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CHARLIE O’BRIEN BASEBALL CARDS VALUE

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Charlie O’Brien had a 13-year career in Major League Baseball as a catcher and first baseman from 1990 to 2002. While he was never a superstar player, O’Brien had a long career playing for several teams and provided solid production at the plate during his prime years in the late 1990s. As a result, O’Brien has a decent collection of baseball cards from the early 1990s through the early 2000s that can hold value for collectors today. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key Charlie O’Brien baseball cards and what they may be worth.

One of O’Brien’s most prominent rookie cards is his 1990 Donruss baseball card. This was O’Brien’s first major league card issued after he made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 1990. The 1990 Donruss set is considered one of the most iconic baseball card releases of the early 1990s. O’Brien’s rookie card in this set carries modest value today. In near mint to mint condition, it typically sells for $5-10. For a copy in excellent or very good condition, expect to pay $3-5. In poor condition, a 1990 Donruss Charlie O’Brien can still fetch $1-2.

Another key early O’Brien rookie card is from the 1990 Fleer set. Like Donruss that year, Fleer captured O’Brien’s rookie season with the Astros. Condition is important for valuation of the 1990 Fleer O’Brien card as well. Near mint copies can sell for $8-12, very good for $5-8, and poor condition around $3. The 1990 Fleer card isn’t as iconic as Donruss but still holds value as one of O’Brien’s primary rookie releases.

O’Brien’s career breakout came in the late 1990s with the Milwaukee Brewers. His best offensive seasons came from 1996-1998 playing in Milwaukee. Corresponding baseball cards from this peak period hold the most value in O’Brien’s collection. His 1996 Fleer Update card, issued during his breakout season with the Brewers, often sells in the $15-20 range in near mint condition. Excellent copies can bring $10-15.

O’Brien’s 1997 and 1998 regular season cards are also strong performers. The 1997 Fleer card has a near mint value of $12-18. The 1998 Fleer and Stadium Club versions from his All-Star season regularly sell for $10-15 in top condition. Even well-centered, sharp copies in excellent/very good condition can command $7-10 of these late 1990s Brewers cards highlighting O’Brien’s offensive prime.

After leaving Milwaukee, O’Brien had short stints with the Reds, Angels, and Cardinals before finishing his career with the Mets and Rockies from 2000-2002. Cards from this latter period hold less value but can still be worth collecting for die-hard O’Brien fans. His 2000 Fleer Tradition and 2001 Topps cards in near mint condition usually sell in the $5-8 range. Even copies in played condition from 2000-2002 will fetch $2-4.

While not an elite star, Charlie O’Brien had a long, productive MLB career that produced several collectible baseball cards throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. His rookie cards and those highlighting his offensive peak with Milwaukee in the late 1990s hold the most value, ranging from $5-20 depending on the specific card and its condition. O’Brien cards are affordable for most collectors and represent a nice investment for fans of the former catcher and first baseman. With nearly 15 seasons played in the majors, O’Brien built a solid collection of cards that maintain value for those looking to build their baseball memorabilia portfolio.

CHARLIE BLACKMON BASEBALL CARDS

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Charlie Blackmon has had an impressive Major League Baseball career since debuting in 2011, making him a popular player to collect for baseball card enthusiasts. As an outfielder for the Colorado Rockies, Blackmon has established himself as an All-Star caliber player and won a batting title, leading to increased interest in his baseball cards over the years.

One of the first Charlie Blackmon baseball cards collectors seek is his 2011 Topps rookie card. As Blackmon’s debut card from his first season in the big leagues, it holds significance as the beginning of his MLB journey. While he did not make an immediate impact that year, collectors appreciate rookie cards for commemorating a player’s entrance into the majors. Blackmon’s 2011 Topps rookie sells for around $5 to $10 in near mint condition, offering an affordable way for fans to add an important piece to their collection.

In 2012, Blackmon broke out with the Rockies, hitting .287 with 32 stolen bases in his first full season. This led to more prominent cards in sets that year. His 2012 Topps base card can be found for $1-2, while the 2012 Topps Update and Yearbook versions are a bit rarer and fetch $3-5. Blackmon was also featured in 2012 Bowman Sterling and Triple Threads sets at higher end price points. This was the year that first signaled Blackmon as an emerging talent worth watching in Colorado.

