Number 5 Type Collection

Type Site: Keith Olbermann's Baseball Nerd, 2012 Topps Pack Opening Day

2012-02-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

It seems impossible to me that people in the hobby wouldn't know how serious a baseball card collector Keith Olbermann is, but who knows? It could still be the case. Let's confirm it now with a photo of the selfsame writer and TV host at Topps' 10th Annual Pack Opening Day.

Keith donned his best uni for the occasion, a game-worn Matt Morse jersey from the Tampa Bay prospect's first win. To prove his cardboard bona fides, