If you’ve spent any time on eBay, Amazon, or hobby auction websites, you’ve probably noticed some incredible baseball (and other sports) memorabilia for sale.

Stuff we could have only dreamed about as kids.

I thought it might be interesting to troll the sale bills once in a while and pick out a few of the most droolworthy goodies to highlight here.

To that end, here are some of the knockouts for May 18, 2018.

(Over the next little while, I’m going to be unfurling a set of experimental types of posts to see if they strike any cardboard chords. Let me know what you think, and I’ll adjust as we go. Also, note that these listings contain affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

1953 Topps Empty Baseball Card 5-Cent Wax Pack Box

1953 Topps Baseball Card Wax Pack Box

What goodies did this box hold back in its heyday? The buyer doesn’t know which series the box came from, but can’t you just imagine a gorgeous Jackie Robinson or Mickey Mantle peeping at you from inside a wax wrapper that came from this beauty?

Even empty, this box is a tremendous display piece and throws your mind instantly into the ginger-bread world of 1950s America. This baby doesn’t come cheap, but it’s fun to look at  … and dream … right?

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

1954 Bowman Baseball Cards Unopened Wax Pack

As with the 1953 Topps box above, the seller doesn’t have a bead on which series this 1954 Bowman pack comes from. But the mind reels at the thought of pulling the legendar Mantle or Ted Williams from this, the second-to-last Bowman set before Topps bought them out.

If nothing else, it’s great to get a look at a pack that most of us will probably never see in person.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

1974 Topps Baseball Card Unopened Wax Pack Box

1974 Topps Baseball Card Unopened Wax Box

In 1974, Topps dropped their long-standing practice of issuing cards in series and instead pushed out all 660 cards at once. That led to some fun times, thanks to the purported move of the San Diego Padres to Washington, D.C., and Topps’ subsequent production of “Washington Nat’l Lea.” variations.

While it’s not clear if this box came from that early run or subsequent corrected batches, there is always the possibility of pulling rookies of Dave Winfield or Dave Parker. As you might expect, though, you would pay a steep price for that honor.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

1978 Topps Baseball Cards Unopened Wax Pack Box

1978 Topps Baseball Cards Unopened Wax Pack Box

By 1978, Topps was just about finished with their habit of issuing four-player rookie cards, but the concept has served collectors well in the intervening years. With a rookie card class that includes Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Paul Molitor, Lance Parrish, Eddie Murray (single card), and many others, this set is absolutely loaded. You know that this wax box will yield a good swath of those gents, and it sports an Atari-like design to-boot.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

1980 Topps Baseball Cards Unopened Rack Case

1980 Topps Baseball Cards Unopened Rack Case

Rickey Henderson stands alone in baseball history when it comes to combining speed, power, and hot dogness, and his rookie card has driven the 1980 Topps baseball card set almost since the day it rolled off the presses. As the last issue of Topps’ monopoly years, though, this set is also a historical hobby marker and is loaded with mid-career cards of Hall of Fame caliber players like Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, George Brett, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver and scads more.

How fun would it be to tear into a sparkling new rack case of these puppies? Hard to put a price on something like that, but this seller did (and it’s a big one!)

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

1981 Topps Baseball Cards ~ 5,000 Lot

$199.00
End Date: Wednesday 01/05/2022 22:48:03 EST
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1981 Topps Baseball Cards Complete Set in Binder

$200.00
End Date: Saturday 01/01/2022 05:40:05 EST
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1981 TOPPS BASEBALL CARDS RACK PACK - ROD CAREW TOP CARD

$60.00
End Date: Thursday 12/16/2021 13:24:31 EST
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(51) 1981 Topps Baseball Cards Lot

$49.99
End Date: Wednesday 12/29/2021 19:24:37 EST
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1981 Topps Baseball Cards

$35.00 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday 12/09/2021 15:41:28 EST
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F34. Binder 1981 Topps Baseball Cards 394 Total Cards

$25.00 ( 1 Bid)
End Date: Saturday 12/11/2021 03:08:44 EST
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