Table of contents for February 2026 in Beckett Baseball

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

RARE MILWAUKEE BRAVES SET SELLS AT AUCTION

If you are a Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves, or Atlanta Braves fan or just a fan of Milwaukee Major League Baseball period, a unique 25-card set was sold by Heritage Auctions on November 30, 2025, for $341.60. In 1952, the Boston Braves (64-89) finished seventh in the eight-team National League. For the 1953 season, team owner Lou Perini moved the squad to Milwaukee. The new surroundings worked for the roster, improving to 92-67 but still 13 games behind division leading Brooklyn Dodgers (105-49). The heavy hitter on the team was third baseman Eddie Mathews, who belted a career best 47 dingers. Winning 23 games on the mound was another future Hall of Famer – Warren Spahn. Jumping on the team’s success Johnston Cookies released a Braves 25-card team set. Within…

1 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

1994 FLAIR HOT GLOVES

Often denounced because of the overproduction of cards from the era, many are overlooking amazing cards produced in the 1990s that uniquely capture our sports heroes. Some of the innovations from that time are still used today and stored in cherished sports card collections of all kinds. One release that stood out then and still does over 30 years later, Fleer’s 1994 Flair Hot Gloves. Initially a bubble gum manufacturer, Fleer Corporation first jumped into the sports card market in 1923. Forays into other sports, football (1960) and basketball (1986), would come with time but baseball was a decades long battle with Topps to get licensing rights. A court win in 1980 allowed Fleer to run the proverbial base paths at full speed in 1981. By the late ‘80s into the…

2 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

HONORING THE PAST

When collectors open a pack of Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards, they know they could be in for an adventure. In addition to hundreds of baseball players in every year’s set, collectors often find celebrities, historical figures, and an eclectic mix of inanimate objects, such as flags, beaches, or lighthouses, as they flip through their stacks. But thanks to the family lineage of one collector – and his sheer determination – the adventure in 2025 Topps Allen & Ginter also shines a light on a baseball player who last pulled on a major-league uniform in 1886. “It all started when I was writing his (Society for American Baseball Research) biography in 2019, and I thought, ‘It would be a long-shot goal to contact Topps about possibly producing a card…

5 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

How to Use and Condition Guide

How To Use & Condition Guide What’s Listed Products listed in the Price Guide typically: (1) are produced by licensed major manufacturers, (2) are widely available, (3) have market activity on single cards and (4) focus on players active at the time of issue. What the Columns Mean The LO and HI columns reflect current retail selling ranges. The HI column generally represents full retail selling price. The LO column generally represents the lowest price one could expect to find with extensive shopping. Multipliers Parallel sets and lightly traded insert sets are listed with multipliers to provide values of unlisted cards. Multiplier ranges (i.e. 20X to 40X HI) apply only to the HI column. Example: If base card A lists for 20 to 50 cents, and the multiplier is “20X…

2 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

Francisco Rodríguez 62 Saves

The single-season 60-home run threshold has been crossed 10 times by seven different players but only one person has closed the door on 60 or more games in a season. Turning the lights out on the stadium 62 times in 2008, Francisco Rodríguez set the MLB record. Apples to oranges on home runs and saves, the 60-dinger mark would be 50 saves and the 70 or more long balls by Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds would be on the level of Rodriguez’s accomplishment. The 50-save mark is rare enough, just 17 times has it been achieved and only Mariano Rivera (2001-50, 2004-53), Jim Johnson (2013-50, 2012-51), and Eric Gagne (2002-52, 2003-57) have done it twice. “KROD” Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1998 as a 16-year-old starter from Venezuela,…

3 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

Right Place, Right World Series Team

A cautionary tale and a portrait of continued self-determination, Lonnie Smith had one of baseball’s more unusual and postseason gratifying careers. Winning a World Series ring is hard enough, and is even harder in the modern era, but Smith found a fortuitous way of being in the right place at the right time over the span of 17 years. With blazing speed and excellent hand-eye coordination, Smith caught scouts’ attention while in high school playing for Los Angeles area’s Centennial. The raw but developing talents had Major League Baseball teams excited about Smith’s future; the Philadelphia Phillies took the outfielder third overall in the 1974 June Amateur Draft. Smith tore up minor league pitching and his speed on the base paths routinely produced stolen bases and manufactured runs for his…

5 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

THE ONE 2025 TOPPS CHROME CARD TO RIP

A longtime collector or new to the game, opening a case, box, or pack, knowing the money cards before beginning the adventure is key. If you were going to buy and rip one 2025 box looking for the home run card despite scarcity, 2025 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition is what you want to buy and Shohei Ohtani is the player you want. The 2025 Sapphire Edition piggybacks off the Chrome Baseball 300-card set but with a desired blue sapphire treatment. Each box promises an autograph from either the Rookie Autographs subset or from the Sapphire Selections Autographs section. Easy to figure out, the Sapphire Selections Autographs is where to find Mr. MVP – Ohtani. The set released on August 27 houses two of the most valuable Ohtani cards in circulation…

