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Do you like to collect autographs? With these 15 sets you can’t go wrong. Find out why these sets are so great and shop for tons of Hall of Fame and fan favorite autographs.
One of the earliest hockey card sets, 1923 V145-1 Hockey features many of the game’s top stars at the time. Included on the checklist are the likes of Georges Vezina, Howie Morenz and King Clancy.
Introduced as a candy premium, 1924 V130 Maple Crispette Hockey doubled as a collect and win contest for a pair of skates. The 30-card set has one extreme short print as well as key stars like Howie Morenz and Georges Vezina.
Continuing from where the V304A set left off, 1933-34 O-Pee-Chee Hockey features a similar design. However, these 24 cards are considered much rarer, commanding strong amounts on the secondary market.
1937 V356 World Wide Gum Hockey is a classic pre-war set that features a very simple design. The 135-card set features many hockey legends, including Conn Smythe, King Clancy, Eddie Shore and Howie Morenz.
Focusing on the Blackhawks, Rangers and Bruins, 1961-62 Topps Hockey is a 66-card set. Key rookie cards include Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.
One of the most popular (and controversial) trading card sets of all-time, 1962 Topps Mars Attacks covers a fictional tale of Martians invading the earth in the landmark non-sport release.
1962-63 Topps Hockey marks the first time they made a hockey set without white borders. Focusing on the Rangers, Bruins and Blackhawks, key rookies include Vic Hadfield and Jim Nielson.
The final Parkhurst set during its original run with the NHL, 1963-64 Parkhurst Hockey features a distinct design. Particular emphasis is placed on Canadian squads with extra slots on the checklist. Cesare Maniago is the set’s best rookie card.
Featuring the first horizontal hockey design from the company, 1963-64 Topps Hockey is a 66-card set the focuses on the NHL’s three American teams. Key rookie cards include Ed Johnston and Gilles Villemure.
1964-65 Topps Hockey marked the first time Topps used the Tall Boy format for a sports card set. The release also had an expanded checklist divided into two series. Key rookies include Marcel Paille and Gary Dornhoefer.
As hockey launched its Expansion Era, 1967-68 Topps Hockey marked the final release to include only Original Six teams. The 132-card set includes rookies of Rogie Vachon, Glen Sather and Jacques Lemaire.
Flyers goaltending great Bernie Parent is the key rookie card in 1968-69 Topps Hockey. Notable for being the company’s last horizontal base set design, the checklist also has many Hall of Famers.
1969-70 Topps Hockey marks the first time the card maker included career stats on the backs. It’s also the first Topps hockey set to have natural backgrounds. Although the checklist has several Hall of Famers, the lone major rookie is Serge Savard.
Gilbert Perreault and Brad Park both have rookie cards in 1970-71 Topps Hockey. The 132-card set features a distinct design that is most notable for five lights in the background.
A classic design and the rookie card of Ken Dryden, one of the best goalies ever, make 1971-72 Topps Hockey stand out. The set also has several cards that 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee Hockey doesn’t, including another all-time great, Gordie Howe.
Although 1972-73 O-Pee-Chee Hockey doesn’t have a headline rookie, the set still boasts a solid veteran core that includes Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull and Ken Dryden.
At 176 cards, 1972-73 Topps Hockey was the company’s largest to date. Although there aren’t any high profile rookie cards, the design is very very distinct. The set also has the first cards of the New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames.
Boasting the company’s biggest hockey checklist until the 1990s, 1975-76 Topps Hockey has a deceptively simple design. Key rookies include Pierre Larouche, Clark Gillies and Ron Greschner.
1977-78 O-Pee-Chee WHA Hockey is the final set the card maker produced for the failing league. The set has a smaller checklist with no major rookie cards.
1977-78 Topps Hockey marks the final appearance of Bobby Orr on a Topps card during his playing career. The 264-card set includes rookies of Mike Milbury and Mike Palmateer.
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee Hockey boasts a large 396-card checklist. Several hobby favorite players of the era have rookie cards in the set, including Mike Bossy, Bernie Federko, Dave Taylor and Doug Wilson.
Mike Bossy, Doug Wilson and Bernie Federko all have rookie cards in 1978-79 Topps Hockey. The design features a lot of familiar elements while the 264-card checklist is comprehensive.
Made famous for the Wayne Gretzky rookie card, 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Hockey features a bold design highlighted by its blue borders. The set also features the final cards of Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Ken Dryden from their playing careers.
Led by a Wayne Gretzky rookie card, 1979-80 Topps Hockey will always have a special place for hockey card collectors. Although not quite as desirable as its 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee cousin, the blue design is a hobby classic.
