SGC’s 20th Anniversary Coin

It has been a long time since I’ve gotten any cards graded.  For awhile I use to do it on a regular basis.  BGS and SGC were the main services that I used.  A few times I got lucky and my cards came back with high grades.  My Brett Favre 1991 Topps Stadium Club RC #94, and Ryan Howard 2003 Donruss Elite Status Die-Cut #’ed/57 both received Gem Mint 9.5 grades.

This year SGC is celebrating their 20th anniversary.  During the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, they had quite the display.  About $40 million worth of memorabilia was being shown off.  All on loan from various high-end collectors.  At the center of it was probably the most notable contract in sports history, the original copy of the 1919 trade of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees.  Talk about an eye full.

A few weeks ago I saw these SGC 20th Anniversary coins popup.  They’re something I’ve never seen before.  I tried finding some information about them, but came up with nothing.  An e-mail was sent off to SGC.  I quickly received a response from their Director Of Operations/Customer Service Matthew Clark.  According to Mr. Clark, (300) 20th Anniversary coins were made.  SGC began handing them out during the National.  Its something they have done with other shows they’ve setup at since.

When I was in Cleveland, I only looked at SGC’s big memorabilia display.  I never went up to their submission booth.  That’s where they had to be giving them out.  Upon inquiring about the coins, Mr. Clark sent over a promo package to Sports Card Info.  Inside were (2) coins, SGC draw-string bag, and a SGC New Era hat.

Check out SGC’s newly redesigned website.

Orioles ’18 Baseball Treasure Copper Coin Contest Winner Announced

Congrats to y2jbrak on being the lucky winner of the Adam Jones 2018 Baseball Treasure 1-ounce copper coin card.  Once y2jbrak sends me their mailing address, I will ship this card ASAP.  Thanks!

Orioles ’18 Baseball Treasure Copper Coin Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Adam Jones 2018 Baseball Treasure 1-ounce copper coin card.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, June 15, 2018 @ 8:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

What Is It? – Pete Rose “3000” Hits Commemorative Metal Object

I get e-mails all the time from people usually asking common questions about cards that can easily be answered.  The other day I received a question from a reader about an item I’ve never seen before.  I’m not too sure what it is or how it was distributed, so I thought it would make for an interesting post.  Does anyone have an idea of what this is?

Here is the e-mail that goes along with it:

My brother and I ran across this Pete Rose desk paper weight.  It has a coin that we cannot find any information on.  We think it may have belonged to the person who ran the Riverfront Stadium in 1978 and may have been custom made for him.  Judging by the aged color of the resin it’s enclosed in it maybe about that old.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  We have no idea what it is or what it may be worth.  I have attached two pictures of the item and feel free to forward the email to anyone who may be able to help.

Got Any Change?

No, Press Pass hasn’t gone the way of Pinnacle and started inserting coins in their cards.  I’ve had a few questions about these cards and so has Press Pass ever since they started to surface on eBay.  I can’t really knock these cards because the seller clearly states they are custom made and do not come from the factory containing the coin.  I would like to clearly state that PRESS PASS DOES NOT INCLUDE COINS WITH THEIR CARDS.  Someone either cut a hole in the middle and slipped it inside or they glued it on top.  A few people have been disappointed with their purchase mainly because they didn’t read the description all the way, and thats their fault.

Apparently collectors think this custom card maker does a better job than Pinnacle did back in the 90’s.  This Tony Stewart sold for $50.00.  Not too bad for a base card worth about as much as the quarter.

Penny Cards

No, I’m not talking about cards worth a penny.  I’m talking about cards containing pennies.  A few years back I saw these cards on eBay but never gave much thought to them.  Recently I’ve been more interested in these cards which were made by Auth/Ink and always contain a penny.  They always feature a famous athlete, entertainer, or historical figure and then have a penny inserted into the card from a year that was significant to that person.  A couple of weeks ago I found a Christy Mathewson Auth/Ink card at a show for only $15.00.  Inside the card is a wheat penny from 1936 because that was the year Mathewson was inducted into the Baseball HOF.  Since I collect cards of older players such as Mathewson, I knew I had to have it.  Mathewson went to Bucknell University which I drive by everyday and is even buried the Lewisburg Cemetery which is right next to the school (that would make for a great place to do an on-location box break near Halloween).

Nobody is quite sure how these cards were distributed.  I doubt they were inserted into packs.  I think Auth/Ink sold them exclusively in eBay just like Razor did with some of their Metal cards.  These cards range in price from $9.99  all the way up to $50.00 in some cases.  This Lou Gehrig card looks really cool.  Usually you’d find Gehrig in a Yankees uniform, but they decided to use a picture of him in his Columbia jersey.  Another one of my favorites is of Mike “King” Kelly.