Episode 127 - My 1968 Topps Set

[@bobcalderon2534]

Thanks again, happy holidays 😊

[@tjmacvintagecardsnostalgia648]

Hey Rick! I enjoyed seeing you thumb through the 68 set. While I like the overall aesthetic of the set, I am drawn most to the history it represents. The World Series Tigers wjth Lolich, McClain, Horton Freehan and Kaline. Not to mention the fantastic team card. Of course, it was the year of the pitcher with all those great seasons that were had. Yaz wins the AL batting crown with a .301 average! Crazy! That Managers Dream card with Killebrew, Mantle and Mays is fantastic. Three old lions took a moment for camera. You have a beautiful set! I think the Bob Elliott has one of tbe nicest backgrounds in the set. The Heegan is a beauty too. You got a good deal for $80. Thanks for sharing!

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Terry, the 1968 Tigers team card for some reason turned out nicer than the other teams. The League Leader cards for some reason also capture my attention. Yaz winning the battle title with a 301 average is crazy indeed. I thunk he was the AL player to bat over 300. I didn't appreciate The Managers Dream card as a kid probably because I didn't really appreciate Harmon Killebrew, but I love the guy now. I think he hit the most home runs in the 60s? He;s a fantastic player and it's a fantastic card. Love my new Boman pickups. 50 more to go! Thanks for watching, Terry!

[@GG-sy8ic]

So many memories for me with the 68 set. I was 8 when I collected it in 1968. Getting the Mantle was a big deal to me being a Yankees fan. I also love the Don Drysdale card, he was a very popular guy in the culture back then. Good job Rick!

[@jga59]

Remember the Vitalis commercial he was in?

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Thank you! Nice to finally fix my mistake! Hahaha

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

@@jga59 IS that th commercial at Candlestick Park and he's pitching against the Giants?

[@jga59]

​@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector Yes, Rick that's the one!

[@mitchlangelle4980]

Hey Rick, nobody has more fun at shows than I do, especially when I get to hang with great collectors such as yourself. I have to tell you the ’68 Topps baseball set was the first set I built when I was a kid. Most of the cards I bought from a vending machine at a Coles Market growing up in Long Beach. When ever I had some change I would ride my bike over to Coles Market and pick up a stack of cards out of that vending machine. The memories of card collecting from when we were kids I think is an underrated part of the hobby. Great video as always and thanks for putting my info out there to the hobby community. Happy holidays.

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Ahhhh thanks for your kind words, Mitch! I see the good time you have at shows and you're inspiring me to go to more shows. Someday, I am going to sit next to you at my own table! I still have a lot to learn. What was the location of Coles Market? I bought my cards at a liquor store or at Thrifty's. God, I would get so excited buying packs back then. Thanks so much for watching, Mitch. I look forward to seeing you in Ontario! Happy Holidays!

[@mitchlangelle4980]

@@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector The Coles Market was on Spring St. near Palo Verde. Yes, there was also Plaza Liquors in the same shopping center that had cards. You mentioned Thrifty’s (which was almost across the street from Millikan on Palo Verde), I will always remember seeing a cello rack pack of ’68 Topps baseball with a Willie Mays on top, but I had no cash to buy it. One that got away.

[@Canadian_Cards]

Great pickups Rick and that 68 set is fantastic...well done...fyi, I too hit the big 6-0 on May 4th of next year...cheers my friend!!

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Thanks Mike! UGH 6-0, This milestone birthday has been the hardest to accept. At least I know I won't be the only celebrating the milestone in 2025. Thanks for watching!

[@mikethesportshistorycollec1947]

1968 was the first year I actually got multiple packs of cards...not a ton, but I did have the Mantle/Mays/Killer card. Never replaced it, but it's on my list. Great walk down memory lane Rick.

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

MIKE! Nice combo card to own. Where did you buy packs as a kid? Mine was either the local liquor store or Thrifty's!

[@mikethesportshistorycollec1947]

@@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector There was a corner mom and pop store at the end of our street. Fun times!

[@jga59]

Yeah, Rick! I will always have a special feeling for the 1968 Topps set as it was the first one that I really collected as a kid. I only have a few of those cards now. In the early '70's, I actually bought an entire set for $18! But I sold it for quite a bit more than that several years ago. Since I started collecting again, I've been picking up some of my favorite cards from the set. Those 1950 Bowman cards are nice, too.

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Gannon, you bought the 1968 set for $18?? OMG, I love that! That was a lot of money back then. I remember the 1971 set going for $25 around 1975 and thinking how on earth am I going to pay for that?? LOL! Think you'll ever build the 68 set again? Thanks for watching!