Featuring a solid design and the classic Rickey Henderson rookie card, 1980 Topps Baseball rings in a new decade with a solid set.
Ray Bourque and Mark Messier lead a loaded 1980-81 O-Pee-Chee Hockey checklist that includes a ton of great rookie cards. Other key cards include Mike Gartner, Michel Goulet and Mike Liut rookies and the second-year Wayne Gretzky.
1980-81 Topps Hockey is notable for its scratch-off card fronts. A loaded rookie card checklist includes Ray Bourque, Mike Gartner and Mike Liut.
The 1981-82 O-Pee-Chee Hockey has one of the best rookie lineups ever for a sports card set. First-year cards include Paul Coffey, Jarri Kurri, Denis Savard and Larry Murphy.
1981-82 Topps Hockey suffered from a different distribution method. While the first 66 cards were available everywhere, the West and East each had their own additional 66 cards. Key rookies include Jari Kurri, Denis Savard, Peter Stastny and Dino Ciccarelli.
For ice collectors, 1983-84 O-Pee-Chee Hockey is the only major option for the year. Key rookies include Steve Larmer, Bernie Nicholls and Scott Stevens.
1996-97 Topps Chrome Basketball features one of the best rookie card lineups for a modern basketball card set with Kobe Bryant leading the way. High-grade copies and Refractors are highly desired.
Autographs and Refractors highlight 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Baseball. Focusing almost entirely on rookies, prospects and draft picks, the set combines the Bowman and Bowman Chrome brands. Get full info, including a complete checklist and buying guide.
2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball has one of the strongest autograph lineups in recent history. Key signers include Michael (Giancarlo) Stanton, Buster Posey and Jesus Montero. As usual, Refractors remain popular as well.
Driven by the first Mike Trout MLB autograph, 2009 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball sees the familiar year-end return of rookies and emerging stars. The slightly revamped checklist makes room for 35 World Baseball Classic cards.
2011-12 Panini Gold Standard Basketball seeks to start a new gold rush for treasure hunters. The high-end set comes with a 2011-12 Rookie Class autograph redemption, two additional autographs and two memorabilia cards in every box. Solid gold cards return as well.
2011-12 Panini Limited is a hits-driven set that comes with an autograph, memorabilia card and autographed rookie redemption in every single-pack box. The set features several focused themes and clean designs.
Get a complete list of autograph and memorabilia card short prints for 2011-12 Panini Titanium Hockey. Short print lists cover Game Gear, New Wave Signatures, Private Signings Autograph and Titanium Reserve Autographs.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2011-12 SP Authentic Sign of the Times autographs and dual autographs. Get a complete break down of insertion rates, groupings and short prints with this organized checklist.
2011-12 SP Authentic Hockey sees the return of a hobby mainstay. Boxes come with three autographs including at least one autographed Future Watch rookie card. Other collector favorites like Rookie Holo F/X holograms and Sign of the Times autographs return.
Check out our 2012 Bowman Platinum Baseball Prospect Autographs visual checklist and see why collectors are clamoring for these cards. Signers include Yu Darvish, Yoenis Cespedes and Gerrit Cole.
2012 Cryptozoic The Walking Dead Comic gets to the roots of the zombie phenomenon, offering a look at the comic series that started it all. Highlighted by one sketch card per box, the set also includes printing plates, foil parallels and a pair of insert sets.
Freshened up with an updated look, 2012 Elite Football promises two autographs, two memorabilia cards and four numbered rookie cards in every box. Highlights include dual-signed Passing the Torch autographs and Rookie Inscriptions autographs.
Filling a void for music trading cards, 2012 Famous Fabrics Music, Music, Music include a 1/1 cut signature autograph and two memorabilia cards in every single-pack box. Autographs include Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and John Lennon.
Aimed largely at hit seekers and fans of classic cards, 2012 Leaf Best of Baseball is highlighted by a graded or slabbed buyback in every single-pack box. Boxes also come with either an exclusive autograph or sketch card.
Boasting five autographs per box, 2012 Leaf Pop Century includes autographs from actors, singers, politicians, athletes, personalities and other fringe celebrities. Headline signers include Jennifer Lopez, Brittney Spears, Sarah Palin and Harrison Ford.
Released as a factory set, 2012 Rittenhouse WNBA has a 100-card base checklist. Every set also comes with an autograph of Nnemkadi Ogwumike, the first overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
2012 SAGE Next Rookies Football is an all-autograph release. Featuring autographs from such 2012 rookies as Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson and Justin Blackmon, every card is numbered to 50 or less.
