Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>peter ullman</b><p>I used to have a soft cover book...now lost in my parents house...called most valuable baseball cards. I remember it had a 51 bowman mantle...among others on the cover. It wasn't particularly detailed in any one area but had a nice smattering of oddities. <br />It had the various t206 backs...listing the hustler as a possibility...had an e95 cut out cobb card with the script writing on top...and the e90-1 keeler throwing card as well. Does anyone know of this book?<br /><br />What books were influential to you guys as an early collector...price guides?<br /><br />pete ullman in mn

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>James Feagin</b><p>There was a book called the "Great American Baseball Card Trading, Flipping and Bubble Gum" book that was released sometime back. It basically took cards from the 1950s and gave stories regarding these cards from a child/fan perspective. Great book and I've loved it since I was 8.<br /><br />James

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>scgaynor</b><p>"Great American Baseball Card Trading, Flipping and Bubble Gum"<br /><br />Best Baseball Card Book Ever!<br /><br />I read that book like 100 times as a kid, I would love to write something similar with cards from the 1980s. <br /><br />Scott

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Rob Dewolf</b><p>James beat me to the punch. I read <i>The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book</i> so many times it practically fell apart. As a pre-teen in the mid-1970s, seeing and reading about all of those great 1950s and '60s baseball cards -- and the classic Johnny U. football card -- along with the comments from the author, cemented my future as a collector.<br /><br />That book is funny, informative, nostalgic and heart-warming. I haven't read it in years, but my bet is that it holds up well today. I know I still have my worn copy, and I might just have to go find it and read it again.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>J Levine</b><p>Loved this book so much I actually put together a set of cards that goes with the book. Many of the cards are fairly easy to find and I think the most expensive one was a Paige. Great book!<br /><br />Joshua

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>That was the 1st book that came to my mind also! For those few who may NOT be familiar w/ it, here are pics of my well-read copies:<br /><br />1st one is the original hardcover from 1973--<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/flipa.jpg"><br /><br /><br />2nd one is a softcover version from 1991--<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/flipb.jpg">

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>MVSNYC</b><p>if you don't have it, you must get it!<br /><br />out of print...try amazon or abe books?<br /><br />"classic baseball cards, the golden years 1886-1956" by frank slocum

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Alan</b><p>I completely agree with Michael. Slocum's book is the greatest !!!

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>MVSNYC</b><p>BTW, the book is a true coffee table book, like cramer's...(barry & jeff). weighs about 10 pounds, it's huge!

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>DITTO......for the "The Great American BB Card Flipping, Trading & Bubble Gum Book" book.<br /> <br />But, without a doubt the most influential to many of us is the "The Monster" by Bill Heitman. <br />Issued in 1980 it started us on a great lifetime adventure.<br /><br />Thanx Bill.....wherever you are.....as you can see, mine exhibits 26 years of wear. Anyhow,<br />several years ago I acquired a near mint one.<br /><br />TED Z<br /><br /><img src="http://www.freephotoserver.com/v001/tedzan/abillheitmanbk.jpg">

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Roland</b><p>The best I ever read. My copy has Bobby Thomson and Herb Score cards on the cover, copyright 1973. Any value for this book. Not looking to sell , but curious.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>hank</b><p>I have a copy of "Most Valuable Baseball Cards". This 64 page full color publication covers "N", "T", "E", "W", Goudey, Bowman, Topps and many regional & anonymous issues. It was written by Christopher Benjamin in 1990 and was a Perigee Book published by The Putnam Publishing Group in New York. The front cover also features the T206 Wagner & Plank, '33 Goudey Lajoie & Ruth, '34 Gehrig, '14 Cracker Jack Cobb,and '41 Playball DiMaggio plus the '51 Bowman Mantle.<br />The back page states: "Full-color reproductions of the 400 most sought-after baseball cards - with a total value of over $300,000!" <br />I must admit that what intrigued me was the photo page of T206 backs which includes all the usual suspects plus a Brown Old Mill Southern League factory overprint in red ink, a Ty Cobb back and a Hustler Little Cigars Baseball Series back along with a Hustler box. The description relating to Hustler says: "Does it exist? Burdick's 1938 and 1946 catalogs listed Hustler as one of the T-206 brands, but no cards with Hustler backs have been confirmed. Such a card would be worth a minimum of $5000."<br />It also priced the Cobb back at a minimum of $6000 and Wagner at $90000, "although actual prices have been much lower".<br />The colorful images make this a neat little book which was originally priced at $10.95. ISBN# is 0-399-51592-5.<br />Thanks for mentioning it as it gave me an opportunity to glance through it once again.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>peter ullman</b><p>thanks Hank...that's the one!!! I really like the book...but haven't been able to find my copy. next time in MD...I'll have to look harder!!!<br /><br />pete ullman

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Joseph</b><p>"Great American..." is wonderful and inspirational, but for nuts and bolts card history, I can't believe we're so many posts into the thread and the name "Lipset" hasn't been mentioned.<br /><br />His "Encyclopedia" is amazing...still...he's in the Hall of Fame with Burdick as far as I'm concerned

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>My mother gave me that book for Christmas one year...I have always thought it was an underrated book -especially for the time when it came out. <br /><img src="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/nudan92/mvbc.jpg"><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/nudan92/mvbc2.jpg"><br />

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Dan,<br />I like how they superimposed "Baseball Series" under the Hustler ad ....I am pretty sure this is an urban legend and no baseball subjects were ever in the Hustler series....

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>I agree, and I have this book pictured above. There are no Hustler t206 cards. It is an absolute Urban Legend.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Hal Lewis</b><p>I've bit my tounge long enough! <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br /><img src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BLav0JtnL._AA240_.jpg">

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Peter Thomas</b><p>After I read the book, my wife read it cover to cover non-stop. She did complain about the lack of page numbers. It is certainly the first "sports" book read by my wife - quite a feather in your cap. Very nice read - now that HP is not in your way, the sky is the limit.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Hal Lewis</b><p>Glad to hear that it was a success!<br /><br />The page numbers and other typos have all been fixed now for the books that Amazon.com is selling on line.<br /><br />

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Frank Wakefield</b><p>Good books, guys. The Monster certainly spurred collectors on. Mr. Lipset's 3 Encyclopedias are indispensable. And it seems to me that even though it is thick and lists lots of new, shiny stuff, the Standard Catalog is becoming a necessary book. I still look at The American Card Catalog... And Mr. Sugar's Sports Collector's Bible is still useful.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>P Spaeth</b><p><a href="http://www.mrmint.com/books.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.mrmint.com/books.html</a> <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>We're talking about influential baseball card books...not about junk. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />Peter C.

Influential baseball card books...
 

Posted By: <b>Pcelli60</b><p>Burdick and Lipsett and pretty much thats all by way of &quot;influential&quot; written work. The impact of these publications still hang large over the hobby.