tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34171862747150686182024-03-05T03:17:49.187-05:00Vintage SportscardsChris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.comBlogger410125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-11915943969247424382012-09-26T08:30:00.031-04:002012-09-26T08:30:01.112-04:00It's Campy...ReallyThis 3-inch plastic statue features Brooklyn Dodger star Roy Campanella. Really, it does: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8OTn4HoI9OIatLbMfRds5cpYzHbCoccK0VFYVk1Z4KYELz77gJQIonSDQFSs1WhKISdyenW4uoif1pLQsTmGETSAXe81wJB1sVDhFQK4qacJLQTvGbrt_mOL4kUiyi9D5kNHlpWd2ARE/s1600/3683a_lg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8OTn4HoI9OIatLbMfRds5cpYzHbCoccK0VFYVk1Z4KYELz77gJQIonSDQFSs1WhKISdyenW4uoif1pLQsTmGETSAXe81wJB1sVDhFQK4qacJLQTvGbrt_mOL4kUiyi9D5kNHlpWd2ARE/s400/3683a_lg.jpeg" width="313" /></a></div><br />
Molded in 1956 and sold through Dairy Queen stores that year, Campanella was one of 18 big league players to be included in the promotion. Since half of the players (Campy, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Larry Doby, Bob Lemon, Eddie Mathews, Stan Musial, Pee Wee Reese and Duke Snider) are Hall of Famers, there is quite an interest in them.<br />
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The same 18 players were also featured on statues with cards that year known as Big League Stars. However, while those statues have a bronze color, Dairy Queen statues are white.<br />
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Also note the presence of Stan Musial, who was absent in Topps' sets through 1958 and wasn't on any Bowman issues after 1953.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-19531814697019029992012-09-21T08:30:00.024-04:002012-09-21T08:30:04.075-04:00On the Lighter Side...Here's a "gem" of mine that was picked up at The Nationals:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVC2btLWT7H80slFD4vZB2fSWq3Wzkw_yRA-IMnd30oHysHi09htHM0vEkrti2duekJyNc4x6GJ0XUlk-mGZhRJr_93Do-0FnPZX2QbCm9dw1YeYoR2UyIMgATtclRvPTL7l4S3HFMzAzi/s1600/GGSFoiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVC2btLWT7H80slFD4vZB2fSWq3Wzkw_yRA-IMnd30oHysHi09htHM0vEkrti2duekJyNc4x6GJ0XUlk-mGZhRJr_93Do-0FnPZX2QbCm9dw1YeYoR2UyIMgATtclRvPTL7l4S3HFMzAzi/s400/GGSFoiles.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br />
It was sent to me after I got back from Baltimore, however. At the show, I ran into several of my <a href="http://www.oldbaseball.com/index.html" target="_blank">OBC</a> buddies including Larry "Guru" Tipton, who is legendary in the group <a href="http://www.oldbaseball.com/funstuff/Gurugrading.htm" target="_blank">for his condition guide</a>. While at the show, he "scored" a collection of cards that were...shall we say, water damaged? After the show, he was kind enough to share cards of this "find" with members of the community.<br />
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In fact, he even inagurated his OBC-styled grading service called Guru's Grading Service (GGS). After lovingly grading and labeling many of the cards, he sent them to fellow OBC members as a way of spreading his good fortune.<br />
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I already have a 1961 Topps Hank Foiles in my own collection, so I'm not likely to free this one from its slab. Which may be a real treat for my nose.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-60833861171673807882012-09-19T08:30:00.039-04:002012-09-19T17:42:00.068-04:00Put a Patch On ItToday's entry goes off the beaten path when it comes to collectibles:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiYUN7Q3G-DR6On8sMwJ-3wj1a61NC_-KDVQ3J2AuwBJAsyZ0ogjLDL3Pd0Y4zK-Ie6dOolDRSRd66Dr4cNUsEGeAGO8Na5l1HHd8o6AZF3A4fbULVSwl0V3aL5NkzkycXIwf1lnZ_e7A/s1600/9e2a_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiYUN7Q3G-DR6On8sMwJ-3wj1a61NC_-KDVQ3J2AuwBJAsyZ0ogjLDL3Pd0Y4zK-Ie6dOolDRSRd66Dr4cNUsEGeAGO8Na5l1HHd8o6AZF3A4fbULVSwl0V3aL5NkzkycXIwf1lnZ_e7A/s400/9e2a_35.JPG" width="306" /></a></div>
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This patch measures 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/4 inches, or just shorter than a standard card. It was made in 1978 and sold by the Penn Emblem Company for $2.50. Actually, the commons are still available in mint condition for around that, and maybe even less. Collectors don't seem to care for them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcyKHVNMMyVaS_Ffx4dTvWVVojR-Q_fwD33sRmCu64ljn7pbldV-zOj-B2Spp5MWPO0vGw8DTqUoV_GsyD-VbMWYS9KmsnJg5NMGjB0yo9o_NbTmXFYIt-kS6Tu2gpFW1D-NrL6rXDlSo/s1600/bafa_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcyKHVNMMyVaS_Ffx4dTvWVVojR-Q_fwD33sRmCu64ljn7pbldV-zOj-B2Spp5MWPO0vGw8DTqUoV_GsyD-VbMWYS9KmsnJg5NMGjB0yo9o_NbTmXFYIt-kS6Tu2gpFW1D-NrL6rXDlSo/s400/bafa_35.JPG" width="310" /></a></div>
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There were 103 players available, and Pete Rose had two differently-colored borders. Since the name of the manufacturer doesn't appear anywhere on the patch, the SCD "book" simply has them listed as "1978 Baseball Player Patches." Although the images sort of look like the players pictured -- even without the team logos or any mention of team affiliation -- they've never attracted that much interest.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-86834658533503271942012-09-17T08:30:00.042-04:002012-09-17T08:30:01.334-04:00The Original 1953 Topps ReprintsWhen "1953 Topps Reprints" are mentioned, many collectors think of the glossy, standard-sized cards that hit the market in 1991. Not this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkbyCrwbZLqQhLRrm6zNpQ5zZ7RPiLHbHEw0X8KKqxELKOkE6CWqvIh0xdbAfrLcs7nFjH_5wujiPju_2ZETT_z83PZPnKPzpIFa8kPEt0T3Lb8Rj4ryPvtkvdGigkDIN1xRxG2qw0d8W/s1600/img154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkbyCrwbZLqQhLRrm6zNpQ5zZ7RPiLHbHEw0X8KKqxELKOkE6CWqvIh0xdbAfrLcs7nFjH_5wujiPju_2ZETT_z83PZPnKPzpIFa8kPEt0T3Lb8Rj4ryPvtkvdGigkDIN1xRxG2qw0d8W/s400/img154.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
The front may look familiar, but the back is more in the style of a 1930s or '40-style back than the way it was presented in its original Topps form:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmUHYSjK0SIqoc1T7uanSeXK4CM-MJI4q_hI48pZAKr2YB9Tlo2iqUOwDUCXTepucPnaxahdRTHeIPXrL7WGR3G0fDh89PYwQ_WfvgNQobR6Ndf9SnqUAAHnm6J7NEQaTJmBeqsM_3CJj/s1600/img155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmUHYSjK0SIqoc1T7uanSeXK4CM-MJI4q_hI48pZAKr2YB9Tlo2iqUOwDUCXTepucPnaxahdRTHeIPXrL7WGR3G0fDh89PYwQ_WfvgNQobR6Ndf9SnqUAAHnm6J7NEQaTJmBeqsM_3CJj/s400/img155.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />
The term "1953 Topps Reprints" is something of a misnomer. Hobby legend has it that the cards were produced for a banquet dinner and the cards were printed for the attendees as party favors. It's possible the Sy Berger or somebody with connections to Topps was in attendance at a banquet that had ex-sports figures in attendance and the cards were printed to remind everybody that they were once young and athletic.<br />
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There were eight cards in the set, three of whom are misidentified by their pictures.Here's a genuine 1953 Johhny Mize for a comparison:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLasSJ-JP2UMsRdFmUG2hDt2T_mME8NjWdbDKzNyavW05XgTXzaSZrOY-O1cTzgQ_hGO2qLkEifB5rBJP8OQfitPx5KBFlrsVqTE3n736_VprtkkuFohn4oUXgpGs8IEkm5FoqqZ0pOTZ/s1600/53Mize1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLasSJ-JP2UMsRdFmUG2hDt2T_mME8NjWdbDKzNyavW05XgTXzaSZrOY-O1cTzgQ_hGO2qLkEifB5rBJP8OQfitPx5KBFlrsVqTE3n736_VprtkkuFohn4oUXgpGs8IEkm5FoqqZ0pOTZ/s400/53Mize1.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />
As you can see, the back of the original card had much different info on it, including a different biographical write-up:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRLh-linpla6sYozLSbhPi9TISHZXI1897j0Ha6MXn5ff-Xk713FvcPy4HcNMJ0ooFkaT8pbxbxA2CIa8SeMHHzrESnBjtoeXlaxZnhTGCcmmv3gDY5m1nONjrSkM36mfAFBhDV8kwrNe/s1600/53Mize2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRLh-linpla6sYozLSbhPi9TISHZXI1897j0Ha6MXn5ff-Xk713FvcPy4HcNMJ0ooFkaT8pbxbxA2CIa8SeMHHzrESnBjtoeXlaxZnhTGCcmmv3gDY5m1nONjrSkM36mfAFBhDV8kwrNe/s400/53Mize2.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />
By the way...Roy Face went 18-1 in 1959, eclipsing the record that Johnny Allen is credited with. And Johnny Allen wasn't a member of the Yankees in 1937...the Yanks dealt him to the Indians the year before that.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-91968975615775732852012-09-14T08:30:00.081-04:002012-09-14T08:30:02.229-04:00More Recent Arrivals -- 56 ToppsThey may not be the prettiest cards I own, but these 1956 Topps cards can tell a story even when they're scuffed like this. Since I have picked up a scanner to use, I've been slowly showing some of my recent additions to my collection...and here are some more of those:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvBttdn63NOB3UC5t_IJsX5z066UQeV3cdYIBCb3PymwWWZtV7wxcB24gKyU1dAKz0pT2gdJ-sWqYqaCuGYaJCuZfPdjQf-pMvcMnqy9ZJL4-hefxRrA5FOQ1pijVKiVAZrE5EduTPABV/s1600/56TAntonelli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvBttdn63NOB3UC5t_IJsX5z066UQeV3cdYIBCb3PymwWWZtV7wxcB24gKyU1dAKz0pT2gdJ-sWqYqaCuGYaJCuZfPdjQf-pMvcMnqy9ZJL4-hefxRrA5FOQ1pijVKiVAZrE5EduTPABV/s400/56TAntonelli.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Johnny Antonelli is from Upstate New York (as am I) and has become a part of two bloggers' sites: Night Owl (<a href="http://nightowlcards.blogspot.com/2010/12/56-of-month-johnny-antonelli.html" target="_blank">who featured a much nicer-looking 1956 than this one</a>) grew up near one of his tire franchises and Jeff over at Cardboard Catastrophies (<a href="http://cardboardcatastrophes.blogspot.com/2011/10/mail-call-october-27th-edition.html" target="_blank">who also has a much nicer 1956 Topps than this</a>) has a player set devoted to Antonelli. Between those two, there's enough background on him as a player...so I'll just focus on the card.<br />
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One of the neat things about the 1956 Topps cards is the second full-color action shot. With the background added to the image, the cards really "pop" in a way that they 1954 and 1955 cards (which also had a second image, but no backgrounds) didn't. And the shot of Antonelli delivering a pitch to an unseen competitor is just great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEJmMUOf7OrxJ8SH6CYnXfxgOzUDy_eoNROZIrO5djuVaidZPEZf4_WgsYQoW2D8lkqARwOFCmgrLWxBbRZq4XtIcollL791jDP40rlULc7MJqbk8jcwITr3glujmKX1mC13cpAmPm7EJ/s1600/56TArroyo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEJmMUOf7OrxJ8SH6CYnXfxgOzUDy_eoNROZIrO5djuVaidZPEZf4_WgsYQoW2D8lkqARwOFCmgrLWxBbRZq4XtIcollL791jDP40rlULc7MJqbk8jcwITr3glujmKX1mC13cpAmPm7EJ/s400/56TArroyo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As for Luis Arroyo, he's just posing for the cameraman here. Yet the stadium backdrop makes the card something more than it would have been without it. <br />
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Arroyo actually pitched for the Pirates in 1956. He started the year in the minors and was dealt away in May. The Puerto Rican native was best known for a baffling screwball, as well as being part of the latter days of the Yankee dynasty that made the World Series each year he was with them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdMgl577uLku75Xkmrq2dfv49E5Rky9eoKSpPCpblknc-BorNV63h09l2CrZ0rWxddHAS6PkhNRfHkrnAu5njPniXHdVrS4gWfTlPAukvpnFAvBU93FMXE94-HIGp3_oGAVwRUbTYRVK5/s1600/56THearn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdMgl577uLku75Xkmrq2dfv49E5Rky9eoKSpPCpblknc-BorNV63h09l2CrZ0rWxddHAS6PkhNRfHkrnAu5njPniXHdVrS4gWfTlPAukvpnFAvBU93FMXE94-HIGp3_oGAVwRUbTYRVK5/s400/56THearn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Showing off his windup is Jim Hearn, who was instumental in helping the Giants to overcome a 13 1/2-game deficit to with the 1951 pennant.<br />
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But Hearn will be forever remembered by me as<a href="http://thevintagesportscards.blogspot.com/2010/05/pop-quiz-and-another-gem.html" target="_blank"> my very first 1952 Topps high #</a>...a $4 purchase. When I think of him, that will always be the first thing that comes to my mind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VR8eKoddqLK2hh4encyusrlJCiiK4mGF-k0mqcRUsaSQQTqMFSxfEtxZDCvE0y8M_ec6UzWbACo6ubDTXi2oMC14kyjiGBB1L4nAVgMI1CTp-Z0zkid48YEkli7XYWY0tSqAZoDLftA8/s1600/56TKlaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VR8eKoddqLK2hh4encyusrlJCiiK4mGF-k0mqcRUsaSQQTqMFSxfEtxZDCvE0y8M_ec6UzWbACo6ubDTXi2oMC14kyjiGBB1L4nAVgMI1CTp-Z0zkid48YEkli7XYWY0tSqAZoDLftA8/s400/56TKlaus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Billy Klaus is shown here turning a play at second against the Yanks' Andy Carey. I like the way the picture shows tha dust getting kicked up as Klaus throws to first and Carey attempts to take him out. That's how baseball should be played, not the silly "neighborhood play" sometimes used today. Yes, I get that it's there to prevent injuries...but it doesn't seem right.<br />