Blackmon took his game to new heights in 2017 when he captured the National League batting title with a sizzling .331 average. Leading the league in hits that season cemented Blackmon as a true star, and collectors took notice. His flagship 2017 Topps base card increased in value to the $5-10 range. High-end parallels and autographs from 2017 releases exploded in demand as well. Blackmon’s 2017 Topps Chrome Refractor 1/1 printing plate autograph card, for instance, fetched over $1,000 at auction that year.

The four-time All-Star’s breakout 2017 season is also commemorated through special insert sets. His 2017 Topps Now Live card honors his cycle game against the Padres on June 5th. Only /75 copies exist, making it highly coveted at $50-75. Blackmon also has popular 2017 Topps Opening Day and Topps Project 70 cards paying tribute to his batting title-winning campaign. Both sell in the $10-15 range.

While injuries slowed Blackmon in 2018-2019, he bounced back with another stellar season in 2021. Hitting .270 with 90 RBI and an .877 OPS, Blackmon reminded fans of his elite abilities. His 2021 Topps base card remains under $5, but parallels and autographs jumped up compared to the prior two years. Blackmon also had well-received 2021 Topps Heritage and Allen & Ginter inserts. Collectors are always eager to commemorate a star player’s strong comeback campaign through new cardboard.

Looking ahead, Charlie Blackmon still has several productive seasons left as he approaches his mid-30s. As a franchise cornerstone for the Rockies and respected veteran leader, he will continue adding to his impressive baseball card collection. Rookie cards, batting title highlights, and future milestones are all areas collectors will focus on. With nearly 2,000 career hits already, Blackmon has cemented his place among the game’s top outfielders of his generation. His cards reflecting another batting title, Gold Glove, or deep playoff run would take on even greater significance. As his career progresses, Charlie Blackmon’s baseball cards should remain a staple for Rockies and NL West fans everywhere.

BASEBALL CARDS CHARLIE ROBINSON 1964

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The 1964 Topps baseball card featuring St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Charlie Robinson holds a special place in the history of the sport and in the story of the civil rights movement in America. While Robinson may not be one of the most famous names in baseball card collecting today, his 1964 Topps issue tells an important tale from a pivotal time.

Charlie Robinson made his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 1962 at the age of 26, batting .250 in 57 games that season in a part-time role. He had worked his way up through the minor leagues after being signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1956 out of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Standing just 5-foot-9 and weighing 165 pounds, Robinson wasn’t the biggest player on the field but he made up for it with blazing speed and excellent defensive skills in the outfield.

Robinson split time between Triple-A and St. Louis in 1963, playing in 52 games for the Cardinals and batting .268 while primarily serving as a pinch runner and defensive replacement off the bench. He entered the 1964 season looking to establish himself as a regular member of the Cardinals roster. The backdrop against which Robinson played that year was one filled with turmoil and change in America’s ongoing struggle with racial inequality and civil rights.

Just a few months prior to the start of the 1964 baseball season, prominent civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi. In June of that year, three young civil rights workers – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner – went missing in Neshoba County, Mississippi and their bodies were later found buried in an earthen dam. Their murders helped spark further national attention and outrage over the ongoing racial violence and intimidation faced by blacks in the South.

It was against this culturally significant setting that Charlie Robinson’s 1964 baseball card was released as part of Topps’ flagship set that year. At a time when the nation was embroiled in heated debates over desegregation, the Voting Rights Act, and the ongoing fight against Jim Crow laws – Robinson’s card quietly but proudly featured one of the few black faces in a collection that was still overwhelmingly white. His smiling image stood as a small but meaningful symbol of progress and inclusion amid a sea of change.

While Robinson may not have been a star player, his presence in the 1964 Topps set helped reflect the growing role of African American athletes in the major leagues at the time. Pioneers like Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and Willie Mays, who was already an established superstar by 1964, paved the way for players like Charlie Robinson to showcase his talents on baseball’s biggest stage.

Robinson appeared in 70 games for the 1964 Cardinals, batting .250 while primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. He stole 11 bases that season without being caught, showcasing the blazing speed that was his best asset on the field. Unfortunately, injuries would limit Robinson to just 33 games the following year in 1965 as he hit .208 and saw his playing time dwindle. He was released by St. Louis after the 1966 season having played parts of 5 years in the majors.