For less than a dollar a pack, 2012 Score Football comes with plenty of rookies, inserts and parallels. Aimed at set collectors, the base set has 400 cards, including 100 rookie cards. Every hobby box has 24 rookies, and at least 60 inserts and parallels.
2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball sees Upper Deck return to the diamond with an all-autograph series. Every pack comes with three autographs including one multi-signed card or manufactured patch autograph.
Want to know if those autographs you pulled from 2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball are rare? We’ve got a complete list of short print groupings and odds for the set’s basic autographs that don’t have serial numbers.
Looking to build the 2012 SPx Football set? You’ll need to track down these 35 autographed jersey cards. Get a complete visual checklist of all 35 cards in the 2012 SPx Football Rookie Auto Jersey set with this handy guide.
Discover the non-baseball autograph signers in 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball. We look at all 33 personalities, providing a short bio for each so you can decide who to chase.
Dealer and collector brentandbecca offers a case breaker’s take on 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball. Using preliminary info, past experiences and the brand’s history, he discusses whether the set is a good bet for those wanting to try a case break.
One of the hobby’s most rooted traditions, the 2012 Topps Baseball Complete Set Hobby Edition comes with all Series 1 and Series 2 base cards plus a pack of five exclusive Orange parallels.
One of the hobby’s most rooted traditions, the 2012 Topps Baseball Complete Set Hobby Edition comes with all 440 base cards plus a pack of five numbered Orange parallels.
2012 Topps Inception Football sees the return of the dark and distinct design along with tons of rookie signatures. Single-pack boxes promise two autographs or autographed relics and one relic card. Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson are among the autograph highlights.
It’s the Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III show in the race for the most valuable card in 2012 Topps Inception Football. Who has come out on top so far?
2012 Topps Mars Attacks Heritage reprints the original 55 cards while adding 25 new images. Inserts include multi-colored parallels, 3D lenticular cards and the first official Mars Attacks sketch cards.
2012 Topps Pro Debut marks the third year that Topps has been the exclusive manufacturer for MiLB baseball cards. Boxes of the reasonably priced product promise two autographs and two relic cards. Collectors can also chase short prints, numbered parallels and more.
Get a full checklist for all 50 2012 Topps Pro Debut Baseball variation short prints. Includes images, descriptions and other info.
2012 Topps U.S. Olympic Team and Olympic Hopefuls is an ambitious take on an end of the hobby that has traditionally fallen a little flat. Topps is taking a modern approach, offering three hits per hobby box. The cards will also be a good primer for ahead of the summer games in London.
2012 Topps Wacky Packages All-New Series 9 sees the return of the iconic brand of satire sticker cards. Highlights include new Awful App stickers that take aim at popular smart phone apps and sketch cards from Wacky Packages artists.
2012 Upper Deck Soccer kicks off another MLS season with stellar photography, one autograph and four game-used memorabilia cards, including one premium- or multi-swatch card, in every hobby box.
The Amazing Spider-Man is swinging into theaters, ready to reboot the popular franchise. While Rittenhouse has produced autographs for lead star Andrew Garfield, collectors will have to look elsewhere for signatures from other stars. Get a full list and buying guide for all available autograph cards.
In the latest athlete filing a trademark application, Ndamukong Suh is looking to gain control of the phrase “House of Spears.” Paul Lesko has all the details and the specifics of the application.
In the latest athlete filing a trademark application, Tim Lincecum has registered a pair of logos featuring silhouettes of himself. Paul Lesko has all the details.
Since debuting in 2006, Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball has offered some of the most unique and diverse cards in the hobby. Whether it’s the classical designs, wild inserts, massive amounts of mini cards, the interactive Ginter Code, the expansive autograph checklists, this is one set where it could be said there really is something […]
Take a trip back to the 1990s when case hits were wild. They also often didn’t rely on autographs or game-used memorabilia. We look at 12 of the era’s best insert sets that still command huge amounts today.
It’s the kind of find that myths are made of. About 700 E98 baseball cards from 1910 were found in an Ohio attic. The cards could sell at auction for more than $3 million.
Immerse yourself in the history of Topps Football card designs with our visual guide. Includes card images from every flagship Topps Football set from 1951 to 2011.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2012 Elite Football Rookie Inscriptions autographs. Get a full checklist for the acetate set including color variation numbers, images, team info and a buying guide to shop for individual cards.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Mini Autographs. Get complete checklists, extensive images and a handy buying guide. Covers both the baseball and non-baseball “Champions” autographs.
