European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 4, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse _ hit with collectors baseball card collecting Stio linger solely the Domain of kids Many adults Are in it Lor the investment cards pictured on these pages Are from the collection Loave Basarich of Darmstadt Watt Germany by Rosemary Sawyer stall writer Ven before vip throw ceremonial pitches in major league Parks to open Iho baseball season aficionados around the Wold will have thrown millions of dollars into cardboard squares carrying likenesses of 1983 players. No longer a Hobby reserved lot the Poco books of freckle laced 1d year Olds baseball card collecting is big business. And not just or the companies Hal churn of 1he playing card sized commodities. Up until about 2 or 3 years ago. I wout say most of Iho people who were collecting were doing in because of the nostalgia said bad Kreuz Nach Coll Clor maj. Michael Maher they did it when they were kids and they enjoy in. Now in the last Lew years o lot of people Are in it to the Pete Schaab is one of those collector investors. For about 20 years. The Minnesota twins fan gathered cards of the older Slais Lor his personal collection. Then about a year and a half ago the Ramstein collector turned dealer although tin s a Small scale dealer. Schaab estimates that Las year when he was t working As Olti cers club ass Island manager he dealt about 2 million cards. Maher. On the Solhei hand whose 10.000 card collection would be dubbed Small potatoes by Many cot lectors bemoans the Day that his boyhood Hobby Wen haywire and people Starod hoarding cases of cards. But he Hampden. Mass. Native said Iho frenzy that s pricing average looks out of the card Market can t last forever i think there will be a time Hon people will Cash in their hoards Mahor said the prices arc nol going to go Way Back Down bul from my understanding there was a real Rush in stamp prices a Lew years ago Foj owed by a Bilot a stamp recession. I think Hal s going to happen to cards i Hope in s going to Schaab Well to buy cards of Oakland a s infielder Mark Mcgwire last year bul even As a dealer he could t quite keep ahead of today s soaring paces. T was ready to buy 500 Mcgwire cards at 15 cents each Schaab said of the time i Gol around to ordering. They were up to j3 by i still did l order whom within three or four months they were Selling Lor $5 to 17." coupling s most valuable card is a 1909 card of horus Wagner Only about 10 such cards Are known to exist and they be commanded bids from $30hooo to s100.000. Schaab Sod his highest in cell Sale card is a 1954 Mickey Mantle lagged or $450 Maher owns single cards world hundreds of dollars bul he at i bytes that nol to business prowess As much As Luck the bin inf div Public affairs of incr said his childhood collection Sla fld in pc ii Good condition and Hig Mothe r. Unlike u of her Well meaning mothers never throw them away. When Maher collected As a kid. Nobody had Price guides to said neither were bos and girls into hard Plashc card Boes designed to spare the cards from dog rated Corners and dinged up edges. Maher said he even attached cards to his bicycle wild clothespins so the spokes would trip by the card to make a motor noise thais a dilute hence bet urn 3 kid who buys baseball cards Loday and to in the Early 60s." Maher the stars and stripes monday
