Blast From the Past: First Beckett 2001 Reprint

This reprint issue of the first Beckett Monthly price guide,issued in 1984, was included in a plastic wrapper with the August 2001 edition which had a painting of Willie Mays on the cover.

A young up and coming Ryne Sandberg was on the back:

As far as I know it appears that it is an exact copy of the original.

The prices included are just a bit dated though.

Subscriptions were $17.95 for 12 issues which is a far cry from the $145,236 issue price nowadays.

There is a neat 2 page layout with a sample image of every design priced in the issue.

It has a page of the hot and cold players and cards which were submitted by, apparently, the readers of the Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide.

It includes a foreword by Jim(James) Beckett and then goes right into the pricing.

The prices start with the 1948 Bowman set and end with the 1984 Topps set.

Some of the prices for the cards we wish we had stockpiled:

• 1948 Bowman Yogi Berra RC: $40.00
• 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella RC: $45.00
• 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle RC: $375.00
• 1951 Bowman Willie Mays RC: $325.00
• 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle: $1,400.00
• 1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese: $23.00(Better than the '52 Topps Mantle in my eyes)
• 1954 Bowman Ted Williams: $625.00
• 1954 Topps Hank Aaron RC: $150.00
• 1954 Topps Ernie Banks RC: $50.00
• 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax RC: $50.00(wow!)
• 1955 Topps Harmon Killebrew RC: $26.00
• 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente RC: $95.00
• 1957 Topps Don Drysdale RC: $20.00
• 1957 Topps Frank Robinson RC: $32.00
• 1957 Topps Brook Robinson RC: $ 80.00
• 1959 Topps Sparky Anderson RC: $1.50
• 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski RC: $75.00
• 1960 Topps Willie McCovey RC: $28.00
• 1961 Topps Ron Santo RC: $1.50
• 1961 Topps Billy Williams RC: $6.00
• 1963 Topps Pete Rose RC: $350.00
• 1963 Topps Willie Stargell RC: $32.00
• 1965 Topps Joe Morgan RC: $10.00
• 1965 Topps Steve Carlton RC: $100.00
• 1965 Topps Tony Perez RC: $8.00
• 1966 Topps Jim Palmer RC: $25.00
• 1966 Topps Fergie Jenkins RC: $12.00
• 1967 Topps Rod Carew RC: $70.00
• 1967 Topps Tom Seaver RC: $88.00
• 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan/Koosman RC: $33.00
• 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson RC: $55.00
• 1969 Topps Rollie Fingers RC: $8.00
• 1970 Topps Thurman Munson RC: $16.00
• 1971 Topps Bert Blyleven RC: $2.00
• 1971 Topps Steve Garvey RC: $27.00
• 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk/Cecil Cooper RC: $12.00
• 1973 Topps Mike Schmidt/Ron Cey RC: $65.00
• 1974 Topps Dave Winfield RC: $12.00
• 1975 Topps Robin Yount RC: $17.00
• 1975 Topps George Brett RC: $18.00
• 1975 Topps Jim Rice RC: $16.00
• 1975 Topps Gary Carter RC: $9.00
• 1976 Topps Dennis Eckersley RC: $.75
• 1977 Topps Andre Dawson RC: $11.00
• 1977 Topps Dale Murphy RC: $24.00
• 1978 Topps Paul Molitor/Alan Trammell RC: $6.00
• 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith RC: $1.35
• 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC: $5.00
• 1981 Donruss Joe Charboneau RC: $.20
• 1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela RC: $2.50
• 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken RC: $3.50
• 1982 Fleer Cal Ripken RC: $3.50
• 1982 Fleer John Littlefield Error: $40.00
• 1982 Topps Cal Ripken RC: $5.50
• 1982 Topps Traded Update Cal Ripken: $4.00
• 1983 Ryne Sandberg: Topps $3.25, Donruss $2.00, Fleer $2.00
• 1983 Wade Boggs: Topps $3.25, Donruss $2.00, Fleer $2.00
• 1983 Tony Gwynn: Topps $3.00, Donruss $1.75, Fleer $2.00
• 1983 Topps Traded Update Darryl Strawberry XRC: $4.50
• 1984 Don Mattingly: Donruss $2.00, Fleer $2.00, Topps $3.00
• 1984 Darryl Strawberry: Donruss $1.75, Fleer $1.75, Topps $3.50

Reflect on those prices for a moment. I have some kleenex if you need to wipe your eyes.

Is it coincidence that Back To The Future came out a year later?