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I just noticed that Klaus is the only non-pitcher in this group of cards.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit07TObDR_slij5qWBggDS5gi0cU8zeINWg1xNRDMsODdhDoZ8OoiTaip1ydHy7kQ5VghyphenhyphenYBGGNH9QcEazgaRv2kY4Q7qRlQ2KdPMyhOXIBAp-JGWt0jdd6f4hu5a0XUw0wyKwDeZun0e5/s1600/56TLiddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit07TObDR_slij5qWBggDS5gi0cU8zeINWg1xNRDMsODdhDoZ8OoiTaip1ydHy7kQ5VghyphenhyphenYBGGNH9QcEazgaRv2kY4Q7qRlQ2KdPMyhOXIBAp-JGWt0jdd6f4hu5a0XUw0wyKwDeZun0e5/s400/56TLiddle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So, we go back to the pitchers. In fact, this is the third Giant hurler out of the five cards. Liddle came to the tam from the Braves along with Johnny Antonelli -- and Billy Klaus, for that matter -- in 1954, and was part of that year's World Series team. In fact, he was the pitcher to threw the pitch to Vic Wertz that Wille Mays caught and still nailed the runner at the plate...the one play that is still shown from that Series all these years later.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-18644782849639221642012-09-12T08:30:00.050-04:002012-09-12T13:41:45.511-04:00Old-School "Pogs" From 1963When pogs became popular in the 1990s, there were children of the 1950s and 60s who immediately recognized them as new versions of an old relic...the milk bottle cap. Though the concept of caps that could be used in a game predated pogs and even milk caps (<a href="http://thevintagesportscards.blogspot.com/2012/08/more-national-type-cards.html" target="_blank">Japanese Menko games</a> have existed since the 1700s, for instance), it was still a quaint reminder of a time when local dairies delivered milk bottles to doorsteps and advertised on the cardboard caps that topped their bottles.<br />
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And that brings us to today's set:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpsnkj9lGk_81pPkoReOLsoAACX9s9OL_4PufvdNcykzlQ8PvVS7srK2bUii6KRSiuGKtbGWQtHNIKew8I5nXVoulTLJXijodcb_nUDyOjHowGs-uAMr4BTIF2XFUB0xibM57Fo_gwfbE/s1600/1963FrenchBauer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpsnkj9lGk_81pPkoReOLsoAACX9s9OL_4PufvdNcykzlQ8PvVS7srK2bUii6KRSiuGKtbGWQtHNIKew8I5nXVoulTLJXijodcb_nUDyOjHowGs-uAMr4BTIF2XFUB0xibM57Fo_gwfbE/s400/1963FrenchBauer1.jpg" width="397" /></a></div><br />
In 1963, a Cincinnati-based dairy known as French Bauer released a set of 30 milk caps that encouraged their clients to visit Crosley Field and see the team play. The 1 1/4-inch diameter discs are blank-backed and feature a die-cut area and a staple that were designed to be broken open to allow the milk inside to be poured out. Predictably, not many of these have survived and examples are a little scarce today.<br />
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Two caps are especially prized by collectors: a Frank Robinson and a rookie-year Pete Rose. However, the bottle caps weren't only limited to players. One cap even showed the image of team owner (and long-time baseball executive) Bill DeWitt: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKMKEAgS2AXQ8clP2ibeVNhNOZygHG_Cg8KP5IBBSbmoL5YILdjCrMlxBXiQVF0kIqPo3oc6ZWvKNp2OWn0QYbn-mSSqUMepZ9j-042-Ag70bqI4JIaUk8kKUn4tCZPtvHRS5owy_JJpe/s1600/1963FrenchBauer2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKMKEAgS2AXQ8clP2ibeVNhNOZygHG_Cg8KP5IBBSbmoL5YILdjCrMlxBXiQVF0kIqPo3oc6ZWvKNp2OWn0QYbn-mSSqUMepZ9j-042-Ag70bqI4JIaUk8kKUn4tCZPtvHRS5owy_JJpe/s400/1963FrenchBauer2.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />
Though considered a common in the set, there weren't a lot of kids excited about old men in suits. Especially a man who later traded Frank Robinson to the Orioles because he felt Robinson was "old." That makes the DeWitt cap one of the tougher commons in the set.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-28189441295006116402012-09-10T08:30:00.071-04:002012-09-10T08:30:01.239-04:00A Different Type of "Scratch-Off" CardThe rookie card of James Brown is pretty well known in the hobby. Today, let's take a look at the back of the card instead:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq5g9iTFVdEuzmB3c46d5u0AOUJjjXSkr4jNqaBWDJqah84LmPIPGCQD8Sus2QinvOW3hpFpaSCZMd9QkpkoRTgm9CtJe_te1OFIZ93M5kUyWz8HBPYLdV7aL23R84T7TEF9wHUVauy0a/s1600/brownsback1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq5g9iTFVdEuzmB3c46d5u0AOUJjjXSkr4jNqaBWDJqah84LmPIPGCQD8Sus2QinvOW3hpFpaSCZMd9QkpkoRTgm9CtJe_te1OFIZ93M5kUyWz8HBPYLdV7aL23R84T7TEF9wHUVauy0a/s400/brownsback1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Notice how there's a rather large are at the right with a trivia question, and that the answer can be seen when the area is rubbed with the edge of a coin. Here's a back where the answer is more visible: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rXuvHkwuwDbLSj0bh3LBWp0d3CsaJzrvDN_zlQl3NEbeKGNjqLa06g3pXYwQu0gT_R3J3qIQxfB6oHJzUEWXBy29R5cnJ5CwwMni-UL89QOVqdOctsCUV9XA9Xopf0b8EyKs5YDl89_o/s1600/brownsback2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rXuvHkwuwDbLSj0bh3LBWp0d3CsaJzrvDN_zlQl3NEbeKGNjqLa06g3pXYwQu0gT_R3J3qIQxfB6oHJzUEWXBy29R5cnJ5CwwMni-UL89QOVqdOctsCUV9XA9Xopf0b8EyKs5YDl89_o/s400/brownsback2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Normally, the card that has been unscratched will sell for more than one that has been scratched, but this is a point that often gets overlooked by sellers who are content to just provide scans of the card's front. That can lead to some hard feelings when it gets sold to a collector who cares about condition and that collector flips it over.<br />
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Note to sellers: a scan of the back for all cards, not just the ones with scratch-off areas, might be helpful here. Collectors who are more condition-conscious will know beforehand whether the card has been scratched, and it'll help eliminate most of the returns that result. I know it's not many...but everything that staves off any headaches is a good thing in my opinion.<br />
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The scratch-off area has been with Topps football cards since before that. In fact, their football set in 1951 had a covered area on the back that could be scratched off:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpx0FlpRI3wAoLmfd1q37NVawFjuVcA2k5QcPd0ZGbiaoUd-pHVg9jwnFgJ_jUZukrDqjcpIgkokBxk-pu8CBJyGHr_Y9m5_d8w60cr7yOV2PpInLtY333u3GDTgFvTuldNOEf1R57Cth/s1600/1951-Topps-Magic-12-Weatherall-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpx0FlpRI3wAoLmfd1q37NVawFjuVcA2k5QcPd0ZGbiaoUd-pHVg9jwnFgJ_jUZukrDqjcpIgkokBxk-pu8CBJyGHr_Y9m5_d8w60cr7yOV2PpInLtY333u3GDTgFvTuldNOEf1R57Cth/s320/1951-Topps-Magic-12-Weatherall-B.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br />
The set's name -- Magic -- was a reflection of the fact that the colleges were obscured and that the owner was forced to look under the gray area to find out what it was. While many cards that have been scratched off look nice, the process of an 8-year old kid in 1951 using a penny or nickel to scratch the back didn't always lead to nice results. However, the scratch-off area doesn't seem to be as big a deal as one would think...unless the scratching left gouges in the card itself.<br />
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The process of having a trivia question with a scratch-off area was part of football cards (on and off) in both Topps and Philadelphia cards through 1970, but the gimmick has found its way into other sets as well: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnUysycA-BBU8rJ4iBp6IvgAPfK2LAOrWtpXK2lMKS535OKthzn3yFMTbA1iRCHI3H1iI6cpWMgrSA16p16ABgJPskI_uFV93BFS0lmkliJ9GpCc2WUW_SUUt26J9gHh1CJppG3RMS-X4/s1600/1963-64_Topps_36_Stan_Mikita_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnUysycA-BBU8rJ4iBp6IvgAPfK2LAOrWtpXK2lMKS535OKthzn3yFMTbA1iRCHI3H1iI6cpWMgrSA16p16ABgJPskI_uFV93BFS0lmkliJ9GpCc2WUW_SUUt26J9gHh1CJppG3RMS-X4/s400/1963-64_Topps_36_Stan_Mikita_back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For instance, here's the back of a 1963-'64 Topps hockey card of Stan Mikita that features a bilingual question...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AIsL54JJTRidieIF2Mp6BIbEXABh2p2i2D3WLjHIpO17NJ99jPfctxL4b5Tb-tTWuEH3v29RjFc5-qJaNRH27rB0neTT2dQK00Za9fETikQ1iD0JHTCkW-yGWUzVYzMZe-8iuOQo_JDr/s1600/1964-Topps-Hank-Aaron-Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AIsL54JJTRidieIF2Mp6BIbEXABh2p2i2D3WLjHIpO17NJ99jPfctxL4b5Tb-tTWuEH3v29RjFc5-qJaNRH27rB0neTT2dQK00Za9fETikQ1iD0JHTCkW-yGWUzVYzMZe-8iuOQo_JDr/s400/1964-Topps-Hank-Aaron-Back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And a 1964 Topps card of Hank Aaron that reveals a question about a home run champ...though not about Aaron or anybody on his team.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-48335333656904076682012-09-07T08:30:00.153-04:002012-09-07T08:30:05.010-04:00More "New" (But Old) AdditionsThough I'm using this blog to spread information about sets and vintage cards, I'm still a collector. So from time to time I get to feature some "new" additions to my collection, such as these recent arrivals:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ye8P9VD3EF2UqVwn4kAzZNwbodhbFXBxxDUUjQavGL7YVVRWeBeZKQlKJ06f1Vdg5scy32VpZvTCZUDBHdl4OVQX9Zl9TK8zveDvriF8eyEf0bw69n_VvRfEIvbnlXgw1XPcz-1oZoru/s1600/65T399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ye8P9VD3EF2UqVwn4kAzZNwbodhbFXBxxDUUjQavGL7YVVRWeBeZKQlKJ06f1Vdg5scy32VpZvTCZUDBHdl4OVQX9Zl9TK8zveDvriF8eyEf0bw69n_VvRfEIvbnlXgw1XPcz-1oZoru/s400/65T399.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1965 Topps #399 -- Ray Herbert, Philadelphia Philles</b></div><br />
For some reason, I've let many of the early 1960s Topps sets fall under the radar in my collection. It's not for any specific reason...In the long run, I'm more focused on 1950s material, while 1970s sets are more complete due to that being when I began collecting myself. However, those longer 1961-'65 wantlists make a tempting target for anybody who has the cards in their dupes boxes.<br />
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Ray Herbert had been playing in the majors since before Topps printed cards. He debuted in 1950 but missed a few years in the meantime: 1952 was spent in another uniform, as Uncle Sam drafted him during the Korean War, while he spent 1956 and '57 back in the minors before coming back up for the rest of his career. In 1965, he began with his fourth and final major league club (this is an airbrushed card which shows him as a member of the White Sox).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdRzOp60Dob5etjC9InvHlRzgAdB0rgaI2J9ovdQcK5ZBmUI0voWaCfyOow9kdozhEks0vc37HH7TUP6jTiUkyfiX8DwxN1h1orLbnsJyMWWZEmrO-_Z0d4C-IMg-jPtwgEgJzvMvcJ26/s1600/65T455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdRzOp60Dob5etjC9InvHlRzgAdB0rgaI2J9ovdQcK5ZBmUI0voWaCfyOow9kdozhEks0vc37HH7TUP6jTiUkyfiX8DwxN1h1orLbnsJyMWWZEmrO-_Z0d4C-IMg-jPtwgEgJzvMvcJ26/s400/65T455.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1965 Topps #455 -- Norm Siebern, Baltimore Orioles</b></div><br />
Norm Siebern was even more well-traveled, appearing on six different major league teams in 12 years. Starting with the Yankees in the late 1950s, he was one of the players dealt to the A's for Roger Maris. He went to Baltimore before the 1964 season in a trade for Jim Gentile. His time there ended after the 1965 season, as he was dealt to California. After a year there, he went through short stints with San Francisco and Boston before retiring in 1968. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HvFzRS4F-AiYuKF1JNp6rTR2RhQ8c3qDt0kaH_L2Yq0v8VJ6t0IXH1QPpPHOFumL7jcGQG8YHFTJ10GJ1DFdtaK_TPr7hT3XhXMD9r17nWeY8Re6CHFXdrInAgosZP03wvI7A7YY0yxo/s1600/65T503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HvFzRS4F-AiYuKF1JNp6rTR2RhQ8c3qDt0kaH_L2Yq0v8VJ6t0IXH1QPpPHOFumL7jcGQG8YHFTJ10GJ1DFdtaK_TPr7hT3XhXMD9r17nWeY8Re6CHFXdrInAgosZP03wvI7A7YY0yxo/s400/65T503.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1965 Topps #503 -- Phil Gagliano, St. Louis Cardinals</b></div><br />
1965 was the most productive year of Phil Gagliano's career, seeing him get into 122 games. He was a Memphis native (in fact, he and teammate Tim McCarver played together in high school) and earned two World Series rings before he was sent to the Cubs and them the Red Sox in 1970. He closed out his career with a stint with the Reds from 1973-74. Late in his career, Gagliano became a rather effective pinch-hitting specialist, hitting over .350 in that position for both of his last two teams.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR5vUhF1p7UTUY7lGRFRh4Kmg1qjbhs-lIB2zuztnVIckw5r7bt0NGs-wDR8zzaAdLnGowTBujGPqV_Rk8QHAtTq6A7g6YfEH7clfCa2xi4QrSBzxhhM1qekeq_AIMldXV-Llg1z_KfjD/s1600/65T525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR5vUhF1p7UTUY7lGRFRh4Kmg1qjbhs-lIB2zuztnVIckw5r7bt0NGs-wDR8zzaAdLnGowTBujGPqV_Rk8QHAtTq6A7g6YfEH7clfCa2xi4QrSBzxhhM1qekeq_AIMldXV-Llg1z_KfjD/s400/65T525.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1965 Topps #525 -- Eddie Bressoud, Boston Red Sox</b></div><br />
Eddie Bressoud came up in 1956 with the New York Giants and moved with them to San Fancisco, In 1961, he went to the Red Sox and stayed there through 1965. Stints with the Mets in 1966 and the Cardinals the next year represented two very different levels of play, and he closed his career out with two games as a defensive replacement in the 1967 World Series. His name invited a nickname of "Steady Eddie" and his period as the regular shortstop for both the Giants and Red Sox might have invited the tag. He was a prototypical good field/no hit shortstop who never hit over .300 but usually hit over .250. <br />
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There were also a couple of hits to the 1972 Topps set in the package. That set is special <br />
to me since it's my birthyear set. However, the remaining cards I need are from the tough semi-hi series or the even tougher hi series. That makes every card added a real treat. So these two are awesome:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_OJQQFwzzJIXfrBd601_7eEVQyU4sB5iX2m0oxYRdp9HxIauMH3UL58trqF_YcSLrLGhuR0pIHqbwi4HefG-ly-8Ek4A-D_zJq2m0iBomVlXAI5Z7i8Usb6_Fdh0r9R_VfI6SLnl3qJS/s1600/72TStroh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_OJQQFwzzJIXfrBd601_7eEVQyU4sB5iX2m0oxYRdp9HxIauMH3UL58trqF_YcSLrLGhuR0pIHqbwi4HefG-ly-8Ek4A-D_zJq2m0iBomVlXAI5Z7i8Usb6_Fdh0r9R_VfI6SLnl3qJS/s400/72TStroh.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1972 Topps #651 -- John Strohmayer, Montreal Expos</b></div><br />
