It’s all in the cards

Sang Lee

BURBANK -- If baseball is America’s pastime, then baseball trading

cards could quite possibly be its history.

Stemming from cards in Cracker Jack boxes, to packages sealed with a

piece of bubble gum, baseball cards have been around almost as long as

the game itself.

As with autographs and other sports memorabilia, baseball -- and

sports cards in general -- have become highly collectible.

“I have never sold so many cards in my life,” Burbank SportsCards

owner Rob Veres said. “These days you hear a lot of gloom and doom about

the economy and how some card shops are going out of business. But we are

doing very well.”

That is because Veres has kept up with technology. Along with

expanding the card shop on Magnolia Boulevard, he also has been involved

in sales and promotion on the Internet, which has led to increased sales.

“We are the biggest card shop anywhere, and we have almost seven

million items,” Veres said.

“We have been involved in the Internet from day one and that has

really helped our business.”

The value of the collectibles goes beyond the inflating price of the

dollar. The other unique thing about card collecting is that it has

seemed to transcend eras and generations.

Players are often fondly remembered in the Major League

Baseball-brotherhood through trading cards, which serve almost as a seal

of accomplishment for making it into the big leagues.

Players who make it to the National and American leagues are rewarded

and immortalized with their own baseball card, from the late Joe DiMaggio

to talented rookie Ichiro Suzuki.

Over the years, cards have been used for many purposes: for keeping

stats, for decorating a room or for making that unique rattling sound

when placed in the back wheel of a bicycle.

But as the items have become more collectible, cards have become a

vehicle for profit-hunters, individuals who look to make money for their

patience and keen eye for a deal.

Take for example the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card. The extremely rare

card -- reportedly less than 10 in existence -- sold on eBay last year

for $1.1 million.

However, not all cards are a sure bet for future wealth, as Burbank’s

Homerun Sports cards owner Mike Philpott said.

“If you have the best of the best, you’ll do well. But what we’re

selling is the new stuff. And what people are looking for is the new

stuff. Baseball cards can be a great investment, but it’s just like

anything else. It’s hard to say which cards will go up in value,”

Philpott said.

*

Not many would have imagined that more than a 100 years after it was

made, the Wagner card -- which was owned by Wayne Gretzky and Bruce

McNall -- would sell for so much money.

And to think, the genesis of the baseball card started as a simple

advertising gimmick from tobacco companies.

With professional baseball reportedly beginning in 1869 with the

advent of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first cards were introduced

in the mid-1880s. To boost tobacco sales, Allen & Ginter and Lonejack

Tobacco both issued a baseball card on the backs of cigarette packs as

stylized cardboard stiffeners to help protect the product from accidental

crushing.

Wagner was originally featured in the line of tobacco cards, but he

wanted the companies to stop using his likeness on their products. Thus,

the companies took Wagner cards out of production, distributing only 50

to 60 of his cards.

And now, over a century later, baseball cards are still being

collected, serving as the father of all sports memorabilia, which

includes current hot items like jerseys and bobble- head dolls.

*

Sports cards are abundant and still very popular, and Burbank has its

share of shops and distributors.

Philpott, who’s owned Homerun Sports Cards for more than 15 years, has

experienced the latest trend of card collecting. “The biggest selling

era was around 1987. Back then there was only one football card and three

baseball cards -- Donruss, Fleer and Topps. Now, Topps will be making 50

versions of its card. For the collectors, it makes it real difficult and

no one can buy them all,” he said.

“Every one in our business feels like companies are making too many

cards. But it’s a big business and they have obligations to fulfill.”

Those obligations have made it hard on buyers to know which cards will

rise in value in the coming years. But Philpott said the cards most worth

collecting are often the ones with players who make a name for

themselves.

Also, the most collectible cards are rookie cards, which are usually

produced in limited numbers. The short supply means there are no reprints

and that allows the card to hold value. This year’s big rookies are

Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols.

Although baseball has been collectible king over the years, card mania

has taken over other sports. Just last year, Upper Deck introduced a line

of golf cards. The company has used the popularity of golf and the

marketing success of Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia to boost sales.

And as for which sport should generate the most profits in the

future?, Philpott said it varies.

“It’s seasonal. When the Lakers were winning, basketball was the

hottest. Right now, there is a lot of interest in Michael Vick cards. And

golf cards are selling real well. They never sold well before,” he said.

But like any business, there are no guarantees about which cards will

be the most valuable.

Surely, not all cards will be as lucrative as the Wagner card, but

there will always be collectors looking for that rare card, along with

kids who just like the sound a card makes in the spokes of their bike.

PRICE GUIDE Frank Thomas ’90 Fleer Rookie $1

Albert Puhols ’01 Bowman Rookie $30 Barry Bonds ’87

graded Topps Tiffany Rookie $120 Babe Ruth ’33 Goudey poor condition

$6000