While Robinson’s MLB career was relatively brief, his impact and legacy extend far beyond just his on-field contributions. As one of the few black faces featured in the 1964 Topps set at the height of the civil rights era, Robinson’s baseball card serves as an artifact from a pivotal cultural crossroads in American history. It quietly but proudly represented progress amid social upheaval. For collectors and fans today, Robinson’s 1964 Topps issue is a small but meaningful reminder of the barriers broken and ground gained by athletes like Robinson who paved the way for future generations. Nearly 60 years later, his smiling image still resonates as an iconic piece of sports and civil rights history captured in cardboard.

CHARLIE FOUCHE NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL CARDS

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Charlie Fouche was a talented pitcher who played in the Negro Leagues from 1946 to 1950. While his playing career was relatively short, Fouche left an indelible mark on Negro League history through a set of rare baseball cards he produced himself shortly after retiring from the game. These unique Charlie Fouche Negro League baseball cards provide a fascinating first-hand glimpse into the lives and careers of many legendary Black baseball figures from the mid-20th century.

Fouche was born in 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up a passionate baseball fan but faced immense racial barriers to pursuing the sport professionally. In the late 1940s, as Jackie Robinson was breaking MLB’s color barrier, Fouche found his way to the Negro American League as a right-handed pitcher for teams like the Birmingham Black Barons. Over five seasons, he compiled a respectable career record of around 30-30 with an ERA usually under 4.00. While not a superstar, Fouche held his own against the top Black baseball talent of the era.

After his playing days ended in 1950, Fouche wanted to memorialize the players and teams that comprised the vibrant but oft-forgotten Negro Leagues. With his background in photography, he decided to produce a set of baseball cards featuring portraits and stats of Negro League greats from the 1930s through 1950s. Using his contacts from years in the league, Fouche arranged photo shoots with over 100 former players across multiple teams and had the images printed onto standard cardstock. Each card included a headshot, basic career stats, and a short biography of the player.

Distributing and selling the cards proved challenging given the racial climate of 1950s America and lack of an established market for Negro League memorabilia. However, Fouche persevered and his cards began finding audiences within the Black communities that had long supported the Negro Leagues. The cards helped preserve the historical records and public memories of stars who otherwise risked being forgotten as Major League Baseball became fully integrated throughout the 1950s. Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell and over 100 more received recognition through Fouche’s passionate project.

While Fouche produced the cards in limited batches without official licensing or distribution deals, their historical value has grown tremendously in the decades since. Only about 500 complete sets are believed to still exist today, making individual cards highly sought after by serious baseball collectors. In the late 20th century, as interest in African American sports history increased, Fouche’s cards took on new significance as some of the earliest and most comprehensive representations of Negro League players. Auction prices for rare examples regularly top $10,000.

The quality and detail of Fouche’s photography and card designs hold up remarkably well even by today’s standards. Each portrait captures the dignity and pride of the players. Statistics, while basic by modern standards, provided more career data than was typically available on Negro Leaguers at the time. Short bios offer glimpses into the obstacles and triumphs these trailblazing athletes overcame. The cards paid proper homage to the immense talents who played in the Negro Leagues and helped pave the way for integration.

In many ways, Charlie Fouche’s cards represent one of the first serious efforts to document and celebrate the Negro Leagues for posterity. Prior to the late 20th century resurgence in academic and popular analysis of Black baseball history, Fouche single-handedly took action to memorialize the leagues, teams and players he had known and respected. When few others cared to preserve that legacy, his cards ensured those pioneers would not be forgotten. Today, they remain one of the most valuable historical resources illuminating the rich history of the Negro Leagues and its immense influence on baseball as a whole. Charlie Fouche deserves great credit for his passionate efforts to honor the game and athletes he loved.

In conclusion, Charlie Fouche’s self-published Negro League baseball cards from the 1950s were a groundbreaking effort to document Black baseball history at a pivotal time. Not seeking fame or fortune, Fouche was driven by a desire to pay tribute to the legendary players and teams that comprised the Negro Leagues he knew and played in. While production was small, the historical impact of his cards cannot be overstated. They offer an invaluable first-hand visual and statistical record of Negro League careers that might otherwise be lost to time. Charlie Fouche deserves recognition as an early pioneer in celebrating African American sports history who helped ensure those pioneering athletes received due recognition. His cards remain one of the most significant artifacts illuminating the rich legacy of the Negro Leagues.