Here's a player who's featured in my other blog (<a href="http://1973toppsphotography.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">1973 Topps Photography</a>) today. I really didn't plan that little bit of synergy, but will take any opportunity to give a plug to my other card-related pursuit.<br />
There's not a lot of info about John Strohmayer, but here's an interesting bit: after retiring, he started a second career as an educator in California and spent 32 years shaping the minds of his students as a teacher, principal and superintendent. As he was set to retire, he and his co-workers hit the jackpot in the lottery. That's a pretty nice way to go out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80bTObnjytFLgehURAZtKCMiWZwKNnTSp3CPcuwF8ogZ6RItgf6kY3qv0oTIiBVz-QitInKUVCrNGxJZA51bAOLtOqdlaB7YXgjeroV4XYpp93_Lr1Xxd9ua3Zt-8A3b88rEVPgnfenE8/s1600/72TLefty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80bTObnjytFLgehURAZtKCMiWZwKNnTSp3CPcuwF8ogZ6RItgf6kY3qv0oTIiBVz-QitInKUVCrNGxJZA51bAOLtOqdlaB7YXgjeroV4XYpp93_Lr1Xxd9ua3Zt-8A3b88rEVPgnfenE8/s400/72TLefty.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1972 Topps #751 -- Steve Carlton, Philadelphia Phillies</b></div><br />
I was absolutlely floored when this one came out of the package. Not only is "Lefty" a Hall of Famer and one of the last significant cards needed in the set, 1972 was one of those "once in a lifetime" seasons that a select group of pitchers have. While winning 27 games was definitely a huge accomplishment, Carlton did it for a team that won only 59 for the entire year.<br />
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That was a really big hit to a set with fewer big "hits" left.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-82619158937336890012012-09-05T08:30:00.048-04:002012-09-05T13:46:46.073-04:00Projection of Your BehaviorToday's card isn't exactly a "card," it's the package that covered a film cartridge:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjYnzKnCBH9iEPvg8UsJ8_t0FtmeLB_az_oD6vIaSaC0M-QQh-L4t2LbdRZXO7xvFRCdQK0HBoDDnfnDeqiZCSEdoCCvcFalUQ5-tWFTiJhpOsXUR4FQtXlfbfzelQFvtugsD4SiHm9xE/s1600/1970ActionCartridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjYnzKnCBH9iEPvg8UsJ8_t0FtmeLB_az_oD6vIaSaC0M-QQh-L4t2LbdRZXO7xvFRCdQK0HBoDDnfnDeqiZCSEdoCCvcFalUQ5-tWFTiJhpOsXUR4FQtXlfbfzelQFvtugsD4SiHm9xE/s400/1970ActionCartridge.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><br />
This is from 1970 and shows players demonstrating how they do their job. You can see from the back that this was part of a series of 12 cartridges: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4H4sFwSzWNUTWizMCz3EtGl8z8HnjssIpVjW5uv8QwvlXOsh3CuZeSm0aKFxJ9713-NZ-o7pAIWk7onZf8IW5hVGMXns2rm_3PSVGwVma3wyB1Y3vrF_-cvXNO4pAWLx_ulw5MdtWkkb/s1600/1970ActionCartridgeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4H4sFwSzWNUTWizMCz3EtGl8z8HnjssIpVjW5uv8QwvlXOsh3CuZeSm0aKFxJ9713-NZ-o7pAIWk7onZf8IW5hVGMXns2rm_3PSVGwVma3wyB1Y3vrF_-cvXNO4pAWLx_ulw5MdtWkkb/s400/1970ActionCartridgeb.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br />
These film cartridges are from 1970 and were intended to be projected onto a screen or white wall from a special player. That player is shown in the side panel above, as well as the picture below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbTG8khaVrtt30qBAqzEnQ3ko5FV_nELFr8j53yUNy4U0OgHo0Jx9oZhnpf2aDt6Gh7nc5AGKJv-hgWZZ6mwlvjCfHGQ7ZsnX8pR9yTHqRJO1RwFI7rry0hA9VCL7z2tU96_pc0erUawb/s1600/19455_med.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbTG8khaVrtt30qBAqzEnQ3ko5FV_nELFr8j53yUNy4U0OgHo0Jx9oZhnpf2aDt6Gh7nc5AGKJv-hgWZZ6mwlvjCfHGQ7ZsnX8pR9yTHqRJO1RwFI7rry0hA9VCL7z2tU96_pc0erUawb/s400/19455_med.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>(Picture from a 2003 Mastro Auction)</b></div><br />
The cards in the front are Coaches' Guides that were included inside the cartridges for each player. There were players from a wide variety of sports, not just baseball. They were color-coded as well, so baseball was yellow, football was orange, red was tennis and green was golf. As for the blue boxes, I'm going to guess they're hockey...but there's not a lot of info out there for me to be sure.<br />
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If you know, chime in with a comment.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-43215935640972177052012-09-03T08:30:00.046-04:002012-09-03T08:30:01.318-04:00Are You Ready Some Football? -- The 2012 EditionThis weekend, the 2012 NFL season begins. With that, there is no better reason to go back to showing football material here on The Vintage Sportscards blog. And here's a card from the oldest NFL set that came inside a gum pack. <br />
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White attending the National in Baltimore...I picked up what is now my oldest Pittsburgh Steelers item...Actually, it isn't technically a Steelers item, as it predates the team's nickname:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9U8PIE2UMdydA_GDg-747mpbZuBsaDt96x9IQqV7OKGTXRwRIcUFObk6cAiEiMG5Y07YAg_MtaMbBrb-3blAYA25HUTKYPwhYngnEH2UEriCBWXTQUlqULUgSorcO3NewD7kxB8PKu44/s1600/35Chicle20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9U8PIE2UMdydA_GDg-747mpbZuBsaDt96x9IQqV7OKGTXRwRIcUFObk6cAiEiMG5Y07YAg_MtaMbBrb-3blAYA25HUTKYPwhYngnEH2UEriCBWXTQUlqULUgSorcO3NewD7kxB8PKu44/s400/35Chicle20.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><br />
This is a 1935 National Chicle card. It's one of four in the 36-card set that feature what were then called the Pittsburgh Pirates. National Chicle was the Cambridge, Massachusetts company that also made Diamond Stars and Batter-Ups baseball cards during the 1934-'36 timeframe. However, this set wasn't as ambitious as either of those: there was a 24-card series followed by 12 high number cards that includes a card of Bronko Nagurski that is among the highlights of a football collection.<br />
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Fortunately for me, Nagurski wasn't a Steeler, so I don't need him for my collection.<br />
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Backs are quite similar to what is found on the other National Chicle sets of the era, with a written "testimony" from a local celebrity:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5GCPwoy6Gw2e0LerN1tsRMXv8zH-vY1o6FKh65dkMb_qifA0D4jiCrlPt0wy6cGgSkp7SCrPH6YzjsF_Xo9weC0pplK1Lfj-BgqoQ_IOJkEFpETPA62JNjlmmJBsDcVCqwj-YbyfTaGO/s1600/35Chicle20b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5GCPwoy6Gw2e0LerN1tsRMXv8zH-vY1o6FKh65dkMb_qifA0D4jiCrlPt0wy6cGgSkp7SCrPH6YzjsF_Xo9weC0pplK1Lfj-BgqoQ_IOJkEFpETPA62JNjlmmJBsDcVCqwj-YbyfTaGO/s400/35Chicle20b.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>The copyright line lists 240 players, but the realities of the Great Depression limited the set to 36 cards. <br />
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Warren Heller is listed as a halfback here, but he was also a quarterback for the team. He was a consensus All-American in 1932 with the University of Pittsburgh and was a Pirate (what we now call Steelers) from 1934-'36, so this was right in the middle of his pro career.<br />
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One down, three to go...but I don't see them coming my way soon. I know, I should never say never, but these have been on my wantlist for more than a decade.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-68405381997601977892012-08-31T08:30:00.063-04:002012-08-31T08:30:01.716-04:00Post #400(<i>Today, this blog passes 400 posts. Not bad for a pursuit I'd be afraid might run out of gas by now. But, as long as I keep getting inspiration, I'll keep showing up and posting.</i>)<br />
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Today's post shows a couple of cards I recently received from a trading buddy:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReGp6opWB_NhgoreP04QvqtuttJVyXTFmJ81VDG63E36B8-gdCYjGeRU59JABlmauInzNZvS_5P4utzKbDqi8iw_ATGRu5mydq4m1Am7vYGhRkgVppcJsTyifMUZ5oWUoQ_0gntA_vJxh/s1600/56Berberet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReGp6opWB_NhgoreP04QvqtuttJVyXTFmJ81VDG63E36B8-gdCYjGeRU59JABlmauInzNZvS_5P4utzKbDqi8iw_ATGRu5mydq4m1Am7vYGhRkgVppcJsTyifMUZ5oWUoQ_0gntA_vJxh/s400/56Berberet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
One of the things that really makes the 1956 Topps set stand out for me is the way it used an additional action photo along with the head shot. And the action shots were sometimes interesting: a player is shown running the bases, or grabbing a fly ball, and a lot are shown in plays at the plate. Since Lou Berberet was a catcher, he was a natural for a play at the plate. However, the Topps artist appears to have cropped out the runner...so he looks to be showing a dance move to the umpire. <br />
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And now for the other card in that package...a "Wow" if there ever was one: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE78G7aJtghuADZ3_ue5-RmOLpf771px8hC_m2ubn8CDXVieae52WJFMwgDF9iMQlf_wc4uUHZhGga82QrVht3Y228xPcXzEJ7_omUWg5ihIN8KAdrezuquaFHSy3zMdCtbrVwkhjXo5S/s1600/71Ryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE78G7aJtghuADZ3_ue5-RmOLpf771px8hC_m2ubn8CDXVieae52WJFMwgDF9iMQlf_wc4uUHZhGga82QrVht3Y228xPcXzEJ7_omUWg5ihIN8KAdrezuquaFHSy3zMdCtbrVwkhjXo5S/s400/71Ryan.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />
This picture is almost a commercial. If you told most people that RC Cola was a sponsor of Nolan Ryan's 1971 Topps card, there'd be little argument. I know it was a sign at Shea Stadium at the time, but Ryan's positioned so well in the shot (and we are so predisposed to seeing commercialism anyways) that it just looks a little <i>too</i> nice.<br />
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As for the card? Yes, it's off-centered to the point of being considered a miscut. And yes, there's a crease that runs right through the middle that extends to the back of the card. But if you've bothered to pay attention to this blog, you know that I don't care about that stuff as much as others do. The card was the right price -- free -- and the sender figured it would have a better place in my own collection than it would in his dupes box.<br />
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And he'd be right. It's a great addition.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-31238786885973068362012-08-29T08:30:00.001-04:002012-08-29T08:30:01.968-04:00Hey...There's Some Residue Here...Here's a card I picked up at the National. Actually, it's an intact panel:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpck1Ma-ZsDhD9SEA92ddQVW9aY2Y6qMesSHTWZd8gxjg55toOv0LdiTzAS9iFehuDTI1PUhCMu29yYc_LcdKwvaOod4Jv0Bf9Cep1Mq1ORpkYUlitubWyL8m-l4bRaPnXJiSRh7dC5DwH/s1600/GarveyTwinkie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpck1Ma-ZsDhD9SEA92ddQVW9aY2Y6qMesSHTWZd8gxjg55toOv0LdiTzAS9iFehuDTI1PUhCMu29yYc_LcdKwvaOod4Jv0Bf9Cep1Mq1ORpkYUlitubWyL8m-l4bRaPnXJiSRh7dC5DwH/s400/GarveyTwinkie.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br />
While it looks like a 1977 Hostess, there is a slight difference on the back:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiuM3QsEiYqCLTSAjMbHPiQ-nwhAmEHdWB3x_tOmmaR5QpsKw9xRPaMHhslfscbtnmdM3_s5Oqv7w8gfZZVVGV__00xHqO1Q4FzCf1Exlir-QN-KjVNTvCUDEUaC7xBWVNFk2HpTI8QBU/s1600/Twinkieb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiuM3QsEiYqCLTSAjMbHPiQ-nwhAmEHdWB3x_tOmmaR5QpsKw9xRPaMHhslfscbtnmdM3_s5Oqv7w8gfZZVVGV__00xHqO1Q4FzCf1Exlir-QN-KjVNTvCUDEUaC7xBWVNFk2HpTI8QBU/s400/Twinkieb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The black strip shows that it's a 1977 Hostess Twinkie card. Both the Hostess set and the Twinkie set have the same 150 cards. However, the Hostess set was distributed in 3-card panels of various types of snack cakes, and the Twinkie set was distributed in single panels. Despite the name, the cards were found in packages of Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes as well.<br />
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This one was distributed with Twinkies. How do I know for sure? Those stains on the card offer pretty convincing proof.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-74473590643932127912012-08-27T08:30:00.007-04:002012-08-27T08:30:03.113-04:00More National "Type" CardsWhen I went to the National earlier this month, I picked up some items with future blog posts in mind, and also to add some interesting items to my collection. These items fit both of those criteria.<br />
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<a href="http://thevintagesportscards.blogspot.com/2012/04/book-review-sayonara-home-run.html" target="_blank">I've mentioned here before that I have some interest in vintage Japanese cards</a>. While in Baltimore, I picked up a few type cards to add to the collection, all are from the 1948-'50 time period and all are different types of Menko cards. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vefBJ-OIxYUwf5JbgV1FzhL2B-9QWEVPNygliO-EEYsgcMdpX389lfJgZbXcCvzNRRpHabEzEShE4NMfRHFNmAed-o0A7CSIXDl1oThZ6bcidTTJix0Lubt6f4ubZEUOvctrxy7E9r82/s1600/DieCutMenko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vefBJ-OIxYUwf5JbgV1FzhL2B-9QWEVPNygliO-EEYsgcMdpX389lfJgZbXcCvzNRRpHabEzEShE4NMfRHFNmAed-o0A7CSIXDl1oThZ6bcidTTJix0Lubt6f4ubZEUOvctrxy7E9r82/s320/DieCutMenko.jpg" width="162" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5iXFdJeMg72FpXG204TKPDKHTXq95qMSA-jfW1l4R_mIKKPvUXgwR_lC51Q6ENMN18x5NboaMTIxWEG44LKETdrrYG6cCnYjZmS1__xI71-K1uenPxahDdw2U6MJOJHaNiKA_FwAqFaD/s1600/DieCutMenkoB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5iXFdJeMg72FpXG204TKPDKHTXq95qMSA-jfW1l4R_mIKKPvUXgwR_lC51Q6ENMN18x5NboaMTIxWEG44LKETdrrYG6cCnYjZmS1__xI71-K1uenPxahDdw2U6MJOJHaNiKA_FwAqFaD/s320/DieCutMenkoB.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>This is a die-cut Menko from the JDM 14 set. They are distinguished by a bat/ball/glove at the top on the reverse. It features Tamotau Uchimori, which I figured out simply by the uniform number...I am still not able to read the characters on the card. There are 12 cards in the complete set, and this is one of the commons.<br />
