Got 'Em, Got 'Em, Need 'Em: A Fan's Guide to Collecting the Top 100 Sports Cards of All Time

Comparatively, for sports card collectors and hobbyists in general and for baseball card collectors in particular, there just aren't that many books available. When it does come to baseball card specific titles, Stephen Laroche's and Jon Waldman's "Got 'Em, Got 'Em, Need 'Em" has established itself as a welcome addition and now a classic pertaining to the hobby.Immediately what stands out is the thought out, fun graphic design on both covers, the spine, but throughout the work as well. I find the font throughout the book to be on the middle - larger size which probably lends itself to being quite readable for a diverse range of ages (perhaps like the marketing statement on Starting Lineup sports figurines applies, "Ages 4 to 104").The book itself is organized by the following principal sections:The Top 10 (cards)Stephen Laroche's Top 10 CardsJon Waldman's Top 10 Cards(Cards) 11 to 25Top 11 Hobby Innovations(Cards) 26 to 50Top 10 Blunders by Sports Card Companies(Cards) 51 to 75Ode to the '90s(Cards) 76 to 100At the very beginning of the book after the front matter and Foreward, there is a simple section on "The Lexicon of the Hobby," as well as a few pages dedicated to "The God Card: 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner."The very first card presented in the book, as the #1 Sports Card as judged by the author's is, perhaps surprisingly to some......oh no, I can't give that away! If you're that curious, I guess you'll have to read the book.Some reviewers appear to have given this book less than 5-stars due to the simplicity of the book overall, or the fact that the authors don't limit their writings to *just* the card, but meander around player details and history, etc. Like the great writings found in the literature of baseball and football, the meanderings of these authors was a pleasurable, educational addition from my perspective, though I can appreciate the desire for a more specialized card collecting book.For most card collectors I am of the opinion this book more than deserves a spot on your personal library shelf.I hope something from the above notes are helpful for you in your decision, but more than that, happy collecting!

Well thought out by those that know Sports Trading Cards. Yet each of Us would change a few of those in this book . . .

This book has a lot of fun stuff and brought back a lot of cool memories from my collecting days. However, it is not well written and the list lacks what I believe to be some of the most influential cards in the history of collecting.

Just fair. Book spends too much time talking about player's career's rather than about the card in question and its value. I wasn't expecting a history lesson on the players but info about the card trading business. Besides are hockey cards really that valuable? I don't know anyone who has ever collected them. Finally, there are too many recent cards from the last 20 years to really believe they are all that valuable compared cards from 50 to 60 years ago.

Laroche and Waldman are long-time card collectors and industry staffers, and as shall become evident, native Canadians. Their book lays out superb reproduction images of over one hundred classic sports cards, and tells the stories of both the cards and the athletes they depict. In doing so, they share interesting anecdotes and illuminate fascinating aspects of the card industry and the hobby (and hobbyists) that it feeds. This is a heavy book, literally, printed on thick paper stock that justifies the work of tracking down the card images, and weighing in at 1-1/2 pounds for its nearly 300 pages. It's unfortunate that they were only able to reproduce the card fronts, as the card backs are often equally interesting, and for cards like the 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas, a crucial part of the card's story.The central conceit - counting out the hundred "top" cards - is a useful device, but not one to be taken literally. It's sure to stir up debate, particularly among readers unfamiliar (or uninterested) in the numerous hockey items that are included. There's no denying that these cards are beautiful and interesting in their own right, but for many, they won't create the emotional resonance of baseball cards like the Honus Wagner T206 or 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie card. Still, turning the pages of this book does give you the sort of adrenaline rush gained by opening a pack and finding a gem. The selections are heavily weighted to rookie cards from the four major sports, as that's what the hobby generally holds in highest esteem, but there are many non-rookie surprises. The impact of the collected images is overwhelming, and individual cards - such as the 1953 Bowman Pee Wee Reese - are simply astounding in their beauty.In addition to the Top 100, each author runs through the Top 10 from their personal collections, offering interesting anecdotes about both the cards and how they were acquired. The personal stories give a peek into the heart-and-soul of the collecting hobby. Other features include "Top 11 Hobby Innovations" (which goes a long way to demonstrating the way in which card companies manufacture demand through false scarcity) and "Top 10 Blunders." There are fascinating stories of the industry titans going head-to-head, and how changes in licensing practices aided and undermined the inter-company wars. The authors include a short, two page lexicon of the hobby's lingo, but it isn't deep enough to cover the slang they drop throughout the book. Casual readers may find themselves lost by terms like "redemption card," "cut autograph," and "chase card."Despite the book's premise, the selections and text don't always stay focused on the cards. The multitude of hockey entries (22 of the Top 100) doesn't represent the hobby's balance, at least not if you include the U.S., and for every card-centric story, such as that of the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripkin card (the infamous "F Face"), there are several entries that are a capsule history of the player with only a token paragraph about the card. Bios for the older and more obscure players will be fresher to readers' eyes, and hobbyist observations about the mechanics of card productions and collecting are quite interesting, but the selections sometimes seem to be of significant players first, and a card to represent them second. That said, this is a fine book for long-time collectors who think they've seen it all, as well as those who collected in their youth and want to recapture the magic without breaking out the top-loaders. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Wenn man auch nur das kleinste Interesse an Trading Cards hat ist dieses Buch eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung! Es bietet all das, was man sich wünscht. Eine kompakte Liste von den 100 populärsten Sammelkarten, kurze und äußerst informative Texte (ca 2 Seiten) zu jeder Karte und eine insgesamt sehr gelungene Abwechslung, die das Lesen durchgehend interessant gestaltet!