THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410160237
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRIAN L. BIGELOW, SPECIAL TO THE VP/LS
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Football card collecting now offers a blizzard of competing manufacturer's products, card styles and themes. Some hobbyists view the many collecting options as opportunities to possess different cards portraying their favorite games, team or player; other collectors are frustrated by the difficulty of keeping abreast of everything.
In the ``old days'' (pre-1984, in the football card realm), life was much simpler. Football fans who wanted cards bought whatever Topps was selling. The usual season's package consisted of a regular set, a sticker set and perhaps one oddball or regional issue. For example, the Steelers fan in 1982 who wanted all the new Terry Bradshaw items had only to find Bradshaw's regular card, his ``in action'' posed card and a couple 10-cent stickers. Total outlay: less than $3.
Now look at 1994. For comparison, we can use Barry Sanders. A glance at current material reveals at least 58 separate cards of the Lions' running back. And we're still in the early days of the card-issuing season.
The Sanders fan will be able to amass an incredibly eclectic group of cards. There are plastic cards, gold cards, prismatic cards and holograms. This hobbyist can find cards that shine, shimmer, refract light, or depict Sanders in 3-D imagery.
These collectibles range in price from 60 cents to more than $100.
One may wonder: ``Where does it end?!'' When the hobby requires a constant routine of searching and buying simply to keep pace, it can sometimes feel more like a chore than a pleasure. Some collectors view the abundance of new items not as expanded hobby horizons, but as increased workload.
Regular-issue cards of Barry Sanders sell for 60 to 75 cents. (This is 10-12 times the value of a same-series ``common'' card.) Samples of other values for Sanders cards:
1994 Action-Packed No. 32G (Special ``25K Gold'' card) $75.
1994 Topps ``Finest'' Refractor No. 44 $100.
1994 Playoff (5-card insert set of Sanders) $120-140.
CORRECTION: It was incorrectly reported in last week's Card Corner column that NFL running back Marion Butts plays for the San Diego Chargers. Butts is with the New England Patriots. MEMO: Brian L. Bigelow is store manager and appraiser for Candl Coins &
Stamps, located on Independence Blvd. and North Mall Drive in Virginia
Beach. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Barry Sanders' 1994 Fleer Ultra card is one of no less than 58 cards
of Sanders that are available for 1994.
by CNB