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With 11 cards to go here, I might be interested in going after the other 11. Maybe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU2Bv58g_rJT-w_MIHPCv2mOpf1OoSHXJsZvQQapaJkzQX479T-qWxlLBuV3ozPcvKosLCuU3SyBLmdwZ622ZvsXIuVlEj7Z0PKSI7yMJPiLBrpQrqbgFCfBQuKg43T49xXqXNKmRu4He/s1600/RegMenko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU2Bv58g_rJT-w_MIHPCv2mOpf1OoSHXJsZvQQapaJkzQX479T-qWxlLBuV3ozPcvKosLCuU3SyBLmdwZ622ZvsXIuVlEj7Z0PKSI7yMJPiLBrpQrqbgFCfBQuKg43T49xXqXNKmRu4He/s320/RegMenko.jpg" width="167" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPokcXDAo5gPP7MSGu3GVaIP0t5OEyy2zCLY04lhea5TZ2KdY7XSwAVYm2Lqe5G2jV7sx_E4lgtyD0LTTM2KTUYnvNkc7KpEhkuBCWlzOHufWGQDQOMSX31DTNGI2upZG9AG58zmY1Q3Gf/s1600/RegMenkoB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPokcXDAo5gPP7MSGu3GVaIP0t5OEyy2zCLY04lhea5TZ2KdY7XSwAVYm2Lqe5G2jV7sx_E4lgtyD0LTTM2KTUYnvNkc7KpEhkuBCWlzOHufWGQDQOMSX31DTNGI2upZG9AG58zmY1Q3Gf/s320/RegMenkoB.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><br />
This card is a rectangular Menko. The cards were designed with a number of games for kids to play. While there was the "card-flipping" aspect familiar to American collectors of the era, Menkos also featured other games, such as the rock/paper/scissors game represented in the fist on the reverse. This is one of the cards in the JDM 119 set, also known as Maruman cards from 1950 (Maruman is a company; their logo appears on the reverse next to the player's cheek). From what I understand, the league designation -- Central League or Pacific League -- runs along the top and the player's name appears in the circle. The name on the back is obscured by a number, which lets me identify it. This is Shissho Takasue. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCJIPfN2lvKkxQfHcjm2JhAdPhy18z9m7tIYBrgyeoHzf0Lb2VRCpcVN-MPsqeOFHABfUANDlkpgVH0WpmGJJp3dgdY7r69zsnumojuRgg8rfMlblH7lDDySPRexUhqcVwo_vGXJfPc2a/s1600/RoundMenko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCJIPfN2lvKkxQfHcjm2JhAdPhy18z9m7tIYBrgyeoHzf0Lb2VRCpcVN-MPsqeOFHABfUANDlkpgVH0WpmGJJp3dgdY7r69zsnumojuRgg8rfMlblH7lDDySPRexUhqcVwo_vGXJfPc2a/s200/RoundMenko.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nQu1rM2epTQ6310a0rSpSWopnW1fkoXzHFCuPB8_9CozSLwxnQEjlWBR6WgyrtbW1GDUVZB5kmU1aukiCCC_hYGUDH77yKWvcM2dtV2FLDlvwLe2Fq5tg7nSmUOZqcvv-pprGVHysiN8/s1600/RoundMenkoB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nQu1rM2epTQ6310a0rSpSWopnW1fkoXzHFCuPB8_9CozSLwxnQEjlWBR6WgyrtbW1GDUVZB5kmU1aukiCCC_hYGUDH77yKWvcM2dtV2FLDlvwLe2Fq5tg7nSmUOZqcvv-pprGVHysiN8/s200/RoundMenkoB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Now, I'm still trying to determine this one. It's a round Menko and is thicker than the others, presumably so it can be thrown down by its owner in a game. According to my reference book, this design should be a JRM 17 except for two major things: the borders should be red and there is no "533-71" card listed in that set.<br />
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If you know, chime in in the comments. This one is beginning to get under my usually thick skin.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-24123447136992973892012-08-24T08:30:00.037-04:002012-08-24T08:30:01.959-04:00Q&A -- Gus Triandos CardToday's question comes to me through my position in OBC as the "card identification guy":<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Q:</span></b><br />
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"<i>I have a Gus Triandos card with plain cardboard back done by Post the year is 1961. I have never seen a card like this. Do you have any info on this card?</i>"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWegOhsN8gzaz3jQUR4AcOCENxvnDTHx7ja01gs10iuPdgeux6yVjadDX3ai2w8Ht1NXj3OV-wAW2VrF1IM1Fz-fP7z-gkhOV_Pm3D_G45D1C9xK9WJfknwS32O5A69V4WI9xaZ3IqSp8/s1600/62triandosp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWegOhsN8gzaz3jQUR4AcOCENxvnDTHx7ja01gs10iuPdgeux6yVjadDX3ai2w8Ht1NXj3OV-wAW2VrF1IM1Fz-fP7z-gkhOV_Pm3D_G45D1C9xK9WJfknwS32O5A69V4WI9xaZ3IqSp8/s400/62triandosp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>(There was no scan with the email, so I cribbed this image from the </b><a href="http://oriolescards.blogspot.com/2011/05/vintage-fridays-gus-triandos-1962-post.html" target="_blank"><b>Orioles Card "O" the Day</b></a><b> blog. Hope that's OK, Kevin.)</b> <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A:</span></b><br />
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Post cereal placed cards on the backs of various cereal boxes in the early 1960s. If your year shown on the card is 1961, then it's the 1962 Post set that your Triandos card is from. He is featured on card #33 in that set, and #69 in the '61 set. <a href="http://keymancollectibles.com/baseballcards/post/1962postbaseballcards.htm" target="_blank">Here's a link to an explanation of the set, as well as a neat TV commercial about them</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://keymancollectibles.com/postbaseballcards.htm" target="_blank">Here's the link to the other Post set checklists</a>, if you've never seen this type of card before.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-40954049476690004432012-08-22T08:30:00.028-04:002012-08-22T08:30:03.253-04:00These Have Kept Better Than the Dairy ProductsHere's an issue that many don't get to see that often: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQFZFk3bNdKfIyohUINAVnEaPtTsIMERO1q4TID2N3Pbx0i_zOX6BwACzVWEcNxbVT-mUNMl6m8FwIXt9aaIIpb8V7a7Ayvnpv_Gos_ODSAPHy75V4nTddQraMnsk9bao6X67xvLH5NAW/s1600/1933ButterCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQFZFk3bNdKfIyohUINAVnEaPtTsIMERO1q4TID2N3Pbx0i_zOX6BwACzVWEcNxbVT-mUNMl6m8FwIXt9aaIIpb8V7a7Ayvnpv_Gos_ODSAPHy75V4nTddQraMnsk9bao6X67xvLH5NAW/s400/1933ButterCream.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><br />
This is from a 1933 issue called Butter Creams. It's a 30-card issue that is identifiable by the relatively thin size (1 1/4" by 3 1/2", or the size of a modern card cut in half) as well as the text on the back:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbUEZrFraXXMF88e38SwsH8SZSIKOkwwuHxBRbhtKU9hwOHaoJyaavPS6peSR9_vnnPFtQyil__gfK3XT63Ze3w-dbyW2py_EuwcwooofJRDHNlcwS8AlRskRCcJ5fdJmwiOQ5XzuPayC/s1600/1933ButterCreamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbUEZrFraXXMF88e38SwsH8SZSIKOkwwuHxBRbhtKU9hwOHaoJyaavPS6peSR9_vnnPFtQyil__gfK3XT63Ze3w-dbyW2py_EuwcwooofJRDHNlcwS8AlRskRCcJ5fdJmwiOQ5XzuPayC/s400/1933ButterCreamb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There are actually two backs for these cards. This was the second variation, which has an Oct. 1st date and includes the address of the company on it. There may have been some confusion that necessitated this change, as the original -- dated Sept. 1 -- failed to include the address. The contest was to have fans estimate the statistics of the player on the front by the listed date.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-32214604304717683252012-08-20T08:30:00.116-04:002012-08-21T23:49:16.061-04:00More 1969 Issues...The Old TeamsI was mentioning earlier about how Topps handled the four expansion teams in 1969, but they had some issues with some of the other teams, as well. One had moved, while the other was problematic for a few years.<br />
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The first team was the Oakland A's. 1968 was the first year they played in Kansas City, but due to the ongoing issue that Topps was having with the players' union, many of the cards still showed them in 1967, which meant that the "KC" logo was still on their hats and needed to be airbrushed.<br />
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Here's an example of a hat that was altered, even when a coach in the background didn't get the same treatment: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbI3zoq6zbehe94wgyOGYV9_O2XxkHbQPpU2w3jvlsel04o5dWDzGmP-Zyi1QAcOIZyh6EQIqsZQxKimB5m9C1HnQ8ccspudArsqM6YH90EBs92wzW0rOfdJSjZgE5XPmeWmOKdfjBfhj/s1600/1969-BB-TS1-217-NA_F_285x412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbI3zoq6zbehe94wgyOGYV9_O2XxkHbQPpU2w3jvlsel04o5dWDzGmP-Zyi1QAcOIZyh6EQIqsZQxKimB5m9C1HnQ8ccspudArsqM6YH90EBs92wzW0rOfdJSjZgE5XPmeWmOKdfjBfhj/s320/1969-BB-TS1-217-NA_F_285x412.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #217 -- John Donaldson, Oakland A's</b></div><br />
The hats were either given a black block or had green to cover the newer insignia with an "A" on it. This one shows the "ghost" of that logo: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVigstBsTSO-B2IUQwlriTj8eEhVc9RRVtDXreUdsK8-OTNaCO9dcDkYXiPYzZHXG2um82YbVBrfNpUY0h_R3aAWdAqT81ge1Wmy-Q3tzzVUY4cVNcE9jk12i2UXB8ICTP1IDTxJJO3qGj/s1600/1969As1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVigstBsTSO-B2IUQwlriTj8eEhVc9RRVtDXreUdsK8-OTNaCO9dcDkYXiPYzZHXG2um82YbVBrfNpUY0h_R3aAWdAqT81ge1Wmy-Q3tzzVUY4cVNcE9jk12i2UXB8ICTP1IDTxJJO3qGj/s320/1969As1.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #68 -- Dave Duncan, Oakland A's</b></div><br />
However, by the end of the year, the legal issues with the union were resolved and the logo was used on the cards for all to see:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTvECQluIo6aRp7Um5fCdJD7y0cihKwKd2pcWJ0dGX71rqLJ1ysQ813bZEKngPjgtFBJMj3ZEXW07oMByxw63K88zFBmMMZOx7gCQz2NLmSWY1GWoL0xVOkUDcjw-gC6YqmMH2MGPry7Q/s1600/1969As2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTvECQluIo6aRp7Um5fCdJD7y0cihKwKd2pcWJ0dGX71rqLJ1ysQ813bZEKngPjgtFBJMj3ZEXW07oMByxw63K88zFBmMMZOx7gCQz2NLmSWY1GWoL0xVOkUDcjw-gC6YqmMH2MGPry7Q/s320/1969As2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #655 -- Mike Hershberger, Oakland A's</b></div><br />
This issue presented itself on the leaders card as well, as Danny Cater has a picture showing him in an obvious White Sox uniform even though he'd been with the A's since 1966:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheJ2fQovOcEMXo0DAuRY1d_nkMe69bUWcnT1lgJ_mpL9Sgc616RKAAtm3pqdGNKIrb6aBAanuo5-BHklxgPEv-eGeQ-cvK6qIasircRWuYXmmFq4vJrRvx-1GPDF42mQaXPEWmvRr5x4m/s1600/1969Leaders1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheJ2fQovOcEMXo0DAuRY1d_nkMe69bUWcnT1lgJ_mpL9Sgc616RKAAtm3pqdGNKIrb6aBAanuo5-BHklxgPEv-eGeQ-cvK6qIasircRWuYXmmFq4vJrRvx-1GPDF42mQaXPEWmvRr5x4m/s320/1969Leaders1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #1 -- American League Batting Leaders</b></div><br />
Other teams were bothered as well. Here's Ken Harrelson, listed as a Red Sox player but clearly wearing a Washington Senators uniform: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwI06nwRqFCs3EwJOXwXVZ4adD9U5lCyagOyh3PYjOWVWH3exlehypqaTsXEWs5bml5KWvoLZGJTeKeWBHGFlfF5EK7kKM7tLDF98CuM647Jzo00sUm3gn3nDigOiqWJEVUASSKVFbfKA/s1600/1969Leaders2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwI06nwRqFCs3EwJOXwXVZ4adD9U5lCyagOyh3PYjOWVWH3exlehypqaTsXEWs5bml5KWvoLZGJTeKeWBHGFlfF5EK7kKM7tLDF98CuM647Jzo00sUm3gn3nDigOiqWJEVUASSKVFbfKA/s320/1969Leaders2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #5 -- American League Home Run Leaders</b></div><br />
Now for the team that had been presenting Topps with problems...the Houston Astros. Originally called the Colt .45s, they were simply called the Colts on their early cards. When they changed the team name to Astros before the '65 season, Topps referred to the team as simply "Houston" in the early series and changing things up later; they were called Astros but all the cap were airbrushed, except for the one rookie card. <strike>In '66 and '67, there seems to have been some trouble with the name, as they were once again called "Houston.</strike>"<br />
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In 1968 and '69, the team was still referred to as "Houston" but all the traces of the cap logo were eliminated from the photos. The blogs <a href="http://1968topps.blogspot.com/2009/10/houston-we-have-problem.html" target="_blank">1968 Topps</a> and <a href="http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2008/01/you-cant-call-them-astros.html" target="_blank">The Fleer Sticker Project</a> delve a little deeper here.<br />
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So this was continued in 1969:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRjuZNgKpt91y1pEXMqf-If-1jkQ2GjqA6g3Y5F8Qxyd8w8wZBHiflj5qa8GQHK6gcO6eR3qp_y6jL_s2Mz2xO224JaOjCJCDemaZnf_sJX-mwzqInUMhogl6JK-9vmLbXvXkMVgXG-fw/s1600/1969Astro1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRjuZNgKpt91y1pEXMqf-If-1jkQ2GjqA6g3Y5F8Qxyd8w8wZBHiflj5qa8GQHK6gcO6eR3qp_y6jL_s2Mz2xO224JaOjCJCDemaZnf_sJX-mwzqInUMhogl6JK-9vmLbXvXkMVgXG-fw/s320/1969Astro1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #76 -- Norm Miller, Houston Astros</b></div><br />
The logo returned late in the season, but the name "Astros" would have to wait until 1970 before it was back for good:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnrDYu_Oa5q8DWXxf1zUxs54lSBWkfWOuwEqIELoOsLb9C0LB4AWtEKJGUSvqfVg2IUyuKwVl57AogNgqy1yGX5ve2D7utBYwfV-_ZCmOYmEDhqkXBeFDMnxvIJ5rtSw2gcYHdj2Y8jT_/s1600/1969Astro2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnrDYu_Oa5q8DWXxf1zUxs54lSBWkfWOuwEqIELoOsLb9C0LB4AWtEKJGUSvqfVg2IUyuKwVl57AogNgqy1yGX5ve2D7utBYwfV-_ZCmOYmEDhqkXBeFDMnxvIJ5rtSw2gcYHdj2Y8jT_/s320/1969Astro2.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #656 -- Dan Schneider, Houston Astros</b></div><br />
