1980's QRL cards.

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Perth, WA
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Damien
I came across a page called Dan's Cards which showed a 1982 Scanlens set which included Wally Lewis, Meninga, and Belcher. I don't know much about early Rugby League cards as the 1994 Dynamic set was the first time I laid eyes on League cards.

A few questions. Are those the earliest cards of those players? And if so, they'd have to be some of the most valuable cards in the hobby presumably. Again, I don't know NRL well as I grew up in Victoria and didn't start watching Rugby League until 1989 and was instantly hooked( the only matches shown in Victoria prior to the late 80's was the Grand Final on the ABC according to my ma).

I collected the Scanlens VFL 1981 and 1982 sets which I'm now trying to slowly put together. I'd love to try and do the same with the others. NSWRL cards from 1982 you can find. But more difficult are the Scanlens cards from the WAFL and SANFL and also the QRL cards it appears.

Back to the QRL cards. Do the Lewis, Meninga, Belcher cards ever come up for sale? I can't see any on ebay. And if they do come up for sale once in a while what kind of money would they fetch even in average condition?

The examples on Dan's cards had $150 for the Lewis and Meninga but I'm guessing that was a while ago and they would be 4 figure cards these days?

Any info would be much appreciated.

Finally, it would be great if someone made a website that had information about the various sets Scanlens produced across the country in the early 1980's. I think we are very unique in that regard as the states were almost like different countries back then. There were no national comps for AFL or NRL which from a historical card collecting perspective makes it, again, very unique.

Edit: I can't seem to find any QRL cards on ebay other than the 82 set. Is that the only one they made?
 
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Hi Damien,

There are a few on eBay atm. They are relatively expensive Buy-It-Now singles though. Try searching: scanlens 1982 -vfl

1982 was the only year Scanlens did QRL.

The Lewis and Meninga cards tend to be the most expensive but I'd say $150 would still be on the high side for both, even in mint condition. I've seen interest in the Redcliff team set since the Dolphins came along this year.

I'm pretty sure there is a website somewhere that lists sets and/or checklists. There was a good book published a few years ago that listed all Rugby League cards - I'm not at home atm so can't provide the title.

Regards
Mike
 
Still can't see Lewis, Meninga or Belcher. I used Scanlens 1982 QRL and 39 cards come up but not Lewis Meninga or Belcher. Looks to be just one seller who is listing the 39 cards. I thought there might be a few more. I assume they are safely tucked away in collections and don't get to market very often.
 
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one of my favourite sets.

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That makes sense. I was surprised to find just 39 copies total for sale with Greg Dowling perhaps the best name. I didn't know it was the only set made. That in itself is special but to have two of the game's all time greats in there makes it even more significant. For some reason I'm having a hankering for the past. I remember buying packs of 1981 Scanlens VFL and if it didn't have a Collingwood player in it I threw all the cards into the nearest bin and was happy with the gum!

The other set which is somewhat similar in rarity to the QRL set is the 1982 Scanlens WAFL( West Australian Football League). Prior to the national comp this comp was to the VFL what the QRL was to the NSWRL. That is to to say that the best players and the best teams were the equal of the bigger comps best plyers and teams( sometimes better) but just had less depth owing to smaller populations. I rarely see WAFL cards for sale, especially for guys like Stephen Michael who is considered one of the best if not the best WA player period.

I've had enough of hockey and baseball at the moment. Time for some nostalgia and Australian sports.
 
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