Tag Archives: large

1983 DONRUSS LARGE BASEBALL CARDS VALUE

Leave a reply

The 1983 Donruss large baseball card set is one of the iconic vintage card releases that holds strong nostalgia and value for collectors from that era. Despite not being the flagship Topps set in 1983, Donruss produced larger 3.5″ x 5″ sized cards that provided more visual real estate for action photos compared to the standard size cards from Topps. While the design was simple with just a player’s photo and basic stats on the front, the larger size was appreciated by many collectors at the time.

While produced in high numbers and not as scarce as some other vintage releases, the 1983 Donruss cards have maintained decent value over the decades given the nostalgia for the 1980s baseball card boom period. Gradedgemint 10 examples of star rookies and hall of fame players regularly sell for hundreds of dollars today. Even common ungraded cards of popular players can still fetch $10-20 each online. This value and demand is a testament to the strong designs and photography of the set combined with the collecting frenzy of the early 80s.

One of the top valuable cards from the 1983 Donruss set is the Darryl Strawberry rookie card. As one of the young superstars to emerge in the early 1980s, Strawberry’s raw talent and highlight reel plays made him tremendously popular even as a rookie. His card became one of the most sought after for young collectors. In PSA 10 gem mint condition, examples of Strawberry’s rookie regularly sell for $300-500. Even lower grade copies still command $50-100 due to the nostalgia and rookie card status. With Strawberry going on to have a solid 17 year MLB career including an MVP award, the value remains high for this iconic card.

Another key rookie from the set is the Ryne Sandberg card. As the 1984 NL MVP and perennial all-star for the Chicago Cubs, Sandberg is remembered as one of the great second basemen of all-time. His rookie card was highly collected at the time and remains a must-have for Cubs and vintage card collectors today. PSA 10 examples typically sell in the $150-250 range. Even well-worn copies can fetch $20-50. Despite the high print run of Donruss cards compared to other brands, Sandberg’s star power and pedigree keeps his rookie at the top of the set’s value.

Hall of famers like Eddie Murray, Wade Boggs, and Tony Gwynn also have valuable cards in the 1983 Donruss set given their sustained excellence and longevity in the majors. A PSA 10 Murray rookie would sell around $100-150. Boggs and Gwynn rookies in the same grade range from $75-125 depending on the market. While less than the Strawberry and Sandberg rookie values, these cards maintain strength due to the players induction into Cooperstown. Even well-loved stars who fell just short of the hall like Tim Raines, Keith Hernandez, and Jim Rice have $10-30 common copies due to their great 1980s careers.

Beyond the premier rookies, there are also opportunistic high values to be found within star veteran cards in the set. A PSA 10 1984 Topps Mark McGwire rookie would sell for over $1000 today. But his 1983 Donruss rookie card holds similar nostalgia and can sometimes be acquired for much less. Graded examples range from $150-300 depending on recent eBay sales. Other examples include a PSA 10 Wade Boggs at around $150 given his high batting titles, or Ozzie Smith near $100 as a defensive wizard and fan favorite.

While the designs are simple compared to modern parallels and short prints, many enjoy the large classic photography on the 1983 Donruss cards. For set builders, a complete roster set can usually be acquired for $100-200 if patience is used to find the harder short print veterans. Even partial sets focusing on a player’s career or a single team have value. For example, a near complete Cubs team set could sell for $50-75 depending on condition of stars like Sandberg, Sutcliffe, and Rick Sutcliffe. In the rough world of vintage card investing, the 1983 Donruss set provides entertainment and solid long term value tied strongly to the players performed during baseball’s boom years.

While produced in high numbers the 1983 Donruss large baseball card set maintains value decades later due to the exciting rookie additions and long careers of its main stars. Iconic rookies like Strawberry and Sandberg hold the highest prices but hall of fame veterans and 1980s fan favorites can still be acquired for $10-100 depending on name and condition. Set builders also enjoy locating complete or team subsets. Due to the simplicity of design yet nostalgia for the mega-popular early 1980s, the 1983 Donruss cards remain a fun and relatively affordable vintage investment for collectors today.