By the time the 1969 season came to a close, things returned to normal...Topps was back to making its own mistakes on cards, such as using a picture of a 14-year old batboy of the card of a legitimate major leaguer:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25iO1CFhvRjqIwDjO_EUWU2QFQQs6jMCHCZQqmdTswlHPm-5-fmY6-c7CBJ57KNHmfpLzpYv-ZZyDw5aVtxxniZ4rTlFa5qUqew34MTiqOQWzhsN8Oj537QaUTGfZYDfmCamNrWCR6Io7/s1600/1969ARod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25iO1CFhvRjqIwDjO_EUWU2QFQQs6jMCHCZQqmdTswlHPm-5-fmY6-c7CBJ57KNHmfpLzpYv-ZZyDw5aVtxxniZ4rTlFa5qUqew34MTiqOQWzhsN8Oj537QaUTGfZYDfmCamNrWCR6Io7/s320/1969ARod.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #653 -- "Aurelio Rodriguez," California Angels</b></div><br />
And only blacking out the logos of traded players:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTq4ztuRpHN-T0ptckxdsHpfyFGp_dZrHH1ZDitqWElbytuu04XQH-ofD9ttgbvxgW4EzWr1InZrIOUx6mXdvwbX_dpCB87L5zcQJUOU2hXGvGo7GZbYNk7RvyAvCho2DqtlQbMmYSauF/s1600/1969Hoyt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTq4ztuRpHN-T0ptckxdsHpfyFGp_dZrHH1ZDitqWElbytuu04XQH-ofD9ttgbvxgW4EzWr1InZrIOUx6mXdvwbX_dpCB87L5zcQJUOU2hXGvGo7GZbYNk7RvyAvCho2DqtlQbMmYSauF/s320/1969Hoyt.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #565 -- Hoyt Wilhelm, California Angels</b></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-83126333977310636852012-08-17T08:30:00.000-04:002012-08-17T08:30:04.052-04:00Adding To the Stack...1954 BowmanNow that I have a scanner, let me resurrect a feature I really enjoyed...commenting on the careers of players whose cards I recently picked up...this time from the 1954 Bowman set:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNvB09iYt88mnKXPhNhKf7atZpwphEWiG-a-zIC7vUTDzceS-VjIsa82CPKsrxW8sTAABB4vuk3xTx0ftnPCMosCpR_SUHSMzcr0TJHDe0g2PVFmeM9BJVSTEl39nT-1dBUL39g62NHYL/s1600/54BJensen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNvB09iYt88mnKXPhNhKf7atZpwphEWiG-a-zIC7vUTDzceS-VjIsa82CPKsrxW8sTAABB4vuk3xTx0ftnPCMosCpR_SUHSMzcr0TJHDe0g2PVFmeM9BJVSTEl39nT-1dBUL39g62NHYL/s400/54BJensen.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #2 -- Jackie Jensen, Boston Red Sox</b></div><br />
Somebody was nice enough to pencil in "Pitcher" at the top of the card, which was somewhat wrong...Jackie Jensen was an outfielder, even though he did pitch in college. However, the 1954 date scribbled in at the bottom was correct.<br />
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Jensen benefited from the GI Bill. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he went to the University of California and earned All-American recognition in two sports there. Not only was he a standout baseball player who helped Cal win the first College World Series, but he was a star halfback on the team that played in the 1949 Rose Bowl. After his junior year, he left college to play baseball.<br />
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In 1954, he was just beginning with the Red Sox. He had been with the Yankees, where he was expected to replace Joe DiMaggio in center field until the arrival of Mickey Mantle changed the team's plans, and then the Senators, who didn't have another "big name" to help. Boston had Ted Williams, so that wasn't an issue. He thrived in Boston and won the 1958 MVP award. However, his aversion to flying made him walk away from the game while he was still at his peak. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSTFFjOh9pn_uy-GZ2u2EJmTIwYo6NU5d1hzsjOErPYzWlvX0kNb9wDGYFJkV60G76RFEKek0CklEAG7PHSmbU0M8JDflTDcIJv5oX08QJ69QrUhUhU49pV_bzFrMMlEKBB-Ql2l4GEyC/s1600/54BBaczewski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSTFFjOh9pn_uy-GZ2u2EJmTIwYo6NU5d1hzsjOErPYzWlvX0kNb9wDGYFJkV60G76RFEKek0CklEAG7PHSmbU0M8JDflTDcIJv5oX08QJ69QrUhUhU49pV_bzFrMMlEKBB-Ql2l4GEyC/s400/54BBaczewski.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #60 -- Fred Baczewksi, Cincinnati Reds</b></div><br />
The same previous owner who penciled in "Pitcher" did so here as well. This time, Fred Baczewski was a hurler. In fact, when this card came out the southpaw had just completed a terrific rookie campaign, where he went 11-4 after a midseason trade with the Cubs. However, he was unable to sustain that success and was back in the minors by 1955.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbtBb_zwsPM_7bfFQyZXlKFAW4Qcgxwrkbh8EP7Uf-tL-sBfMNmM0YcUs_LikDZoiH6JTM8HKJZKAWDysqwGeEojHdTktcZ_leE1PfM-I8bFt-_OrRHKMouIT-B0fos9B93Fli04EMdY1/s1600/54BBridges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbtBb_zwsPM_7bfFQyZXlKFAW4Qcgxwrkbh8EP7Uf-tL-sBfMNmM0YcUs_LikDZoiH6JTM8HKJZKAWDysqwGeEojHdTktcZ_leE1PfM-I8bFt-_OrRHKMouIT-B0fos9B93Fli04EMdY1/s400/54BBridges.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #156 -- Rocky Bridges, Cincinnati Reds</b></div><br />
The card here says Everett Lamar Bridges, but everybody knew him as Rocky. And that was an apt nickname. His 1959 Topps card appeared in a book called <i>The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book</i>. I'll let that book's authors Brendan Boyd and Fred Harris speak about him:<br />
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<blockquote><i>"Rocky Bridges looked like a ballplayer. In fact, he probably looked more like a ballplayer than any ballplayer who ever lived. His head looked like a sack of rusty nails, he kept about six inches of tobacco lodged permanently in the upper recesses of his left cheek, and his uniform always looked as if he had just slept in it...(he) could have intimidated Ty Cobb. He was the sort of guy who would spike his own grandmother to break up a double play.</i>" </blockquote>Their book is available at Amazon, just click the link below. If you've never read the book, check it out. You'll be glad you did.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0395586682&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
With a reputation like that, you'd think that he'd have died tragically. However, Rocky Bridges is still around today...in fact, he's the only person in this post who didn't pass away relatively young. <br />
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Back to my post for one final card:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OuUag5Xsl54lcst3e_mhrerKF0p1s_Y1Wfa9fvkZLuRLCtDblUO3g09zxJepyEwgf7xb616ypwLa-AwsAQdsVp3bw7R0SB7D7I6kzedwN54bobSLNQNB0w7ORJymhvxX2JWhyb_-qP8o/s1600/54BDrews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OuUag5Xsl54lcst3e_mhrerKF0p1s_Y1Wfa9fvkZLuRLCtDblUO3g09zxJepyEwgf7xb616ypwLa-AwsAQdsVp3bw7R0SB7D7I6kzedwN54bobSLNQNB0w7ORJymhvxX2JWhyb_-qP8o/s400/54BDrews.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Card #191 -- Karl Drews, Philadelphia Phillies</b></div><br />
Karl Drews spent a long time in the game. Signed at the age of 18 before the 1939 season, he worked his way through the minors (except 1943, when he wasn't playing at all) and finally broke into the big leagues with the Yankees in 1946. He would be demoted back to the minors in 1950 after going to the St. Louis Browns, but fought his way back. 1954 would be his last season in the majors, but he kept pitching. In 1960, he was pitching in Mexico before hanging up the glove at the age of 40.<br />
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After all that fighting, Drews was killed in 1963 after his car broke down in Florida. While getting help, he was hit by a drunk driver.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-6044236356607022632012-08-15T08:30:00.035-04:002012-08-15T08:30:00.837-04:00Another Cereal Box TeasureToday's card was pulled out of a box of Kellogg's Pep cereal in 1948:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nuViJYpkBhmrbRD_tWxoEzZgBDuMFsah4C-ji-FD5i5IfZypMjBkIzhuAbRQ9QZy3tp6c68rGLu47mTQOG_0BjWfd790W_EqnXbDRyZVxLB4K8Bf46dRaBQt_sH15QLgfEi0jNuW87SG/s1600/48pepf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nuViJYpkBhmrbRD_tWxoEzZgBDuMFsah4C-ji-FD5i5IfZypMjBkIzhuAbRQ9QZy3tp6c68rGLu47mTQOG_0BjWfd790W_EqnXbDRyZVxLB4K8Bf46dRaBQt_sH15QLgfEi0jNuW87SG/s400/48pepf.jpg" width="345" /></a></div><br />
There were 18 athletes featured in the set, with five showing baseball players. Aside from the Phil Cavaretta card above, there was also Orval Grove, Mike Tresh, "Dizzy" Trout and Dick Wakefield. Since none of those were stars, it has limited the collectability of the set. Fortunately, the keeps the prices low...when they can be located.<br />
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They measure 1 3/8 inches by 1 5/8 inches and the backs feature the basic 1948-type biography:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF2qEPSvy_gs2tsy4gVyVh7ZcFwFI4YM8gvljGq_zcZuIke_qX28EuVFZPLWYO3di1dKtqzBdJPqXXFsgxeqUOa-eEnkEWl20waYIkMjWYOXm1jqlNqzfmRoF61bQujLJ2tUNGZHaFGdY/s1600/48pepb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF2qEPSvy_gs2tsy4gVyVh7ZcFwFI4YM8gvljGq_zcZuIke_qX28EuVFZPLWYO3di1dKtqzBdJPqXXFsgxeqUOa-eEnkEWl20waYIkMjWYOXm1jqlNqzfmRoF61bQujLJ2tUNGZHaFGdY/s400/48pepb.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><br />
The cards are unnumbered, which might have led collectors to keep looking for more cards. At the bottom, you can see the ad for the cereal it came in.<br />
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This just goes to show: before Kellogg's inserted 3-D cards into its boxes, they experimented with other types of cards.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-50180853390073620042012-08-13T08:30:00.000-04:002012-08-13T08:30:03.305-04:00A McDonald's Promo That Didn't Do So WellWhen McDonald's founder Ray Kroc bought the San Diego Padres in 1974, it was only logical that a promotional tie-in between the two was only a matter of time. And on July 30, 1974, these were given to the attendees of the Padres' game against the Dodgers:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1y4uPDMa8aLd7Fy3Kae9HUyX_hZY8i1XgBLe89VoRJXsskHvuf8lb8zz2DMxGsGBcqku2-wPuJv1c_opAimOckZBte0NpP91X-Y8nsW2zpyLnVlZ_cqsLv9itQJx2BQ_krdzTlqaJAe0/s1600/1974PadresBall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1y4uPDMa8aLd7Fy3Kae9HUyX_hZY8i1XgBLe89VoRJXsskHvuf8lb8zz2DMxGsGBcqku2-wPuJv1c_opAimOckZBte0NpP91X-Y8nsW2zpyLnVlZ_cqsLv9itQJx2BQ_krdzTlqaJAe0/s400/1974PadresBall.JPG" width="331" /></a></div><br />
Inside the baseball were five circular Padres player cards, one that featured Ronald McDonald and a card that featured the team's home schedule on one side and the dates the rest of the team cards would be available at local McDonald's restaurants.<br />
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There was a hinge at the bottom of the baseball which allowed the cards to stay in order despite the circular design of the baseball. A hinge was placed at the bottom of each card to keep them in place...which can be seen on the Willie McCovey card below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ27Y0d1-cZm0vxl3O9yBjEzqGBI6UfCJkYcLCbd0m9FAUctB4Q-fJViSmBf6ABKipoAMg0RwmxD15WYi-FNXGc24gqf1SJpSs-GzSWuVp-wAyLeDT83NKN0QBrZ_-oib6pmVF9d__077/s1600/1974McDs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ27Y0d1-cZm0vxl3O9yBjEzqGBI6UfCJkYcLCbd0m9FAUctB4Q-fJViSmBf6ABKipoAMg0RwmxD15WYi-FNXGc24gqf1SJpSs-GzSWuVp-wAyLeDT83NKN0QBrZ_-oib6pmVF9d__077/s400/1974McDs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The set was a test to gauge a wider release in other area, but evidently it wasn't a success. No other teams were given a similar McDonald's treatment.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-68225640733574404072012-08-10T08:30:00.101-04:002012-08-10T08:30:03.840-04:00National Thoughts -- 2012 EditionNow that I've returned to civilization and begun adjusting to my regular routine, here's a few thoughts on last week's event in Baltimore:<br />
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The best item of the show may not have been a purchase at all...this little item was handed to me by fellow blogger Dave Hornish (the proprietor of <a href="http://toppsarchives.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Topps Archives blog</a>). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aQTzOF1FdfGWc0yLTTeKfBJM3ZnQjLIQ_QAqRlEEoIeEdNdRI_CAGp8lBJPnNtAtuJmxHZUcGITYaDEQah6eTZH6ifFRKXgSXadXvi5Q-aq8Zpb2xEhEwbKd0-W5LXlABjRwVkax_M4Y/s1600/ToppsGum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aQTzOF1FdfGWc0yLTTeKfBJM3ZnQjLIQ_QAqRlEEoIeEdNdRI_CAGp8lBJPnNtAtuJmxHZUcGITYaDEQah6eTZH6ifFRKXgSXadXvi5Q-aq8Zpb2xEhEwbKd0-W5LXlABjRwVkax_M4Y/s400/ToppsGum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's an intact piece of gum from 1946, before Topps even produced cards. One of four different flavors (the others were spearmint, pepsin and cinnamon), it will remain in its present state and take a place of honor in my collection.<br />
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Dave wasn't the only fellow blogger to show up, either. Bo -- <a href="http://phungo.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">better known as Phungo</a> -- stopped by the table where I was working and had one of his specially-made packs to give to me. Here are the contents:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WplA7iWm8mKzXUYQ-_uYQ_TdOUoQ5HhODHRMWdrXwxvirzBY_SAnrl3tP3LiHHze15WoMuuN0gvmF6g_W90Ska1NHBAGSR2dc4yHZmqPlZIsm8UkyIdJC5CcaU-t4l9ODRu8AZ2GWcmg/s1600/Phungo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WplA7iWm8mKzXUYQ-_uYQ_TdOUoQ5HhODHRMWdrXwxvirzBY_SAnrl3tP3LiHHze15WoMuuN0gvmF6g_W90Ska1NHBAGSR2dc4yHZmqPlZIsm8UkyIdJC5CcaU-t4l9ODRu8AZ2GWcmg/s400/Phungo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Every one of the cards inside has a vintage tie to it. I don't know if that was intentional, but it was definitely appreciated.<br />
