More Recent Arrivals -- 56 Topps

They 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:

Johnny Antonelli is from Upstate New York (as am I) and has become a part of two bloggers' sites: Night Owl (who featured a much nicer-looking 1956 than this one) grew up near one of his tire franchises and Jeff over at Cardboard Catastrophies (who also has a much nicer 1956 Topps than this) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But Hearn will be forever remembered by me as my very first 1952 Topps high #...a $4 purchase. When I think of him, that will always be the first thing that comes to my mind.

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.

I just noticed that Klaus is the only non-pitcher in this group of cards.

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.

Post #400

(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.)

Today's post shows a couple of cards I recently received from a trading buddy:

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.


And now for the other card in that package...a "Wow" if there ever was one:

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 too nice.

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.

And he'd be right. It's a great addition.

Evolution of a Classic Design

Last week, I mentioned 1956 Topps cards and left out how the look had been part of a three-year "evolution" as Topps perfected what many consider a great-looking design. In some cases, Topps even used the same photo as they went. Let's look at Hank Aaron's first three cards as a prime example:

1954 Topps #128

In 1954, Topps went with a format that placed two pictures of a player against a solid-colored background. The larger picture was always a head shot, while the smaller one was a black-and-white action pose.

 1955 Topps #47

In 1955, Topps used the same format, but made the cards horizontal, which made better use of the two picture format. There were a couple of other changes, though. The action shot was now in color, and the background was a solid color that tapered to white.

The facsimile player autograph remained, as did the team logo (a standard element of all Topps sets since 1952). And Hank is still staring over to the left side.

1956 Topps #31

Topps once again used that picture in 1956 and retained the two picture format. This time, however, the action shot was given a full-color background that gave it some real character. Let's forget for a moment that the action picture is actually an airbrushed picture of Willie Mays...but the format allowed for some tremendous "play at the plate" shots, as well as players jumping into the stands (like Mickey Mantle) and fielding grounders.

However, the team logos were gone, even as the facsimile autograph remained. And Topps had taken three years to produce a great-looking baseball card. That's not to say that the '54 and '55 designs were bad (they weren't), but the '56 was just improved. The only thing they could do to improve on that was to use full-color pictures...which they did in '57.

1956 Topps -- A Deeper Look

(For a more detailed look at this set, check out the 1956 Topps page at my Vintage Baseball Cards Website.)

1956 Topps is often found in the "Top 10" lists of  collectors' favorite set designs, and it's easy to understand why.

First of all, the cards have a terrific appearance:

Card #255 -- Bob Lemon, Cleveland Indians

Not only do the cards feature that classic "painted" look that their 1952-'56 cards show, but you get a full-color background behind the smaller "action" shot. Those elements combine to make what can be considered a work of art on a piece of cardboard.

Speaking of cardboard, the set was printed on two different card stocks. Here's what the two look like side-by-side:

Card #9 -- Ruben Gomez, New York Giants

In order to see better the differences between the cards, click on the image. It will open up on a larger screen to give you a much better look. The first two series cab be found with both types of backs...Here's where it gets a little complicated.

Cards 1-100 are more commonly found with white backs, but gray backs are more plentiful from 101-180.

For the first time, team cards were included in the 1956 Topps set:

Card #134 -- St. Louis Cardinals Team card

This was as close as Topps would get to having Stan Musial in their set (he's at the very right in the front row).

Six teams in the first series (Cubs, Phillies, Redlegs, Braves, Indians and Orioles) have three different front variations...in addition to the gray/white back variations. "Master" set collectors probably curse Topps for having to chase them all down.

The first two cards in the set are devoted to the league presidents:

Card #2 -- Warren Giles, N.L. President

Considering Topps issued a separate set in 1956 for U.S. Presidents, it would have been interesting if they'd have used a similar design; instead, they made the name look like it was part of a nameplate with beveled edges. Cards of old men in suits weren't probably well-received by the kids in '56.

There was one more "new" feature in 1956: the checklist:

These were inserted into wax packs without numbers, so they aren't considered part of the base set. As a result, many of them were tossed away by collectors who didn't need another one. As for the ones they kept, many were marked up like the one above. The result was a very expensive card today.