[@jga59]

@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector Yes, $18! If only I had bought two or three! And I got a 1971 set for the same price. As you were saying, it was a lot of money back then. I think, if I remember correctly, you would have been around 10 when you got your set. I was around 14 when I got mine. I really needed the cash when I sold those sets, and the money I got from them really helped me out. The only thing that ticked me off was when I sold the '68 set, I forgot to take out the complete set of '68 game cards that I'd collected as a kid that were in the back of the binder! Well, at least I had doubles of Mantle, Mays, and Aaron, which I still have. As far as the future goes, I'm not gonna rebuild the entire set. I'm just gonna pick up cards from it that I really loved. Right now, I have three Roger Maris cards and a couple of Mays'. I always loved the manager cards from that set, as well as the team cards. Each one of those team cards gave me a different feeling. The colors actually helped shape how I felt about the teams. I particularly loved the blue Dodgers team card. Still do.

[@thomasoliver354]

Great video! Many memories of 1968 cards. I was the youngest kid in the neighborhood. When kids got board of their cards, I bought them for really cheap. One box, I bought for a dollar, had 4 mantles in it.

[@godisgreat8462]

Well done 👍 🎉

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Thank you, my friend!

[@ToddCaponetto]

Hey Rick…that 68’ Reggie Smith card has always been one of my favorites. I dont feel he gets enough credit for the rise of that 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox team when he had a great rookie year as well as those great Dodger teams from 77’ to 81’. Growing up in Encino he was always one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your 68’ set. Happy Holidays to you 👍

[@danielbernier6095]

I agree with you about Reggie Smith. I collect cards today because his 68 offering in a Milton Bradley board game I got at ten years old.

[@ToddCaponetto]

@@danielbernier6095 He was SO good. I think there might be some validity with the fact that he played the same time Reggie Jackson played and has been overlooked. But he was an elite hitter and very good outfielder on many winning teams 👍

[@danielbernier6095]

Todd thanks for the response. Not sure if you are familiar wth the channel "The Athlete Archives", but Gordon had me on to do a talk on Reggie Smith. If interested, you can find it by searching videos on his channel. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@ToddCaponetto]

@@danielbernier6095 oh Wow….I’ll definitely check that out. Thanks for letting me know and Happy Holidays. 😎

[@ToddCaponetto]

@@danielbernier6095 Dan…I just watched your video about Reggie Smith with Gordon. Great video and killer Reggie Smith collection! I subscribed to his channel after watching a couple other cool mini documentaries he had on Rick Monday and The Bird. Thanks for introducing the channel to me and I’ll write to Reggie Smith if you do. Deal? 😎🙂

[@markpekrul4393]

Coming after one of the best-looking sets of all time in 1967, collecting the 1968 set in 1968 must have been a "WTF?" moment. One of the oddest design choices ever. Not as bad as 1980 Hockey or Basketball, but still weird.

[@broxboyserinjordyn4923]

Have to check them out I m here in the Inkand Empire ❤ great pick ups

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

I'll be honest, not a great show but it depends on what you collect. When the show doesn't cost me a nickel for admission or parking, it's just nice spending an hour or two looking at cards. They have another show on January 11th.

[@broxboyserinjordyn4923]

That d best I m looking for you never know what you will find Thanks for the informations 👍🏻

[@danielbernier6095]

Hello Rick. Thanks for showing your 68 Topps set. Sounds like we have similar stories about this set. I too just recently (2022) completed mine. Up until then, I had all sets back to 1970 so in 2022 I bought the 69 and hand built the 68. See in 1969, at age ten, I got the Milton Bradley board game. The Rod Cares and Reggie Smith were my favorites. I never hung on to my early 68s but always aspired to heave it. That was a fun project. How long did it take you to put it together?

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

HI Daniel: Sounds like you have an impressive collection. Would love to hear about your collection sometime. The 1968 set took about 7-8 months to complete. I usually take about a year to finish. 50 Bowman is the next set I am working on that has taken me a good year so far. Thanks so much for watching!

[@danielbernier6095]

I do have a story I like to share regarding my building the 68 set. I also don't mind sharing my collecting story. What works best for me is email so not to clutter the comment section. Do you have an email you care to share? If not, I understand.

[@michaelyoung7974]

Yeah, Jim Thorpe is from the 1955 Topps All-American set, the set that buried Bowman for good. Gosh, some of those guys you show may be considered commons in the 21st century, but they were considered stars in their eras.

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

You should have seen this card. It was a beauty. Sometimes I feel players like Eddie Murray or Eddie Mathews are just commons and they are hall of fame players.

[@michaelyoung7974]

1968 was the year of the players' resistance movement, led by Marvin Miller, which explains some of the problems with the photos. In the end, it forced Topps to give a much better financial deal to the MLBPA and the individual players

[@RickAcostaDodgerCardCollector]

Michael, yeah the players were not making any money while Topps was raking it in. Who would ever think someone would make money from a photo of them on a piece of cardboard, let alone it becoming valuable down the road. Thanks for watching!