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I see <a href="http://phungo.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-first-time-2012-national.html" target="_blank">in his post on The National</a> that I ended up being the only other blogger he ran into. That's a shame, as the Blogosphere is big enough to have a bigger presence at the hobby's premiere event. But I will say this: I agree with his assessment that The National is overwhelming. This was my sixth time at one, and I'll admit that one day there just isn't enough to take it all in.<br />
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I picked this up at a table for the outrageous price of $1:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAlSLj_Mdp5OliBBAlR23jfCUs76jURZnu7k64AhinGEfN2YWdXYkic0oN8fy8Rvx4-6sUdqJYNzQi15UQc9Ix85YgNZ6PY7-j5LvTITCVW-mvYPvo8Mm9I33Ox5sCfsx8A-MhL68UGQE/s1600/79ToppsWrapper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAlSLj_Mdp5OliBBAlR23jfCUs76jURZnu7k64AhinGEfN2YWdXYkic0oN8fy8Rvx4-6sUdqJYNzQi15UQc9Ix85YgNZ6PY7-j5LvTITCVW-mvYPvo8Mm9I33Ox5sCfsx8A-MhL68UGQE/s400/79ToppsWrapper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This opened wrapper is from 1979, the first year of baseball cards I collected. I remember opening the yellow wax for what was inside, but it never occurred to me to actually hold on to one for my collection. So that was rectified with this wrapper.<br />
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By the way...baseball wasn't the very first thing I collected. That honor goes to Star Wars, <a href="http://thevintagesportscards.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-first-cards.html" target="_blank">which I mentioned here a couple of years back</a>. I even managed to find an unopened item for that part of the collection, too:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_GlLdefPGrSrwoKRhZo03DLLYbKrsjEZEFkkANdukI6qlm6ernxCC0cXu_23OaQRu0Ag7SNwckxBroKl1LSQyCfvlhgiFDl2QsVhK6COPFlZ-RpORDd3QNHmrHZVC6X139G8eXh0Yest/s1600/ESBWrapper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_GlLdefPGrSrwoKRhZo03DLLYbKrsjEZEFkkANdukI6qlm6ernxCC0cXu_23OaQRu0Ag7SNwckxBroKl1LSQyCfvlhgiFDl2QsVhK6COPFlZ-RpORDd3QNHmrHZVC6X139G8eXh0Yest/s400/ESBWrapper.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><br />
That will join my other unopened packs...now that I've completed the base set, I'm no longer tempted to see what is inside these. <br />
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On Thursday, I attended the Topps "meet and greet." In the process, I answered four trivia questions and received two boxes of new product and two new specialty cards. Since I really had no use for the newer stuff, they went to kids in the audience (which surprised the Topps execs who watched me do it; they had just asked me nicely if I could keep it off of eBay until the next Wednesday). I did keep one of the items, though:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittEjQHJwKbamgZrbPi7bnLACPn4QrIDVw0B79OzzS54qLDfr5QRFwCwRBZt8yrJPBSpn6ZGaF8TdAife-3-ztYMAA7SUmt5ShaX1SFJtABhaS6pICFUGnAEMB2Z9g7q4qkHPC2MJJlEsp/s1600/Bradshaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittEjQHJwKbamgZrbPi7bnLACPn4QrIDVw0B79OzzS54qLDfr5QRFwCwRBZt8yrJPBSpn6ZGaF8TdAife-3-ztYMAA7SUmt5ShaX1SFJtABhaS6pICFUGnAEMB2Z9g7q4qkHPC2MJJlEsp/s400/Bradshaw.jpg" width="295" /></a></div> <br />
As a Steelers fan, I wasn't about to get rid of this one. Especially something that reminds me that even the Topps executives can get jaded by the actions of hobbyists, and can also act surprised to see a hobbyist just give away a whole box of cards to a kid who might enjoy it more.<br />
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I picked up several more cards last week, and I will show them later as I cover some of the sets I feature in the future. If you went and I missed you, hopefully we can cross paths in Chicago next year. If you didn't make it this year, I'd be glad to see you in the future. The National is like Mecca...it's a place that every collector needs to see at least once.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-25570853859794097112012-08-08T08:30:00.001-04:002012-08-08T08:30:00.321-04:00Ballad of Another Forty BucksLast month, <a href="http://thevintagesportscards.blogspot.com/2012/07/ballad-of-forty-bucks.html" target="_blank">I featured the details of a deal that I recently completed</a> and promptly had the most successful post on this blog in a long time. Well, here's hoping the iron strikes again...<br />
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The opportunity to make another "dealer scum" deal arose with the same trader (Ed Schott of Baltimore). For another forty dollars, Ed sent the following cards:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL8ODZ0CxWF1WGJTILoxYtWVMzUZ40hvlxuScobmlBUC43oKDynsANMMuZKeB53caRyKoe-on5uxrNGM3MbGkBIzARLBWQaZjjlA4MRMXrG9ILa71srXtqhQFYSS99oXoqyb3qBfIeDF1/s1600/61TSpahn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL8ODZ0CxWF1WGJTILoxYtWVMzUZ40hvlxuScobmlBUC43oKDynsANMMuZKeB53caRyKoe-on5uxrNGM3MbGkBIzARLBWQaZjjlA4MRMXrG9ILa71srXtqhQFYSS99oXoqyb3qBfIeDF1/s400/61TSpahn.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1961 Topps #200 -- Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves</b></div><br />
At first glance, this card looks really nice. However, the bottom edge is uneven, showing that it's been trimmed. The condition was made clear before the deal was made, which is important whenever money changes hands. As you can see, the condition presents well but little things like trimming need to be brought up ahead of time to head off future problems when (not if) they are discovered. As a seller, you really don't need to get a reputation because you don't notice details. Even if it isn't your fault.<br />
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I say that now, because the other card from 1961 is certainly trimmed:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvDC9y7907M4Xpn782FolJXnun85fUk5QLOV1XC1LfIwq5pEBNudU-oNMoQn2PdlgW0-OCiVzgGpyjByOZZRpwgRm77byXAx_ETHntH48GRnkcu_n6zwPUp3Xn7JjMhEjjirSyWtTDmAr/s1600/61TYankees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvDC9y7907M4Xpn782FolJXnun85fUk5QLOV1XC1LfIwq5pEBNudU-oNMoQn2PdlgW0-OCiVzgGpyjByOZZRpwgRm77byXAx_ETHntH48GRnkcu_n6zwPUp3Xn7JjMhEjjirSyWtTDmAr/s400/61TYankees.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1961 Topps #226 -- New York Yankees Team Card</b></div><br />
There's no question this card was trimmed, as all four edges show uneven borders. However, this type of card makes some collectors a little squeamish. Personally, I'd rather have a hole in the card than one in the binder. I can always upgrade later.<br />
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Trimming is about the only thing that isn't apparent on the next card:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS16Bv1mjiDNxgiCFNK8JGU3yjcuYKZysohMpMTFut-yPcW3LpwD0J7yGuYrmRZhaUxNDyBxyDV_pji_tULut78IqwrIn4vRNmbm6x41pa83tPJpOX3rFj5703mW3iRFwdhZk3YSQsOmUF/s1600/58TFenceBusters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS16Bv1mjiDNxgiCFNK8JGU3yjcuYKZysohMpMTFut-yPcW3LpwD0J7yGuYrmRZhaUxNDyBxyDV_pji_tULut78IqwrIn4vRNmbm6x41pa83tPJpOX3rFj5703mW3iRFwdhZk3YSQsOmUF/s400/58TFenceBusters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1958 Topps #351 -- Braves' Fence Busters</b></div><br />
In 1961, three of these players -- Aaron, Mathews and Adcock -- would team with Frank Thomas (on the Pirates in 1957) to become the first tandem to belt four straight home runs, in a game against the Reds. The mark has been equaled six times since, but has never been broken. Topps was noting their power three years earlier.<br />
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Not only that, but it was a chance to add a card featuring two Hall of Famers into my 1958 Topps binder. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXpMgFtIAswbfCVp1jBPAA4goWPiCucUm6-fk2wJSBckNdBxH-kWGPtfa3juDADhIjaSr8o2H-lxl0v5ccoYV3JX04FzAx0lAKRH5IypkHKb3QCfRSldXMwugryiHUQySkDjQljnHg-xi/s1600/54BNewk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXpMgFtIAswbfCVp1jBPAA4goWPiCucUm6-fk2wJSBckNdBxH-kWGPtfa3juDADhIjaSr8o2H-lxl0v5ccoYV3JX04FzAx0lAKRH5IypkHKb3QCfRSldXMwugryiHUQySkDjQljnHg-xi/s400/54BNewk.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1954 Bowman #154 -- Don Newcombe, Brooklyn Dodgers</b> </div><br />
I also enjoy sliding another 1950s Brooklyn Dodger into the binder as well. And this one cuts my 1954 Bowman wantlist to 92 cards, but a quick count shows I still need 10 of the 14 Brooklyn Dodgers including Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella.<br />
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Fortunately, I'm not a fan of the Bums (even though I respect their impact on the game). The fact is, I'm a fan of this guy's team:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUeG8NFgNfZplUDnitkbe_F45vg4SOAhbVMebVLNCRPGkCCa_qPIl5zioVaoL4Ygae80wVRunZS5xbzZW20mSASv8di9669wAinoPrj8PlzbrsLqBjvStksV4UTkyalfvLYbMrcXrvU68/s1600/54TYogi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUeG8NFgNfZplUDnitkbe_F45vg4SOAhbVMebVLNCRPGkCCa_qPIl5zioVaoL4Ygae80wVRunZS5xbzZW20mSASv8di9669wAinoPrj8PlzbrsLqBjvStksV4UTkyalfvLYbMrcXrvU68/s400/54TYogi.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>1954 Topps #50 -- Yogi Berra, New York Yankees</b></div><br />
The flip side to being a Yankees fan is that I really need to adjust my expectations about how much I spend on the cards of the players who wore pinstripes over the years. This card -- beat up as it is -- accounted for about half of my $40 purchase.<br />
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So I ask again: would you have made this purchase? Or would the trimmed cards have made you reconsider?Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-48216534556891041982012-08-06T08:30:00.080-04:002012-08-06T08:37:57.734-04:00More 1969 Issues...The New TeamsI've been focusing on 1969 lately, and since today's a travel day for me, I'll simply feature some more cards from the set. There were 4 new teams in the 1969 season.<br />
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The American League added the:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF1nHRey4GRY-sHsX4v2i2BSXJnw5rq46iUJfyCf8DOWOPqcesEFe_OHcoyL9YcboHHOowGqtIB87ZKOopY-uEEJdQzm6lxBPsrpKWhC3Na-6Q9HSLXN3GELohm4TogXi8bsr10IpfP70/s1600/1969THarper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF1nHRey4GRY-sHsX4v2i2BSXJnw5rq46iUJfyCf8DOWOPqcesEFe_OHcoyL9YcboHHOowGqtIB87ZKOopY-uEEJdQzm6lxBPsrpKWhC3Na-6Q9HSLXN3GELohm4TogXi8bsr10IpfP70/s400/1969THarper.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />
Seattle Pilots and the:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdi6NlOo0LKQZCBhTpXDe9Dm_lAbLLDOdOLM0BWwKAgABz8kjtajY8nDoFSNBKvG73FzmcP8GrM6Rv2oqCpyUrmB1kIjZE-gT7RdEz3niqbjr0LW46eCLPA5H4fR2pQ5cfz9YiklCRJnv/s1600/1969bba11topps92.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdi6NlOo0LKQZCBhTpXDe9Dm_lAbLLDOdOLM0BWwKAgABz8kjtajY8nDoFSNBKvG73FzmcP8GrM6Rv2oqCpyUrmB1kIjZE-gT7RdEz3niqbjr0LW46eCLPA5H4fR2pQ5cfz9YiklCRJnv/s400/1969bba11topps92.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />
Kansas City Royals. Over in the National League, they brought the Montreal Expos:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eJ13a0TwZ6qGskGJDnzwhs6RmPsIVTXVzCqlE4q28VH7qSORm0Ro1ExCdGIoLd_DMCiKhWTnwQ5oloa4P7uOKjM-DmN781lLp3XBsamjMqNiFQajdZhAei2cRqAWbPg_WZOXMuTdW6hu/s1600/1969TAlou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eJ13a0TwZ6qGskGJDnzwhs6RmPsIVTXVzCqlE4q28VH7qSORm0Ro1ExCdGIoLd_DMCiKhWTnwQ5oloa4P7uOKjM-DmN781lLp3XBsamjMqNiFQajdZhAei2cRqAWbPg_WZOXMuTdW6hu/s400/1969TAlou.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>As well as the San Diego Padres:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPtMg8G1aDVYUYwQqxYKtX9GPwOgxx2eLkCelDOm_mZhyvS2cXONTvb7u7kTCoJnY92S89fRA_1yoozjM8WXfTBFwxqc1kD1NLbqoohvOTpTJp1aSMNrnmMF760bdW4fzRNVpJUWT3O0k/s1600/1969TVersilles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPtMg8G1aDVYUYwQqxYKtX9GPwOgxx2eLkCelDOm_mZhyvS2cXONTvb7u7kTCoJnY92S89fRA_1yoozjM8WXfTBFwxqc1kD1NLbqoohvOTpTJp1aSMNrnmMF760bdW4fzRNVpJUWT3O0k/s400/1969TVersilles.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
This continued the expansion of baseball outside the relatively condensed region that existed prior to 1958. For the first time, baseball expanded into Canada and (temporarily) the Pacific Northwest. Another team was added to California and the Midwest, to replace a departed team. The Southeast benefited from an earlier expansion (Houston) and the move of the Braves to Atlanta in 1966.<br />
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The new teams presented a problem for Topps at the time, because the players weren't in their new uniforms. However, Topps did what they did in the 1961-'62 expansion: they simply used "hatless" photos that made players look more like your Uncle Phil or the family tax preparer than an athlete, or they simply airbrushed the hat to remove the logo.<br />
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Adding some complexity to the problem, many players refused to sign new Topps contracts on the advice of the player's union. In many cases, the photos used were from 1967 or earlier.<br />
