The 1980's...

[bender07]

of Kevin Maas and Ben McDonald yet?? I remember my brother and I only needing Kevin Maas to finish the 1990 UD set (yeah a year late to jump on the UD bandwagon). We ended up plunking down $20 for it! Yikes.

[Robextend]

Originally Posted by bender07

of Kevin Maas and Ben McDonald yet?? I remember my brother and I only needing Kevin Maas to finish the 1990 UD set (yeah a year late to jump on the UD bandwagon). We ended up plunking down $20 for it! Yikes.

YES!!! Kevin Maas!!! I remember that 1990 UD Maas was like gold when he hit all those home runs.

One year later I remember a minor stir being caused by Todd Van Poppel. His 1991 UD rookie card was going for at least $5!!

[David W]

I was at a small flea market a couple months back. A vendor there had everyone of these cards all marked at 20 year old prices.

He had Juan Guzman at $5, Kenny Lofton rookies, Ben McDonald, Eric Davis, the "rare" Juan Gonzalez reverse negative he tells me for $10, the works.

I don't think the guy had bought a card since about 1995. I don't think he has sold a card since about 1995.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by David W

I was at a small flea market a couple months back. A vendor there had everyone of these cards all marked at 20 year old prices.

He had Juan Guzman at $5, Kenny Lofton rookies, Ben McDonald, Eric Davis, the "rare" Juan Gonzalez reverse negative he tells me for $10, the works.

I don't think the guy had bought a card since about 1995. I don't think he has sold a card since about 1995.

What kind of deal did he have on Todd Van Poppel?

[wake.up.the.echoes]

Last time I checked Todd Van Poppel prices at my local flea market (it was about a month ago), his rookies were still at $5. ... The guy would pay you $5 for every Van Poppel you agreed to take off his hands. Pretty reasonable if you ask me.

[David W]

Originally Posted by JBirkholm

What kind of deal did he have on Todd Van Poppel?

Wasn't there some Van Poppel Upper deck logo error or something circa 1990?

I'm sure he had some there. What a way to waste the weekends of your life.

[FUBAR]

For me, it was his Leaf Gold Rookie that cost me two arms and a leg! (i think 40$)

About 4 years ago i bought a pack of cards at the dollar store because there was a card on top i wanted, inside.... a Lead Gold rookie of Todd Van Poppel!

[GoldenAge50s]

Wasn't there some Van Poppel Upper deck logo error or something circa 1990?

That was Ben McDonald

[arexcrooke]

Originally Posted by Robextend

YES!!! Kevin Maas!!! I remember that 1990 UD Maas was like gold when he hit all those home runs.

One year later I remember a minor stir being caused by Todd Van Poppel. His 1991 UD rookie card was going for at least $5!!

I bought two packs of 90 Leaf when they came out for $1.50 a pack iirc. I hit on a Maas Rc and the shop owner, who was a very nice fella, offered me 3 packs for it. I took it, and pulled another from the following packs. I declined his offer for more after that lol

[dstraate]

I guess the biggest bummer of this time period for me was trading away "boring" safe players for the next big thing. I traded a Topps Clemens Rookie for the aforementioned UD Van Poppel (gosh that name was fun though). I also unloaded a stack of Maddux rookies after he went to the braves. It seems I've had a bunch of cards that I'm in the process of buying back now. Bonds rookies, Boggs Rookies, etc. When I came back to collecting, the only thing I found among my stacks of Jeffries, Raines, and later Tim Salmon (puke) were Griffey Jr. Rookies. I guess he was adequately hyped or I wouldn't have kept him.

BTW the only true grail of the 80's is that Billy Ripken Error. It's by far my favorite card of all time. I think I read that it sold for 300 bucks somewhere. As I would have said in the 80s, that's radical dude.

[Beatles Guy]

I got the Billy Ripken "FF" card in a pack at a card show in 1989. The dealer who had the table offered me $75 for it and I declined. I ended up trading it to a friend for about $600 worth of cards, including several Boggs, Gwynn, and Mattingly rookies.

[Irwin Fletcher]

I remember pulling the Billy Ripken F-Face card out of a pack in 1989 as well. I don't collect many modern cards anymore, but that card will always be a part of my collection. It's a classic. By the way, there's a good discussion of the Ripken card in the recent book "Mint Condition" (excellent book all around, by the way).

[RiverOnFire]

I pulled the Ripken card in 2006 at a Wal-Mart outside Cooperstown thanks to a flat tire. Eating at a McDonald's, in a Wal-Mart opening baseball cards is probably the most American thing I've ever done.

And sadly, my favorite part of Cooperstown.

[dstraate]

Originally Posted by Beatles Guy

I got the Billy Ripken "FF" card in a pack at a card show in 1989. The dealer who had the table offered me $75 for it and I declined. I ended up trading it to a friend for about $600 worth of cards, including several Boggs, Gwynn, and Mattingly rookies.

Is this guy still a friend? If so, I have to meet him.

[Beatles Guy]

I still see the guy from time to time and he reminds me of it That was the very definition of selling high. When I pulled the card, it had just been discovered. So I sat on it for several weeks before pulling the trigger. It's the one moment in collecting that I can compare to the whole Strasburg hype.