Rest In Peace, Duke

Sad news today.

Duke Snider passed away this morning at 84.

The picture on the card above shows Duke shaking hands with teammate Pee Wee Reese after a home run shot. Tonight, the two can shake hands once more on the Field of Dreams. In fact, a full '55 Dodgers squad can now take the field there, as Duke was the last remaining person alive who was on the field for the final out of that series.

He'll be missed.

Short Bits

In the spirit of my last post...here's a few cards I've recently added to my collection:

1949 Bowman #134 -- Hank Borowy

1949 Bowman is a neat set, but one that will be a very long-term process for me.

Hank Borowy is a largely forgotten name today, but he was a participant in three World Series in the 1940s. Starting out with the Yankees in 1942, he pitched against the Cardinals in both the '42 and '43 World Series and went 1-0 with a no-decision. However, being an effective pitcher from 1942-'45 wasn't considered such a feat because the major league rosters had been slowly transformed by a different type of draft altogether...the one from Uncle Sam. As the war in Europe ended and star players began to be mustered out of service, several players began to see their limited window of opportunity closing. For Borowy, the end seemed to come in July '45 when the Yankees placed him on waivers despite a 10-5 record and 15 teams passed on him.

Then, the Cubs picked him up and added him for their pennant run. He went 11-2 during that stretch and was a big part of the National League pennant. In the World Series, he took the mound for four games against the Tigers. After a masterful shutout in Game 1, he lost Game 5. Undaunted, he came back to win Game 6 with a relief appearance that not only saved the game but the Series. However, When he took the mound for Game 7 as the starter he'd been used up. After three batters, he was pulled and the Cubs lost the Series.

As of today, that relief effort in Game 6 makes Hank Borowy the last Cubs pitcher to win a World Series game. He was also the first player in history to win 10 games each for two different teams in the same season. He appeared on three Bowman cards, and this was his first. Despite being shown in a Cubs uniform here, he pitched with the Phillies in 1949 and is identified with his new team on the back of the card.

Last summer, I showed some of the program for the '84 National in Parsippany, New Jersey. Borowy was one of the guests signing autographs there:

Hank Borowy died in 2004.

1951 Bowman #67 - Roy Sievers

1949 was the year they split the Rookie of the Year award. At first, it was awarded to the top rookie in baseball, but later it was decided that each league would honor its own first-year players. The first American League Rookie of the Year was given to Roy Sievers.

Through the 1950s, he played with the St. Louis Browns and then the Washington Senators. Since those were perennially awful teams, he's been forgotten by fans who don't bother looking outside the New York City-based teams that enjoyed much of the success of that era. What's interesting about Sievers, though, is that he still managed to hit 300 homers in his career at a time when that was a much bigger milestone than it is today. He was the 18th player in history to reach it and was the first who didn't get into the Hall of Fame.

Roy Sievers is still living in the St. Louis area.

1956 Topps #330 -- Jim Busby

One of the things collectors like about the 1956 Topps set is the way the action shots nicely add to the card. Many of those photos are great game-action shots with plays at the bag (or the plate). However, this one just looks odd. Busby appears to be sliding into second, but the fact that there's no fielder present might give the impression that he's blown the play and is watching that ball get away.

1956 was the only full season Busby spend with the Tribe. He was on original member of the Houston Colt .45s in 1962, when he retired and became a coach. He was still coaching in 1977, when he was part of the first Seattle Mariners team in 1977.

Jim Busby died in Augusta, Georgia (a town where I once lived as well) in 1996.

An Early eBay Story

In 1999/2000, I discovered the great little online yard sale known as eBay. At the time, it was still a neat little auction site...this was before it became the big behemoth it is now that I mostly avoid today.

It was a nice boost to my collection, too, since it gave me a way to look for cards without having to search through card shops or calling dealers, only to have them look for half an hour and then either being a higher price than I wanted to pay or being told that there wasn't much in the way of vintage material there.

So, having a way to toss out small bids on cards and knowing what I was going to get was a great way to justify my internet connection.