YouTube player

1983 DONRUSS LARGE BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

The 1983 Donruss large baseball card set was released at the end of the 1982 baseball season and captured the excitement of that year. Unlike previous Donruss sets that featured smaller card dimensions, the 1983 edition boasted significantly larger 3 1/2 x 5 inch cards, marking a shift to the now standard baseball card size that remains popular today. The thick glossy cards featured vibrant color photos of players and an overall design aesthetic that was a departure from prior Donruss offerings. With the larger card size and glossy photo centric approach, the 1983 Donruss large set helped usher in a new era for the modern baseball card.

The 1982 MLB season was highly competitive with several exciting playoff races and storylines that likely influenced the card designs. The Milwaukee Brewers, who won the American League pennant in 1982, were well represented in the set with stars like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Rollie Fingers featured prominently. Breakout rookie Cal Ripken Jr., who debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 1981, also received acclaim for his performance and was positioned as one of the rising stars in the game. Ripken’s promising career and future achievements no doubt contributed to his cards from the 1983 Donruss set maintaining value among collectors decades later.

In total, the 1983 Donruss large set included a healthy 660 cards capturing all 26 MLB teams from that season. League leaders and career milestones were also highlighted, with cards noting Rickey Henderson’s single season stolen base record or Don Sutton’s 3000th career strikeout. Rosters were relatively complete, with most teams represented by 20 or more players. Rookies like Darren Daulton of the Philadelphia Phillies and Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets, who would go on to have stellar careers, made their card debuts in the 1983 issue as well. The checklist also contained “Traded” cards for players who had been dealt to new teams midseason, an element that added to the authenticity and completeness of the set for collectors.

From a production standpoint, the larger card size allowed for bigger and brighter action photos of players. Whereas prior Donruss releases featured smaller headshots or posed portraits, the 1983 edition placed the emphasis squarely on game images. Crisp color photography captured players in the midst of batting, pitching, or fielding highlights from the previous season. Uniform and ballpark details popped off the large glossy cardboard stock. Stats and career totals were printed on the reverse of each card along with a short blurb about the player. Overall finishes were kept clean and simple to let the large central photos take center stage.

Distribution of the 1983 Donruss large baseball card set was initially through traditional wax packs as well as factory sets. Wax packs contained approximately 15 cards and retailed for around $1, offering collectors random assortments to build their collections. Factory sets offered a guaranteed play of the full 660 card checklist in two separately released volumes for a higher total price point. Both distribution methods helped drive interest and completion rates among the collecting community. Later issues in the 1980s would see the introduction of factory sealed boxes containing wax packs to satisfy growing demand from the newly burgeoning hobby.

Outside of its innovative larger size, other elements that contributed to the staying power and nostalgia surrounding the 1983 Donruss large baseball card release were the quality of its photography and design elements that caught the essence of early 1980s baseball culture. Fresh young stars like Gooden, Ripken, and Daulton had breakout 1982 seasons and their exciting rookie cards helped trigger interest from both existing and new collectors. Iconic veterans like Hank Aaron in his final season and Nolan Ryan pitching into his late 30s also held appeal. When coupled with the fun of collecting random wax packs at the local convenience store or card shop, the 1983 Donruss cards formed many early childhood collections and memories for fans.

As the hobby grew in later years, condition sensitive collectors seeking pristine vintage cardboard drove strong secondary market demand for high graded examples from the 1983 Donruss set. The rise of online auctions in the 1990s helped assign book values to specific key cards that saw the most collector interest like a Cal Ripken or Darren Daulton rookie. Even today, nearly four decades after their release, certain star rookies and action shots from the 1983 Donruss large set command prices well above their original retail cost. Their large size, sharp photography, and connection to a pivotal transition year in the game and business of baseball cards continues to resonate strongly with vintage collectors. The 1983 Donruss release helped set the stage for the modern card collecting era that remains a vibrant part of baseball fandom worldwide.