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However, a deal was struck before the season was over, so players in the last series of 1969 were able to be featured in their uniforms. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuPTVTQDjxGiz8S9gYVcZ3vYj9TD1_RBbSNwPhq2Cw3VMyY0aAj8GWVRlcTHhz-g8RLYnH8OFdp3Q1VafC5-dblwX1ElgKsCsRvTzt9aCpAhnP2YanA78Ig7B523n6rE6_KgqWi9Pt9VP/s1600/1969TGil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuPTVTQDjxGiz8S9gYVcZ3vYj9TD1_RBbSNwPhq2Cw3VMyY0aAj8GWVRlcTHhz-g8RLYnH8OFdp3Q1VafC5-dblwX1ElgKsCsRvTzt9aCpAhnP2YanA78Ig7B523n6rE6_KgqWi9Pt9VP/s400/1969TGil.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br />
The Seattle Pilots altered their uniforms after the preseason...but this photo beats one with a "hatless" pose.<br />
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The Royals weren't much early on (and aren't today), but there was a 15-year stretch where they were one of the roughest teams in baseball.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTAQMWpLzS2W_vhAf-48UuxSRgkKkbA9QsvQpNoiPWTMpSrZbi4z5Pgv5ogCXeckRw6EXDbc8Awsjg9-SUBmSbs-vpKig52UqXcBbCf2A2oe8JdiAEds11rvLqdXwfrmAt-i_hCrVj4Cq/s1600/1969TJones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTAQMWpLzS2W_vhAf-48UuxSRgkKkbA9QsvQpNoiPWTMpSrZbi4z5Pgv5ogCXeckRw6EXDbc8Awsjg9-SUBmSbs-vpKig52UqXcBbCf2A2oe8JdiAEds11rvLqdXwfrmAt-i_hCrVj4Cq/s400/1969TJones.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>I'll say it here: the Montreal Expos may have been the first major league team in Canada, but the red, white and blue uniforms were more American that any U.S. team had.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SnLJhTAWZnW-W0vw97j5T6aEHsNYAQFv40OVS7JDBHVKnnaYkWhjd6Ugat3BJch58N_LV8-83ZiaB2L1DeZ3qV1CWsAu7Fh5_l431a0ViALm4ZLkWZs7LH7Up8a6UOBYC5BweBvQ-VF_/s1600/1969TPodres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SnLJhTAWZnW-W0vw97j5T6aEHsNYAQFv40OVS7JDBHVKnnaYkWhjd6Ugat3BJch58N_LV8-83ZiaB2L1DeZ3qV1CWsAu7Fh5_l431a0ViALm4ZLkWZs7LH7Up8a6UOBYC5BweBvQ-VF_/s400/1969TPodres.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br />
Finally, I had to include this card even though I had others to illustrate my point. Who better to have on a team called The Padres that a man whose last name was the similar-sounding Podres? As Wile E. Coyote would put it: "<i>Genius</i>."<br />
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I'm catching a plane...see you on Wednesday.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-7925765254675008982012-08-03T08:30:00.009-04:002012-08-03T08:30:00.440-04:00Thurman Remembered Again(<i>This was a newsletter article I wrote in 2004, commemorating anniversary of Thurman Munson's plane crash. Yesterday marked 33 years and I feel it should be shared again:</i>)<br />
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On August 2nd, 1979 a two-engine Cessna Citation with the number 15NY approached the Canton-Akron airport in Ohio. It was a Thursday afternoon and most people were just finishing their workday, but the pilot was Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees and Thursdays were often off-days for the team. Thurman was spending his day off at home as he often did; in fact, he had begun flying in 1977 to spend more time at home and avoid moving his family to New York for six months a year. Munson had just built a family home and conducted business and real estate deals in his native Canton.<br />
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Munson had only recently bought the plane and it was an upgrade for him, so he needed some additional lessons to fly it. His flight instructor David Hall and friend Jerry Anderson joined him on this particular flight. Munson was having some issues with the plane and wanted Hall and Anderson to check them out while in the air and also to get some practice taking it off and landing it.<br />
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As they approached runway 19 at 3:02 PM, Thurman came in too low. The plane hit some trees a thousand feet from the runway and lost its wings. It crashed just past Greensburg Road, rolled to an embankment near the airport and caught fire. Once the plane came to a stop, Hall kicked open the side door and Anderson followed him out. Both men noticed that Thurman was still in the plane, motionless, head tilted sideways. They tried to pull him out of his harness until a fuel tank caught fire and the flames forced them to move back. Their clothes singed, they were found exhausted and gasping for air when the first police officer arrived five minutes after the crash.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMcFvy4nNj0e9OXRb3kFZcd78j3zgjXfRXxvXvDFVRFPxOleOhTjqhl6hJwdWv8nlBPM8vnwKHleyURgTrAmXl04lPQUPOI8Ovux_gSr9UmbdWnHX9ZYcpzqaP3pLt6S0ofOVQ6ZoLsA/s1600/79Munson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMcFvy4nNj0e9OXRb3kFZcd78j3zgjXfRXxvXvDFVRFPxOleOhTjqhl6hJwdWv8nlBPM8vnwKHleyURgTrAmXl04lPQUPOI8Ovux_gSr9UmbdWnHX9ZYcpzqaP3pLt6S0ofOVQ6ZoLsA/s320/79Munson.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(Munson's final card...1979 Burger King, which was issued after the Topps cards that year.)</b></div><br />
Yankee captain Thurman Munson was thirty-two years old. The official cause of death was given as smoke inhalation, and the coroner determined that he had died even before his friends tried to pull him out. He left behind his wife Diana -- his high school sweetheart -- and three young children, Tracy, Kelly and Michael. He also left behind 24 teammates, several coaches, the entire Yankee organization and a legion of fans.<br />
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Though Thurman was known for having the stoic and unemotional makeup often attributed to many of those who share his German heritage, the news of his passing caused a lot of emotion to spill over among his teammates and friends. George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin had spent much of the 1979 baseball season feuding in the press, but both broke down crying over the phone when Steinbrenner told Billy the news. Bobby Murcer had been Munson's closest friend on the team and immediately flew to Ohio to help comfort the Munson family.<br />
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Steinbrenner had longtime clubhose superintendant Pete Sheehy clean out Munson's locker. Sheehy left Thurman's uniform and catcher's mask on the hooks, a Yankee cap on the shelf and a metal plate above the stall with the number 15 on it. Sheehy died in 1985, all Thurman's teammates have since retired and George Steinbrenner, Catfish Hunter, Bobby Murcer and Billy Martin have also passed away, but the locker remained that way in the Yankees' locker room until it was demolished. When the Yankees moved to their new home in 2009, Munson's locker was moved there and remains to be a permanent reminder of what he meant to the club.<br />
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The Yankees played again on August 3rd against the Orioles in Yankee Stadium. As the Yankee players ran out to their positions before the top of the first inning that evening, eight took the field and the catcher position stayed empty. Thurman Munson's face was shown on the scoreboard and the fans applauded for eight minutes. Once the tribute had settled down, rookie catcher Jerry Narron quietly took his position as the game began.<br />
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The entire team traveled to Canton the following Monday for a memorial service. For many of the players, it was the first time they had to deal with the death of somebody so close to them. For Graig Nettles, his way of dealing with it was through humor. Remembering that Thurman loved junk food, he quipped, "only Thurman would be buried next to a Burger King and a pizza parlor" when they approached the cemetery.<br />
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Now that several years have passed, there are still a few vocal fans who want to see Munson enshrined in Cooperstown. They point out Thurman's resume: 1970 A.L. Rookie of the Year, 1976 A.L. MVP, three pennants, two World Series championships and the fact that he was the acknowledged "heart and soul" of those teams. However, in retrospect the Rookie of the Year award doesn't help Munson any more than it helped Fernando Valenzuela, Fred Lynn or Lou Whitaker. The MVP award is nice for a trophy room, but it didn't help Keith Hernandez, George Foster or (again) Fred Lynn get in the Hall of Fame either. Each award is given for an exceptional season, but to get in the Hall of Fame a player needs to put together an entire career.<br />
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Thurman played in the 1970s and was a contemporary of two catchers who are among those immortalized in Cooperstown -- Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk. Bench was the best catcher of his generation and deserved the first-ballot election he received once he was eligible. The one time Bench and Munson met in the postseason was for the 1976 World Series, and the Reds swept the Yankees. If you compared the year-by-year stats of Fisk and Munson for the years 1970-'79 they look comparable, but the fact of the matter is that if Fisk's career ended in 1979, he wouldn't have gotten into the Hall of Fame either. Fisk's decade with the White Sox was just as much a part of his induction as his decade with the Red Sox. By '79, Munson was playing designated hitter and first base (where he played his final game) because his legs were too tired to allow him to be an everyday catcher. In his autobiography, Munson wrote that he was hoping to play for the Indians by 1981, but he likely wouldn't have been able to supplant Bo Diaz or Ron Hassey as their regular catcher.<br />
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Of the resume items mentioned earlier, that leaves the fact that his teams won three pennants and two World Series. If that were all a person needed to enter the Hall, then other catchers with Series rings -- guys like Bill Freehan, Gene Tenace or Bob Boone -- would get more consideration. Besides that, playing for multiple championship teams didn't get earlier Yankees like Bobby Richardson, Roger Maris or Mark Koenig into the Hall, nor did it help another Yankee catcher with similar credentials as Munson...Elston Howard. A '63 MVP award, four Series championships, eight pennants and an ability at his position that caused Yogi Berra to be switched to the outfield surpassed his trivial status as the first black Yankee. If those achievements aren't enough for Elston Howard, then perhaps Munson's omission wasn't an accident.<br />
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None of those issues should detract from Thurman Munson as a player or as a man. He was a gifted catcher with a strong arm and surprising speed. He was an agressive player and a quiet leader. Off the field, he was a devoted family man. In person, he came across as moody, but his teammates insisted he was very sensitive and needed time to warm up to others. Whatever the viewpoint, Thurman Munson's passing more than thirty years ago was a loss for all who knew him, and he's still missed.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-68515706721550328522012-08-01T08:30:00.026-04:002012-08-01T08:30:04.289-04:002012 National Week...A Look Back, Part 2Today marks the beginning of "The National," the annual sportscards convention. This year's event is being held in Baltimore and runs through Sunday. Unlike 2010 in Baltimore, when I missed it, I'll be there this year, helping Irv Lerner at table (#317). If you're at the show, stop by and say hello. But don't ask me to give you a discount...because I can't.<br />
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The National has been held every year since 1980 and has rotated through several cities. The '80 show was in Los Angeles and would travel to Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago after that. The rules in place allowed several dealers to "bid" on the next year's show and the election would be held at the convention. The prospective sponsors would make their case before the assembled dealers and officers of the committee. Once the votes were tallied, the winner would be announced. For the fifth show in 1984, the event would be held in Parsippany, New Jersey. It was just across the river from New York City and widely hailed as the "New York National." <br />
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Attendees of that show were able to pick up this program:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAv9oVvrkD-KwK_j0Igvu8fBhi_1FGo5dCZdgpcTAKNLvD5IxwgBkIsikAoYIfb15A4wZG-UuXyXcW4-9pka8bHosORVlN6CePzCDTn-TEgLeohxviDWfkRhpG3nVdwaV-zTgyCfjsvc/s1600/84Natl1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAv9oVvrkD-KwK_j0Igvu8fBhi_1FGo5dCZdgpcTAKNLvD5IxwgBkIsikAoYIfb15A4wZG-UuXyXcW4-9pka8bHosORVlN6CePzCDTn-TEgLeohxviDWfkRhpG3nVdwaV-zTgyCfjsvc/s400/84Natl1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br />
While the artwork featuring the '56 Topps cards is neat, the rendering of the two brothers sitting on a wooden crate and looking at their cards is awesome. I especially like the way they have the opened wax wrappers and extra cards tossed about the ground. For collectors like myself who were told to be extra careful with our cards to avoid damaging them, the picture is a glimpse into a different era.<br />
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The group that won the right to sponsor the '84 National are assembled in this photo from the program:<br />
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Standing are Tom Reid and Mike Gordon (a former contributor to <i>The Trader Speaks </i>and the man who sold me this program at a later National in Chicago). The two men seated are Mike Aronstein (the "MA" in TCMA, a company that printed collector cards in the 1970s and '80s) and Lew Lipset, author of <i>The Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards</i> and publisher of <i>The Old Judge</i>. (The program didn't give any photographer credit...but I've since discovered that this photo was taken by Frank Barning of <i>Baseball Hobby News</i>.)<br />