I was also looking to work on my 1956 Topps set. My first wantlist page consisted only of 1956 Topps cards. One day early in 2000, I saw this card being auctioned off:

I put in a bid, and ended up winning it, for about $4 plus shipping. So, I mailed out a money order, placed the line for Hoyt Wilhelm in red (which I still do sometimes when I know something's coming) and waited for the card to show up in my mailbox.

About a week and a half later, an envelope from the seller showed up. And this was the card inside it:

While I was satisfied about getting an older card than expected, I was working on a 1956 Topps set and really wanted that card. I wrote a quick email to the seller explaining that the wrong card arrived and asked if I could get the one I actually won for my '56 set in progress?

Of course, I said I'd return the '54 once it arrived. However, I'd lost or tossed away his address and needed it again so I could send it back to him.

He wrote back, apologized for the mix-up and told me my card would arrive as soon as he could get to the post office. And sure enough, in a few days it arrived. However, he didn't put a full address on his envelope and never sent it in his reply. When I had the card in hand, I sent another email thanking him and asking once again for an address so I could give back the original card he sent me.

He told me I could keep it, since he screwed up the order. So, $4 plus shipping got me two cards of a great Hall of Fame pitcher from the 1950s. I really wish I could remember who the seller was, though. I'd love to give him a plug if he's still around.

eBay was great before it became bloated.

Quite a Gift

Today, I give props to my wife.

It's not yet Christmas, but my wife comes from a different religious background...and Chanukkah came early this year. For my gift, she won this eBay auction for a lot of baseball cards.

Since the auction description won't be available forever, here's what the seller wrote:

"Hi! Up for bid is a lot of 133 1966 Topps baseball cards, including Mickey Mantle, Ron Santo, Bill Mazeroski, Ferguson Jenkins rookie, Roy White rookie, Buc Belters (2), Gil Hodges (3), Elston Howard (2), Strikeout leaders (Koufax/Gibson) and RBI-HR leaders (Mays).  Also includes the following semi-high numbers in nice shape: 516 Eddie Bressoud, 498 Pirates Rookie Stars, 461 Roy Face, and 519 Bob Friend.  Condition runs the gambit, most are in nice shape after 44 years. A couple dozen or so have creases or tape, many have corner issues.  Some duplicates.  Mantle is not in great shape, with a few creases and green paper glued on the back (I can e-mail a scan on request)(same with Jenkins rookie, all of the rest of the cards have clean backs).  A great starter set!!!  

As a bonus, I will include 19 1954-1956 Topps baseball cards (poor condition)!!!

Buyer adds $8 for shipping.  Continental U.S. bidders only (lower 48 states).  PayPal only.  Good luck!!!"

The seller didn't mention Mantle or Jenkins in the auction title. He also didn't include separate pictures of those cards. As a result, my wife was the only bidder and the auction ended at its opening $49.99 price. So, it arrived here last week and I was given the gift on the last day of Channukah.

The final tally, including shipping was $57.99 for a total of 152 cards (including the poor 1950s toss-ins). That comes to 38 cents a card. Not bad, except this is all I was able to take off my wantlist:

Three cards from the stack of 1966 Topps cards, plus:

Three ragged cards from the mid 1950s. Hey, a hole in the card is better than one in the binder, so I'll take them. I also managed to get 25 cards to upgrade the ones I already had, which means that the total cost to my collection was more like $1.87 a card. However, one of those upgrades was this guy:

A little ragged, but those of you who read my blog regularly will know that the Mantle I already had looked like this:

So...if I were to go to a seller and ask for the 31 cards added to my binder -- including a Mantle -- it probably would have cost me more than what my wife paid to get these. What's more is that I've added over 100 cards to my dupes box (which should lead to some more cards later), including the very first time I've ever been able to place a vintage Mantle there. Wow. Plus, tossing a rookie card of Fergie Jenkins and a few other cards featuring stars and Hall of Famers into the box will give me better trade fodder than some of the dog-eared and written-on cards that are in there already.

