Tony LaRussa 1978 TCMA Minor League Card
 

This is my first time seeing this card ... Tony LaRussa's 1978 TCMA Minor League issue. What can you tell me about this card? Were these cards heavily produced?


www.ebay.com/itm/151362315749

I grew up in Knoxville and received this card as part of a stadium give away team set. Also contained Harold Baines and Steve Trout. There may have been one more future Major Leaguer in the set but I cant recall who.

Richard Dotson was the other guy who get a small amount of success in the majors for about a decade.

This production level for this set may be relatively low. I collected minor league cards up until 2001 and this set was one of the more valuable 1978 sets. Although, its value is due more to the Harold Baines card than the LaRussa. Back in 2001, the complete 25 card set was valued at $250 (a later release with 26 cards was valued at $350). I just did a search at a major minor league card dealer and he has the complete 25 card set listed at $195. There is also a complete set on eBay for $105.

If you're interested in LaRussa, he also had a card in the 1979 Iowa Oaks minor league team set.

Some of the 1970's minor league team sets are very rare, in some instances, only a few hundred were made. Very few collectors means these sets almost never sell for book price.

After reading Mike's post, I was feeling a little low since I sold my set 5 years ago on a 7 day ebay auction and got $30 for it.

Checked recently sold auctions on ebay and see that it went for $41 dollars with a psa graded Baines about 2 weeks ago.

Tony

My favorite of those old TCMA cards is the Scott Boras.

I'm not even sure there is a "book" value for minor league cards these days, is there? From Dec. 1988 to Dec. 1990 there was the "Minor League Monthly Price Guide." Beckett listed most minor league team sets for a while, then cut back to almost nothing. I haven't seen a Beckett in a long time and am not sure if they even list any minor league team sets anymore. SCD listed them for a while. The last time I saw a new annual SCD (2008 issue), they didn't list minor league cards issued after 1969. I think "book" would be whatever the big dealers (STB Sports, Lake Country Minor League, and Gulf Coast Minors (I'm not sure he's in business anymore)) list for.

However, eBay always has better deals. I got the Knoxville set in the late '90s for $77 - well below book at that time. Like you said, even though the production rate is low, the demand is also low. eBay points this out.

Bottom line for the LaRussa card in the OP's link, $50 is way too much for the single LaRussa card.

In the 1977 St. Petersburg Cardinals set. I think the biggest named player in that set is John Littlefield. My old data (circa 2001) has the 25-card set listed at $70.

The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists prices for team sets not individual cards. I don't trust the prices 100% but as a guideline its ok.

BTW, my 2010 book lists the 1978 Knoxville set at $100

This thread brought back some fond memories of Bill Meyer Stadium in Knoxville.

http://www.ballparkreviews.com/knox/meyer.htm


The only time I ever saw that place packed was when the San Diego Chicken came to town. (He was hilarious by the way) that was in my high school years so probably 80, 81, 82 ish.

Around those years my friends and I would show up around the 7th inning, walk in free and catch the last part of the game.

Of course in my college years spent quite a few evenings there at nickel beer night - do I remember that correctly? 5 cents for a beer? It must've been dollar beer.....

Jim, thanks for the info - I think. :) I found SCD pages online with the minor league prices. Most of the set values that I checked have dropped since I last saw them. Kind of what I expected, but did not really want to know.