TOPPS 1970 LARGE BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

The 1970 Topps large baseball card set was a departure from the standard size cards Topps had produced annually since 1951. Instead of the usual 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inch size, the 1970 cards measured a substantially larger 3-1/2 by 5 inches. The increased size allowed Topps to utilize full bleed color photography on the front of each card for the very first time. Produced during the peak of the counterculture era in the United States, the artistic and graphic design innovations of the 1970 Topps cards helped usher in the modern age of baseball cards.

Prior to 1970, Topps baseball cards featured colorful but basic block color artwork on the fronts. Photos were primarily reserved for the smaller player image box in the upper left corner. For this experimental large format release, Topps contracted renowned sports photographer Charles M. “Chick” Champlin to capture high quality action shots of every major league player. The bleed edge photos gave each card a unique vividness and captured the dynamism of America’s pastime in a way previous illustrations could not.

While the unorthodox 3 1/2 x 5 inch size did not stick around long term, Topps took a risk with their largest cards ever that paid off both critically and financially. People were drawn to the pop art styling and lifelike photography unconstrained by borders. Despite initial concerns over whether the oversized cards would fit neatly into albums, collectors eagerly snapped up the 1970 set which today remains one of the most coveted issues from the1960s-70s “Golden Age” of baseball cards.

In addition to the groundbreaking full bleed photos, the design elements on the 1970 Topps cards were also bold for their time. The team logo was prominently featured in large type above the player’s picture. Information such as batting stats was minimized to brief text blocks freeing up more visual space. The back of each card showcased action shots from that season with minimal distractions. Names and numbers were rendered in a modern sans serif font adding to the clean contemporary look.

While photography technology was advancing, it is important to note that color printing was still developing as an art form in 1970. Some of the early Topps photo shoots encounter issues with focus, lighting, and developing processes that negatively impact the image quality of certain cards randomly inserted in packs that year. The risk-taking spirit and overall production values were a hallmark of the entire large format 1970 Topps set during a period of radical change and social upheaval in America.

Beyond the innovative design and photography, the 1970 Topps cards also hold considerable nostalgic appeal for many mid-century baseball fans due to the players and seasons immortalized. Names like Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Johnny Bench and Nolan Ryan would go on to cement legends but were captured in their athletic primes on these oversized cards. The 1970 season itself saw the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds dominate with 99 wins en route to the World Series title. Icons like Roberto Clemente playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Willie Mays for the San Francisco Giants also resonate powerfully with collectors to this day.

While the large 1970 Topps cards didn’t portend the permanent shift to the 3 1⁄2 x 5 inch size, they had an outsized influence on the baseball card designs and photography of subsequent decades. Inspired by this one-year experiment, Topps returned to color action photography as a regular feature of its annual offerings. High quality close-up portraits also became an expected highlight. The 1970 Topps cards broke open what was possible with bleeding edge creativity and represented Topps at the forefront of blending the pastime with pop culture right as both were evolving rapidly. Over 50 years later, the creative risks and iconic imagery still make this Topps set one of the hobby’s true landmark releases.

In the present day, complete 1970 Topps large baseball card sets in top condition can sell for thousands of dollars due to their influential design, nostalgic content, and limited surviving population after half a century of handling. Serious collectors covet finding stars like Aaron, Clemente and Bench in pristine near-mint state. While pricing has increased substantially alongside growing nostalgia, the 1970 Topps cards continue attracting new generations of fans to the visual appeal and historical significance of capturing a season and players in a unique artistic time capsule. The innovative large size photography shook up the staid traditions of yearly issues and truly heralded baseball cards into the modern multimedia promotional phenomenon they remain today.

