THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502260214
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: CARD CORNER
SOURCE: BY BRIAN L. BIGELOW, SPECIAL TO THE VP/LS
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Spring training continues to produce unlikely celebrities in the sports card world.
Collectors don't have home run totals or exhibition game records to set the pace, so they're more likely to be captivated by other events. Most recently, attention was drawn by Sparky Anderson's decision to temporarily withdraw from his position as the Detroit Tigers' manager.
Anderson created controversy and emotion among fans and, in the process, reminded collectors of his status as one of baseball's premier personalities.
Sparky Anderson has a run of trading cards that would be the envy of most players. He first appeared in 1959 (Topps No. 338) as the Philadelphia Phillies second baseman. The back of his card points out that ``George'' was getting his major league shot that year after a six-year tenure in the Dodgers minor league system.
As it turned out, the trial was short - 1960 Topps (No. 34) was his last big league card as an infielder.
His real streak of cards commenced in 1970 (as a manager) and continued through 1992. These collectibles illustrate his progressive pattern of excellence as a big league manager.
Collectors gravitate to Sparky because of the long series of cards and as a consequence of his popularity. His oldest cards are becoming expensive, but how many other baseball figures are still in the news 36 years after the appearance of their rookie cards? Sparky's cards are still a bargain.
Sparky Anderson card values:
1959 Topps No. 338 (rookie), $65-$75
1960 Topps No. 34, $16-$18
1970-1992 Topps, Fleer, Donruss: Recent issues are 25-50(CT).CARD CORNER ILLUSTRATION: Sparky Anderson's 1959 rookie card as the Phillies second
baseman goes for $65-$75.
by CNB