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For those who haven't been to a National, it's worth going just to see the stuff on display. Along with the cards, memorabilia from sports and entertainment are available, autograph guests sign throughout the weekend and many hobby names will be on the floor. While attending other Nationals, I've met Penny Marshall and Dr. Jim Beckett walking the floor as collectors and even Howard Bedell, who was on a 1962 Topps card as a player.<br />
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In the case of Howie Bedell, he walked up to a table, looked at a binder with some 1962 Topps cards in it, found the one with him on it and asked the seller, "is this one even real?" The seller assured him that it was authentic, especially for a "no-name" player. Bedell handed over his business card and said something about how that was certainly not a "no-name" player. Perhaps noticing that I (standing 4-5 feet away) was chuckling to myself over what I just saw, Bedell have me a slap on the shoulder and asked me how I was doing. Meanwhile, the seller was asking him if he'd do the honor of signing his card but Bedell politely declined. I actually enjoyed being there for that, if only to see a seller get reminded of the importance of not automatically downgrading a player on a card.<br />
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One thing that I wish would still be a part of the convention is a series of seminars. For one day, many subject matter "experts" would discuss a topic for an hour. The '84 National program had a list of the schedule:<br />
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The schedule shows a wide range of interesting topics that could hold somebody's interest. While "Collecting and the I.R.S." doesn't seem like it would be good for anything besides catching up on some sleep, Bill Henderson is always good for some stories about the way things used to be in the hobby (I always seem to hear something new from him each time I speak with him). An oratory about prices by Dr. Jim Beckett -- remember, this was <i>before</i> he had started his price guide -- also had potential. My introduction to 19th century baseball cards was a book co-written by Keith Mitchell; that would have been a neat discussion to sit in on. I'll also mention that Rich Klein is still active with The National and posts on Net54. He often has a table near the show entrance; if you can get to this year's show, stop by and chat with him for a moment.<br />
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Another feature of the National was a luncheon. In recent years, there have been several groups that have luncheons and dinners with interesting speakers from auction houses and grading companies, but none are officially recognized by the National committee. In most cases, you need to belong (or know somebody who belongs) to a group to know about them. However, here's an event that was listed in the '84 program:<br />
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Having lost that very 80s-vintage mustache long ago, Keith Olbermann is known today as a national political commentator and former ESPN Sportscenter host. As a teen in the 1970s he was quite active in the hobby. He wrote the text that shows up on backs of the underappreciated 1976 SSPC set (printed by TCMA, mentioned earlier) and even took some photos that wound up in the 1981 Donruss set. At the time of the '84 convention he was the sports guy for the nightly TV news in Boston. Jean Potvin was likely added to help skew the baseball focus that most hobbyists had; however, he was a member of the Islanders teams so popular in the New York area at the time and likely had some colorful insights.<br />
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As for autograph guests, the list is rather short and includes mainly players who were local:<br />
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While many of these former players are now deceased, there's a definite lack or "star quality" that marks shows like this today. For an example, compare this list <a href="http://www.nsccshow.com/autograph_info.shtml" target="_blank">with the schedule of autograph guests at this year's show</a>. That might be due to the fact that in '84, these autographs were included in the admission price. Today, all autographs are a separate fee and even the VIP package sold to collectors only includes a limited number of free autographs.<br />
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Another thing missing from current National programs that should be there are articles. Fortunately, the 1984 program has several, like this one:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rNBYHY7c50XeN3YU54VJXcVuLB_ASCd2iAwJGlOuOXHw0sIFnu81hCphJJjZP1n541mSvSm-SsgToNYpOcvpuKY7FotErQq8hNilJqERSB6IWF-s2JrR8mAUPF5MXt_Sft2ZWyMLGpY/s1600/84Natl4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rNBYHY7c50XeN3YU54VJXcVuLB_ASCd2iAwJGlOuOXHw0sIFnu81hCphJJjZP1n541mSvSm-SsgToNYpOcvpuKY7FotErQq8hNilJqERSB6IWF-s2JrR8mAUPF5MXt_Sft2ZWyMLGpY/s400/84Natl4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This article explains the battle between Topps and Bowman, both in the candy stores and in the courtrooms. Other articles cover Barry Halper's collection, the first National in '80, World Series rings, collecting nonsports subjects and different methods of collecting. Compare that to the program for last year's National in Chicago, which consisted of a directory of sellers and advertisements from sponsors but no reading material. I kept a program for my collection, but was disappointed to see what wasn't included.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417186274715068618.post-89998493553782508062012-07-30T08:30:00.006-04:002012-07-31T00:23:42.247-04:002012 National Week...Looking BackThe National Sports Cards Collectors' Convention will be held this week in Baltimore. Running from Wednesday through Sunday, it is usually the largest gathering of sellers, collectors, autograph guests and hobby names all year.<br />
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I'll be there as well, working at Irv Lerner's table (number 317). <a href="http://www.oldbaseball.com/refs/lerner/irv_lerner.htm" target="_blank">Here's some info about Irv from the OBC Website that shows his long association with the hobby</a>. If you're around, stop in and say hello.<br />
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However, this blog often likes to look back...and this year, I'll show my program from the very first National to be held in Chicago (but not the first...that was in Los Angeles in 1980). The year was 1983, and here is the cover:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwror_o4Nf4_RUxpEeZAY2UdNCizra4E_rfX6DhOk4nWvfABgTCwostLBUo0p_VdiNPF7UZrDGYHUDQtXEIrvHkpmqlYGD785ofSUSRBBnbnaGG5KHnkgmDzmE1swzV-clGeBQRTPcgnY/s1600/Chicago83a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwror_o4Nf4_RUxpEeZAY2UdNCizra4E_rfX6DhOk4nWvfABgTCwostLBUo0p_VdiNPF7UZrDGYHUDQtXEIrvHkpmqlYGD785ofSUSRBBnbnaGG5KHnkgmDzmE1swzV-clGeBQRTPcgnY/s400/Chicago83a.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br />
It was also the 50th anniversary of the first major league All-Star game. Since Babe Ruth had famously hit a home run in that first game, he gets a spot of honor on the cover. Ernie Banks' connection to Chicago is obvious, and he was a featured autograph guest (signatures were free to attendees back then...those days are long gone). The HOF plaque card features Buck Leonard, who was another autograph guest. As for Johnny Mize, he wasn't shown as an autograph guest inside the program, but he was a willing signer at conventions at the time.<br />
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By the way...the 1983 All-Star game was held in Comiskey Park on July 6th, which may have helped determine the date of this National.<br />
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Here's the schedule of events. You can click the image to see it better:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2oUBQQdnZvAA2KTHzJdrDBcYF2jcqaHPjw8wvQyPDTdoU97HNvWYMZvyT8BefEEadQM1ltUeQihOXfZPyg4D6TkBeJuS-KB_4GcVmWmQFvZ9pmieoCMQrX0vPvfoE2QT8_OWbDbAW0A/s1600/Chicago83b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2oUBQQdnZvAA2KTHzJdrDBcYF2jcqaHPjw8wvQyPDTdoU97HNvWYMZvyT8BefEEadQM1ltUeQihOXfZPyg4D6TkBeJuS-KB_4GcVmWmQFvZ9pmieoCMQrX0vPvfoE2QT8_OWbDbAW0A/s400/Chicago83b.jpg" width="306" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I have always been a fan of The National, because it gives many collectors the chance to look at T206 Wagner cards and 19th century equipment, as well as the opportunity to bump into Dr. Jim Beckett in the crowd (I did that in Cleveland in '07) or even celebrities like Penny Marshall (I met her in Chicago in '05, she's a collector too and had her wantlist out). I also saw O.J. Simpson getting escorted out of the convention center by security in '05, but it's safe to say we won't see a repeat of that.<br />
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Here's a picture in the program showing a younger Dr. Beckett. It was before he had his own monthly magazine and was just another seller at the show:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFxPPgVK5kyE_N2sCr4xEmxltRXUYuJkI6XFLnY8DKH4oLPybAhmWmzKmfAfBaKdmhR9SO29h9BrhIFAUXQb4qng5ideX5HlN3hytiTuc7EZGLGKUiKyeMPgelwjjDvQqunV700Ah2iQ/s1600/Chicago83e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFxPPgVK5kyE_N2sCr4xEmxltRXUYuJkI6XFLnY8DKH4oLPybAhmWmzKmfAfBaKdmhR9SO29h9BrhIFAUXQb4qng5ideX5HlN3hytiTuc7EZGLGKUiKyeMPgelwjjDvQqunV700Ah2iQ/s400/Chicago83e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
However, check this part out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hT0kYpDedobWSWc8erlJTO6ljC_Ml26qJbw970rim3psOPZ9DI-TyhnVqXOmEm73zD6pxrZWUtHuCJNICSDRAjCoSb5UVCrsLhoRXkELw30tvgEotWKXvZLfEtJotdTJwxgMrzu-mCg/s1600/Chicago83g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hT0kYpDedobWSWc8erlJTO6ljC_Ml26qJbw970rim3psOPZ9DI-TyhnVqXOmEm73zD6pxrZWUtHuCJNICSDRAjCoSb5UVCrsLhoRXkELw30tvgEotWKXvZLfEtJotdTJwxgMrzu-mCg/s400/Chicago83g.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If there was something from the past I'd love to see -- and even help arrange it if I had the means -- would be a series of seminars on hobby topics, given by some of the best and brightest in the arena. I'd even offer to speak at one if asked. In Chicago '83, there were presentations on 19th Century cards by Lew Lipset and Keith Mitchell (who helped write a great book about the subject) as well as a Lipset slide show on prewar cards. That final forum on Dealers and the Hobby media would be a phenomenal idea.<br />
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Another neat thing on that page is the way certain former athletes are called "celebrity guests." Here's a page about them:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiUhCDKo0_4U63EIxspHaClL_aF2numUpfkY5_BFKUtsOwJ-w_6pprLO8lkvCWFjygqIPhNZeDH3A-JlDixiJjEp1xLzEKEenU5vUEZhy7vdaprQuRSCFZJrIWtc6WDPj5KBWNLqhtdA/s1600/Chicago83c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiUhCDKo0_4U63EIxspHaClL_aF2numUpfkY5_BFKUtsOwJ-w_6pprLO8lkvCWFjygqIPhNZeDH3A-JlDixiJjEp1xLzEKEenU5vUEZhy7vdaprQuRSCFZJrIWtc6WDPj5KBWNLqhtdA/s400/Chicago83c.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(Again...click on the image to see it in a more readable size)</b></div><br />
And then there's this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0D7YuyVVWASDDWzaf1dF3TmNEgZMu1vlerUx8KlSOvbyVmIS0T0ebFLiBJnuOP7ZC8z5rnImRIqwqkhi1AZcORAe6WpUvCPBs5cWtSDb-4W0p4_vVQmf6yOKC0QNzp95IklFCMT_TtCY/s1600/Chicago83f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0D7YuyVVWASDDWzaf1dF3TmNEgZMu1vlerUx8KlSOvbyVmIS0T0ebFLiBJnuOP7ZC8z5rnImRIqwqkhi1AZcORAe6WpUvCPBs5cWtSDb-4W0p4_vVQmf6yOKC0QNzp95IklFCMT_TtCY/s400/Chicago83f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What an awesome idea. Today's hobbyists are largely from the era where we've been apt to take care of our cards. There are a lot of us who've never been given the chance to do something like flipping cards as a game. Even when there's countless cases of junk wax that can be gleefully ripped open to provide enough ammunition to get really good at it.<br />
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I also love that there are also levels for kids and teens. There really aren't enough things specifically geared for kids in our hobby (you can say that the cards themselves are targeted toward kids...but I might disagree with that). Anyway, here are the rules of the game:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ90_Jok4rcYli7mBr1P8RCnuuSawpCqvszZqfp3YQd8UeAaMfPvBUQek-J4kbqxYLtkwXOIWlNju4lUofrHlCpNHNKQsj5DAOxN4g2Wnyq00lz_qJqPdVLW-ZhivFeoK-gdLbw770xA0/s1600/Chicago83d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ90_Jok4rcYli7mBr1P8RCnuuSawpCqvszZqfp3YQd8UeAaMfPvBUQek-J4kbqxYLtkwXOIWlNju4lUofrHlCpNHNKQsj5DAOxN4g2Wnyq00lz_qJqPdVLW-ZhivFeoK-gdLbw770xA0/s400/Chicago83d.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br />
So there's a small glimpse at our hobby 29 years ago, when the value of a '52 Topps Mantle was hovering around $800, when many 1950s commons could be found in dime and quarter boxes, and the National convention could fit inside a hotel ballroom.<br />
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If you're going to be at the show, leave a message saying when you'll be there. If you're a seller, do the same...maybe one of my readers will check you out.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2