LARGE VINTAGE BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Vintage baseball cards from the early 20th century stand out from modern cards due to their unique large size format. Between the 1900s to the 1920s, baseball cards were typically printed in sizes significantly larger than today’s standard cards which measure approximately 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. Some of the earliest and most notable large size vintage baseball cards included those found in tobacco products like cigars, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco from manufacturers such as American Caramel, Turkey Red, Strip Tobacco, and Excello.

The earliest documented large size baseball card series was produced between 1887-1890 by a company called American Tobacco Company and inserted in packages of cigarettes and pipe tobacco under the brand name of Old Judge. These cards measured approximately 5 inches by 7 inches and featured individual player portraits on the front with baseball statistics or a narrative biography on the back. Considered one of the rarest and most valuable sets in the hobby, very few of the estimated 528 total Old Judge cards are known to exist today in collectible grade. Prices can range well over $100,000 for a PSA graded gem mint example.

In the early 1900s, tobacco giants like Allen & Ginter and Pinkerton produced some of the hobby’s most iconic large size baseball card series between 1886-1889 and 2009-1911, respectively. Allen & Ginter cards were trimmed slightly smaller than Old Judge cards but still averaged about 4 inches by 6 inches. They broke new ground by being the first to use color lithography to feature individual photographs on the fronts with box scores or team rosters on the backs. Pinkerton introduced even larger size cards of approximately 4.25 inches by 7 inches and featured landmark innovations like the first cards to bear the names and positions of players on the fronts beneath their portrait photos.

Two of the most widely produced and historic large size baseball card sets were issued between 1909-1911 by American Caramel and 1914-1915 by Ecko Unlimted/Imperial Tobacco of Montreal. American Caramel’s cards reached the largest dimensions of any, averaging 5.5 inches tall by 8.5 inches wide, yet retained a relatively thin paper stock. Issued primarily in caramels and candy, over 534 total cards were printed featuring individual photographs on the fronts of over 400 players with statistics and quotes on the backs. Their distinctive pink color and cartoon mascots like “Sweet Caporal” made these among the most decorative of early cards.

Ecko cards shared similar dimensions of 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches on thick cardstock and were designed like magazine pages. Players were depicted in full body action shots on the fronts with printed features and career highlights on the backs. Over 700 total Ecko cards were produced including many rare variation proofs and errors featuring Canadian baseball players, managers, and officials. Both American Caramel and Ecko cards are considered some of the most highly collectible but also challenging to preserve intact due to their large dimensions and thin paper construction. Gem mint specimens in high grades can bring auction prices in excess of six figures.

The last great baseball card releases produced primarily in the large size format were the iconic 1915 Cracker Jack set followed by the 1916 and 1917 series issued by the American Caramel company. Cracker Jack cards maintained dimensions their predecessors at American Caramel of roughly 5.5 by 8.5 inches. However, Cracker Jack cut costs by using a thinner card stock. As a result, high grade specimens are exceptionally rare today. The 1916 and 1917 sets reduced the American Caramel size slightly from 5.5 to 5 inches tall by 8 to 7.5 inches wide. But they retained outstanding color lithography and featured the first cards to include player signatures. Together, the latter American Caramel issues and 1915 Cracker Jack represented both the pinnacle and conclusion of the large vintage baseball card era that defined the first two decades of the 20th century.

While small pocket-sized cards gained popularity in the 1920s, the mystique and collecting mania around the earliest large format tobacco era baseball cards of the late 19th and very early 20th century still holds strong appeal and mystique among vintage sportscard aficionados today. The sheer size, historic printed innovations, fragility of surviving specimens, and statistical rarity elevates a high grade example of an Old Judge, Allen & Ginter, or American Tobacco Company card to a premier prize for many collectors. Their increasingly scarce market supplies and demanding auction hammer prices ensure these pioneering pieces of baseball memorabilia will likely always remain out of reach except for the deepest pocketed custodians of the cardboard treasures that started it all.