One of baseball’s most charismatic personalities, Hunter Pence has become one of the game’s most popular players. Get detailed info on all of his rookie cards, including images and a buying guide.
A key piece of the Angels’ offense, Mark Trumbo has emerged as one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters. Get detailed info on his rookie cards, including images and a buying guide.
The National Sports Collectors Convention has long been the hobby’s premier event. But rather than rest on the past, Rick Klein offers some suggestions on how to make the National even better.
2012 SP Signature Edition Baseball is here and the cards are probably unlike anything you’ve likely seen. For most, especially those who spent almost $300 on a box, the results could be very disappointing.
Ron Hextall was one of the best goalies of his era. He’s also one of the most charismatic hockey players of all-time. We look at why he belongs in the Hall of Fame and what a call might do for his cards and collectibles.
Get an exclusive first look at 2012 Cryptozoic The New 52 sketch cards. Check out some detailed artwork from Charles Hall, Aston Roy Cover, Bien Flores and Benjamin Glendenning.
Get complete details on Fashionable Ladies and Guys in Hats mini cards, a pair of surprise inclusions in 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball. This comprehensive guide includes a checklist, buying guide and images of every card in both sets.
The former owner of Mastro Auctions and two of its executives are facing several fraud charges after an FBI investigation. Get a full summary of the charges from legal expert Paul Lesko.
With all of the packs opened, find out what to do next to make sure your group break runs smoothly. Includes practical advice on details like sorting, supplies and shipping.
A group breaker shares his experiences setting up and selling his first group break. The guide provides easy-to-follow tips, simple advice and important lessons learned.
Collectors headed to the 2012 National Sports Collectors Convention have a chance to score a bunch of exclusive cards. We’ve got details on all of them, including redemptions and promos from the VIP package.
Not only is it one of the key cards in 2012 Bowman Platinum Baseball, the Bryce Harper bat plate is one of the phenom’s top cards. Period. Well, it has surfaced on eBay. Get full details of the listing.
Paul Lesko uncovers a new patent that looks to turn traditional gift cards into collectible trading cards. Includes details, analysis and the patent documents.
Beckett Media has filed a legal complaint against another company for using the Beckett name. Paul Lesko has the details and court documents.
In Law of Cards, Paul Lesko writes a satirical open letter to Topps after the card maker files a trademark application for their Chrome brands
Have you ever read a patent document? Law of Cards’ Paul Lesko uses a new Upper Deck patent to show just how complex and confusing these documents can be.
What are the most valuable rookie cards from the 1970s? We’ve analyzed the numbers and are counting down the top 17. Expect surprises.
Cryptozoic is giving away pages of original comic art in DC Comics The New 52. Get details on the program as well as a peek at some of the art they’re passing on to collectors.
Headed for the Hall of Fame, we look back on the career of Ron Santo through the lens of his Topps baseball cards. Check out a full gallery of Ron Santo Topps cards from his playing days as well as other info on his career and collectibles.
Here’s all you need to know about the 2011-12 SP Authentic Future Watch Autographs. Get details, images, a full checklist and buying guide for all 60 rookie cards.
On the heels of busting a pair of nostalgia-driven products, Rick Klein questions why there hasn’t been an iconic base set design for many years. He also offers a potential solution, albeit a radical one in today’s modern hobby.
The Martians have returned to earth. With 2012 Topps Mars Attacks Heritage having landed, we look at the top 10 sketch card sales recorded on eBay. Find out which artists are seeing the highest returns.
We count down the 10 best rookie cards from one of hockey’s greatest decades. Which all-time greats make the list? Which ones didn’t make it. Find out here. Includes images, analysis and buying guide.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Barry Larkin! Look back on his both his career and cards with a complete gallery of all his Topps base cards from his playing days.
Terrell Suggs is the latest athlete to try to cash in on a catchphrase. Paul Lesko has details on Suggs filing several trademark applications for the use of ‘Ball So Hard University.’
Every year, the San Diego Comic-Con has tons of exclusive trading cards. We’ve compiled a list of cards and trading card promos offered at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con.
We track the top 15 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball opening week eBay sales. Autographs and Rip Cards dominate the list. Hot players include Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Trout and Sandy Koufax.
Most collectors would agree that jumbo patch cards are worth swooning over. Here are more than 20 different 2012 Topps Tier One Prodigious Patches that prove that point.
UK-based Unstoppable Cards has released a new set of cards based on the zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead. Get full details and images of all nine autographs in the set.