2 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

Baseball DEALER DIRECTORY

ALABAMA CHAMPS SPORTCARDS 805 Regal Dr Suite #3 SW Huntsville AL 35801 USA 256-539-8985 champssportcards@comcast.net JACKSON’S SPORTS CARDS @ PATCHES CONSIGNMENT STORE 1501 S Broad St Scottsboro, AL 35768 256-599-0989 www.jacksonssportscards.com ALASKA BOSCO’S 2301 Spenard Road Anchorage AK 99503 USA 907-274-4112 patmoe@boscos.com DON’S SPORTSCARDS 9900 Old Seward Hwy., Ste 8 Anchorage AK 99515 USA 907-349-8804 donssports@aol.com ARIZONA ARIZONA TRADING CARDS & COLLECTIBLE 3404 North 24 Street Suite A; Phoenix AZ 85016 602-224-1334 sgtphx@yahoo.com BATTER’S BOX 2855 W Cactus Rd., Ste 8 Phoenix AZ 85029 USA 602-942-9156 tsedl@msn.com BOXSEAT COLLECTIBLES 4855 E Warner Rd Ste. A18 Phoenix AZ 85044 USA 480-598-0967 mikedingwell@hotmail.com OVERTIME SPORTS 6248 E. Speedway Blvd Tucson, AZ 85712 Otsportsaz@gmail.com SHOWTIME 3415 S McClintock Dr., Ste 111 Tempe AZ 85282 USA 480-820-2226 showpete@aol.com SHOWTIME CARDS 5801 E Speedway Blvd.…

15 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

CUBS PROMISE OF THE FUTURE: PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG

After winning the World Series in 1907 and 1908, Cubs fans had to wait 100-plus years until 2016 to break Murphy’s billy goat curse set in 1945 before raising another banner. Success in ’16 quickly faded with losses in the 2017 NLCS, 2018 NLWC, and 2020 NLWC. But the hope that springs eternal in Chicago fans caught a glimmer of new light in 2025 and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is lining up to be the driving force to keep the Cubs in contention in 2026. The Cubs ended the 2025 regular season 92-70, five games behind division leader Milwaukee. Of the three Wild Card teams, the Cubs earned the top spot, taking on San Diego. The Cubbies won the NLWC 2-1 with their star centerfielder recording the last Padres’ out…

3 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

ONE MILLION AND COUNTING FOR CHICAGO CUBS SUPER FAN BEAU THOMPSON

How many sports card collectors who didn’t play professional baseball can say they have their own official baseball card? When you collect more than 1 million Chicago Cubs sports cards you can. That’s why Beau Thompson, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, has his own 2024 Topps card and 2024 Topps Superfractor card. Thompson received the Superfractor as a ceremonial one millionth Cubs card on April 5, 2024, during a game at Wrigley Field from the Cubs organization. It was in recognition of his nearly decade-long goal. He also fulfilled his lifelong dream by throwing out the first pitch at that game, a 9-7 Cubs win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet beyond his “One Million Cubs Project,” Thompson is a true collector. While he earns a living selling sports cards…

4 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

MARKET WATCH

2025 Bowman Chrome Sapphire and 2025 Topps Update are making their debut in this month’s Price Guide. 2025 Topps Diamond Icons is partially priced below. 2025 Topps Chrome Update, 2025 Topps Archives, 2025 Topps Cosmic Chrome, 2025 Topps Heritage High Number, 2025 Panini Flawless and 2025 Topps Five Star are scheduled to go live in the weeks following our deadline. Be sure to check out the Online Price Guide on Beckett.com for pricing weeks before appearing in the next issue of Beckett Baseball. Have some feedback that you’d like to offer? Please feel free to reach out to me at bfleischer@beckett.com and I’d be happy to get your comments in the hands of the correct Senior Market Analyst.…

1 min

Beckett Baseball|February 2026

Baseball SHOW CALENDAR

ARIZONA 20 DEC: PHOENIX Park Terrace SL 2577 W. Greenway Rd Phoenix, Arizona Zip:85023 Sat 09AM-02PM 40T Mike 623-570-3816 27 – 28 DEC: GLENDALE FRONT ROW CARD SHOW - Renaissance Phoenix / Glendale Hotel 9495 W. Entertainment Blvd Glendale, Arizona Zip:85305 Sat 11AM-05PM Sun 11AM-05PM 300T 10$ Dan Bliss CONNECTICUT 20 DEC: PLAINVILLE Plainville VFW 7 Northwest Dr Plainville, Connecticut Zip:06062 Sat 09AM-02PM 50T 2$ Clifford Gorneault 860-302-0493 20 DEC: PLAINVILLE Plainville VFW 7 Northwest Dr Plainville, Connecticut Zip:06010 Sat 09AM-02PM 50T 2$ Cliff Gorneault 860-302-0493 27 DEC: TRUMBULL Trinity Episcopal Church 1734 Huntington Turnpike Trumbull, Connecticut Zip:06611 Sat 09AM-02PM 20T 2$ Karen Riso 203-265-1813 28 DEC: MILFORD Milford Elks Lodge 124 New Haven Ave Milford, Connecticut Zip:06460 Sun 09AM-02PM 40T 2$ Ned Skinnon 860-919-0879 28 DEC: MILFORD Milford Elks…

12 min