Month: June 2016

Derek Jeter and His Baseball Cards

Future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter turns 42 years old today.

A modern-day baseball card collection is not complete without a wide assortment of Derek Jeter rookie and insert cards. As the Yankee captain’s brilliant 20-year career comes to an end, his 23 years in the hobby are being widely celebrated.

One of the more highly touted players in baseball history, Jeter is featured on more than 325 different baseball cards issued from the year he was drafted (1992) to the year he earned AL Rookie of the Year honors and lead the Yankees to their first World Series Championship in nearly two decades (1996). Jeter’s four-year development in the Yankees farm system overlaps the the hobby’s growth of insert cards — limited edition cards randomly inserted into packs. Many of these cards are short-printed, parallel variations of the base card.

Most price guides and memorabilia dealers consider 23 or so of the Jeter cards issued in 1993 as rookies. Most leading manufacturers of the time — including Topps and its Bowman brand, Score and it’s Pinnacle brand and Upper Deck with it’s high-end SP brand — featured highly-coveted cards of the future Yankees great. You can also find an additional 17 or so minor league or pre-rookie Jeter cards released in 1992, including various cards from the Classic 4-Sport Collection and Front Row picturing the future Hall of Famer in his high school uniform.

Jeter’s 1993 Upper Deck “Top Prospect” rookie card features the Gulf Coast League Yankees 18-year-old shortstop tracking down a fly ball in the sun. The bland, somewhat blurry full-bleed photo displays the low-budget printing technology manufacturers used on base brands at the time. The card back highlights Jeter’s career at Kalamazoo Central High School (New Jersey), including a .557 batting average and seven home runs during his junior year. The Upper Deck rookie is good buy for under $10

Upper Deck’s 1993 SP Jeter rookie features the high-gloss foil technology reserved baseball’s high-end card sets. The ‘93 SP series is one of the most condition-sensitive sets ever released. Chipping around the foil corners is fairly common. Finding a sample free of smudges, fingerprints or scuff marks on the foil front is almost impossible. Twenty-one years ago, Jeter SP rookies went from packs to hobby store shelves carrying a $25 price tag. Today, a sample in decent condition goes for $85, while rare BGS-9 Mint versions sell for as much as $700. Buyback autograph versions issued in the 2009 SP Authentic series sell for more than $1,400.

The 1993 Topps Jeter rookie will never measure up to the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie in hobby significance, but it remains one of the most sought-after cards of the ‘90s. The card front sports the lanky future prospect in a navy blue Yankees practice jersey and pinstripe pants against a green-diamond-design backdrop reserved for the “Draft Picks” subset. The card back highlights the 1992 Gatorade and USA High School player of the year who also carried an impressive 3.82 grade point average.

The Topps rookie currently sells for $$8-$10. Printing defects within the green background leave many of these cards in less-than-mint condition. Graded Mint versions are selling for $70. The more limited “Gold” parallel versions displaying gold foil over the nameplate and Topps logo are hot items selling for $22. The Jeter 1992 Topps Gold rookie is not considered rare by today’s standards nor is it highly condition sensitive, but the demand for the card increased during Jeter’s farewell season and will again when he’s Hall of Fame eligible. Highly-graded versions are selling for over $30.

With more post-season records than any player in baseball history, the most career hits for a shortstop, five World Series wins and 12 All-Star appearances on his resume, the face of the Yankees for the past two decades has secured a high standing in the hobby for many years to come.

David Ortiz 2013 Topps Boston Strong Variation

Since joining the Red Sox 13 years ago, David Ortiz has become the face of the franchise, leading the team to three World Series championships while becoming just the 27th member of baseball’s exclusive 500 home run club. On the verge of retirement, Ortiz has become increasingly popular among baseball card collectors. A wide-range of Ortiz variation, rookie, game-used-memorabilia, and autographed baseball cards have been heating up the hobby since the start of the 2016 season, but for the people of Boston there is one card that stands out from the  others.

Some of the most memorable and coveted baseball cards are the ones that capture a unique moment in baseball or a city’s history. The extremely limited variation of Ortiz’s 2013 second series Topps card captures one of the more emotional moments in the Boston sports history.  A defiant Ortiz took the field just five days after the tragic Boston Marathon bombing, making an impassioned, heartfelt speech declaring the city’s resolve.

Known in collectible circles as the “Boston Strong” card, Ortiz is pictured with a microphone in one hand and a clenched fist raised to the heavens with the other in front of giant American flag draped over Fenway’s left field wall, creating a uniquely patriotic background. Upon release, the short-printed “Boston Strong” card sold in the $50-$75 range. Following the Red Sox third World Series title in 10 years later that season, the card was selling in excess of $150. With the Big Papi Farewell Tour in full swing, the card is currently selling for as much as $200.

Ortiz played a huge role in the Red Sox six-game 2013 World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .688 with two homers and six RBI en route to being named World Series MVP. The popular Topps World Champion autograph insert set features top postseason sluggers. The 2014 edition captures Ortiz’s famed home run stroke along with his certified signature. Limited to a production run of 50, the Ortiz autographed card sells for $59.