Thanks, Ellen. I'm not usually the type to be impressed by gifts, but that was a real surprise. I guess I should also thank the seller who neglected to put Mantle's name in the auction title.

Anybody looking for some '66 Topps cards? Drop me an email. (Just remove the number and spam control to get the correct address.)

Another Card Dilemna

Hypothetically...

Say you're a fan of a team and they get a hot rookie who doesn't show up in that year's card set. Then, let's say your rookie becomes a starter or joins the rotation. If you like to have your cards to be as up-to-date as possible, what do you do?

Today, this isn't as much of a problem. With eBay and traders who are linked via the Internet as well as staggered card issues, it doesn't take all that long to locate a card that will show your team's new addition. However, in 1956 collectors didn't have eBay, the Internet or many other devices at their disposal. They also didn't have several sets per year, nor the proclivity for preserving cards in top condition that many collectors exhibit nowadays. Therefore, you may find stuff like this:

Johnny O'Brien was famous to 1950s card collectors for sharing a 1954 Topps card with his brother and teammate Eddie. However, in 1956 he lost the Pirates' starting second baseman job in midseason to a 19 year-old newcomer named Bill Mazeroski. Since Maz didn't get his first Topps card until '57, it necessitated an eraser to remove O'Brien's name and a blue ink pen to make a one-of-a-kind Mazeroski "rookie card."

But the updates didn't stop there.

Unlike O'Brien, who lost his job as an everyday position player, Roebuck was still an active cog of the Dodger pitching machine and would remain with the team for several years after the move West. However, as a spot reliever he wasn't quite as visible as another 19 year-old newcomer named Don Drysdale, who was taking the mound in '56 as both an occasional 5th starter and as a reliever. However, he also didn't appear on a Topps card until 1957. Perhaps the original owner had this Roebuck as a duplicate and figured there would be no problem changing it to become a unique "rookie card" of an eventual Hall of Fame player.

Final note: both of these cards are duplicates for me (actually, I've picked up versions that weren't given any after-market adjustments). If any reader would like to give one or both of these guys a home, drop me an email.

Where's the Chief?

Tom writes:

Q: "Thanks for putting up the webpage about the 1956 Topps set!


When I was about 7 years old (1958) a neighbor boy handed me about 30 of these beauties... I loved baseball but had never seen anything like these before!  That's how my collection got started and I think I still have every one of those original cards.


I also have a question about the set you may be able to answer.  Looking at some of the Cleveland Indians cards, I noticed that some have a "C" emblem on their cap while others have the "C" but with the Chief Wahoo emblem inside.  Do you know why that is?


Did they have 'home' and 'away' hats?  I know teams today have home & away uniforms but I never noticed if their hats are different too or always the same."

A:  I didn't have an answer right away, so I asked some members of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research).  It looks like the Indians added Chief Wahoo to their caps in 1953. There weren't separate "home" and "away" caps back then.

After finding that out, I went through my 1954 Topps and Bowman cards. All the Indians in those sets have the wishbone "C" without Chief Wahoo. I'm guessing that the pictures were taken in 1953 Spring Training before the cap change took place.

For my 1955 cards, I see that Topps Indians show both cap designs. Most have just the wishbone "C" but four (Hal Newhouser, Ray Narleski, Dave Hoskins, and Don Mossi) have the Chief.  Looking a little deeper, I discovered that none of the four was on the team before '54. As I wrote in my 1956 Topps page, they were known for recycling pictures from year to year (for example, Hank Aaaron's "head shot" photo was the same in '54, '55 and '56).As for Bowman in 1955, all my Indians cards seem to show Chief Wahoo.

If you look through your '56 Topps cards again, you'll see that the Tribesmen with the newer-style caps (Mossi, Santiago, etc.) weren't with the team before the change, and a few veterans who were (Feller and Wertz) but didn't appear on Topps cards in 1954 and '55. Many of the photos of the players without the Chief are recycled.  In fact, Rosen, Avila and Hegan all have "head shots" that were used in the 1955 set (and Hegan's was used in '54 as well, just compare the card below to the first one shown in the post).

What a great question...I'd never noticed that before.  It was fun looking through my cards for an answer.