red Sox (assuming he will be a 1st base/right field/DH-type, of
    course), multiply by the probability and factor in the print run...you
    might get an answer...but why put pressure on the kid.  He'll probably
    get interested in girls in a few years anyway.
    
    For 355.3 (I think), if you look closely at your set, you may see 2
    cards that are underneath the shrink wrapped set.  The one on the
    bottom is the checklist/numbered certificate.  The other is the Rocket
    bonus card.  I haven't opened a hockey draft pick set yet but I opened
    a baseball set to check out the Frankie Rodriguez card.
    
    As for pre-rookie cards, they have been around in baseball for awhile
    now in the form of minor league team sets.  They were called that for a
    long time until some company trademarked that term (Line Drive?).  Now
    you can find minor league baseball wax, team sets and factory sets.
    
    One nice set that people may not know about is the Cape Cod League sets
    that were put out in 1988.  Two sets were made that year.  One is the
    30 card set by Fred Suzman, which has around 20 players (the All-Stars)
    and one card for each team.  Each summer good baseball players are
    invited to play in the league to hone their skills and get scouted at
    the same time.  Some past players have been Will Clark, Ben McDonald,
    Ron Darling, etc.-over 100 have made it to the majors!  The games are
    free, BTW.  Anyway, the players that ended up in that set included: 
    Jeff Bagwell, Chuck Knoblauch, Mo Vaughn and Frank Thomas!  Around
    5,000 sets were made.  Many were sold at the game and others to dealers
    for what may have been a hefty $5 at the time.  The sets have been seen
    recently in the $50 range!  There was another Cape Cod set made that
    year-it had approximately 180 players, including the All-Stars.  BTW,
    add Kevin Morton and maybe Eric Wedge to both lists.  The bigger set
    also had guys like Jeromy Burnitz, Dave Staton, Dan Wilson, Kirk
    Dressendorfer and Brad Beanblossom.  I may have inserted or left out
    some names but you get the idea.  Print run was also low.  The one
    problem with this set though was that they put 'NCAA Summer Baseball'
    on the front.  Guess who got P.O.-ed and probably did the lawsuit
    thing?  That must be the reason no more Cape Cod sets were made.  Too
    bad.  The NCAA must be tired of card sets using still eligible players,
    such as Ty Detmer.
    
    That brings up the last subject.  Apparently the rookie craze prompted
    some card companies to bring out sets of players that turned pro but
    were not going to be in sets until a year later.  Classic did a
    baseball draft pick set in late 1990 before Score included the players
    (Van Poppel, Alex Fernandez) in their 1991 cards.  StarPics put out a
    set of hoops prospects the same year they entered the pros.  In the
    past, hoop rookies came out in card sets the next season.  This helped
    prompt Hoops, SkyBox and Fleer to do a series 2 or update with current
    year rookies.  Football was probably similar.  Anybody hear about or se
    the high school prospects sets?  These are all driven by collectors
    wanting to get rookie cards faster and by card companies trying to
    provide the product to get a competitive edge to make sales.  Will
    these last?  Probably.  Beckett now has an issue called Future Stars
    that lists these type of sets.  It's a new category/niche akin to
    entertainment cards (there you go, Juan) or even traded sets.
    
    Well, that was too long to both read and write...Lance

    A freind got me a Star Pics set for X-mas and its is a nice set. It
    contains 60 very glossy cards with a few different types of players.
    Most of the cards (around 40) are of draft picks in plain solid color
    jersies. There also a few young Russian players in their CCCP uniforms
    (Bure + Irbe). There are a few hall of fame players cards
    (Sawchuck,Belvieu{sp}) and there are 6 current young players in the
    NHL(Jagr,Fedorov,Ricci,Sundin,Belfour,Oates) in kind of a Skybox
    scenerio with the enhancements around the picture.
    There is also a note on the side of the box asking you to call them
    if you get an autographed card so you can register it.
    BTW, the card on the bottom of deck in both our packs had the right
    corner holded way back-->ruining the value of the card.
    
    Anybody get any of the other draft pick sets?
    
    Bill
    

    I've been bored and discouraged by all of the sets that are put out
    by the big card companies, so when I got a look at Wildcard collegiate
    football and at the Classic Draft picks the 230 card set.  I started 
    collecting again.  I know there is a large group that holds there nose
    at the thought that these cards are even called "cards", and that the
    manufacturers break every rule ( ie Barry Sanders Collegiate card in
    a 1991 set).  Still they were fun to put together.  I liked those two
    sets the best in 91.
    Mike
    

    
    I agree on the classic mike, but you can keep the collegiate wildcard,
    the nfl version I like much more.  The four sport Classic wax is alot 
    of fun to open, neat idea (all sports in one) and some packs are loaded.
    
    jeff
    

    i'm looking for early Mutombo and Morning cards - and Becketts listed 
    Georgetown Police Basketball sets (88-89, 89-90, 90-91, and 91-92)
    
    anyone seen ads (or better yet know where to buy direct!) these Georgetown
    Police Basketball sets?
    
    i have call Discount Dorothy's and Joe Sak - any others?
    
    thanks
    
    -jb
    

    
    It was in SCD I believe that I read the fact that Brien Taylor made
    $200,000 last year from exclusive card contract deals.  Never throwing
    a single pitch he made more money off baseball last year than Nolan
    Ryan did.  crazy.
    
    jeff
    

    
    	They had a section of 60 min. last sunday dedicated to Brian Taylor
    	and his mother, and how she hung tough with the Yankees, and
    	didn't budge until she got what she wanted for Brian.  She is
    	one tough lady. 

     Has anybody seen those Classic packs of sports cards that 
    have all the sports in one pack. Pre-rookie hockey,basketball,
    etc. I got a Mutombo the other day in a pack. They are some 
    nice cards to collect. They sold for $1.00 a pack. Not to bad
    since everything is selling for a buck a pack. 

    I don't understand how the players association could stop a player 
    from receiving $$ if a card company approaches them to produce a card. 
    
    If some ho-bo card company wanted to put high school athletes on cards
    and sell them then pay those athletes $$ the players association
    wouldn't really have a pot to p in and stop them. What's the
    difference.  Not that I disagree with them trying to stopping this 
    exclusive card company stuff but I can't see how they can easily do it. 
    
    
    Ron
     
    

    
    I also believe the high school or college kids can't be compensated
    for appearing on the cards, or their college eligibility is in danger.
    
    Of course, if they're taking the bonus money and going to the rookie
    league, they don't care.
    
    -rjk

    Keep in mind that only the players with star potential will command any
    sizable contract amounts.  Most people don't really care if guys like
    Matt Young and Danny Darwin are pictured on a card.  In this business
    it is only rookie cards that become very desirable.  Taylors contract
    will be worth much less next year.  
    
    jon

    
    Came across a couple of Classic auto. inserts . Taylor and D. Young,
    I'm curious as to how to authenticate these. Any help would be
    appreciated.
    
    Jim  
     
    P.S. both are in the 1100/2500 range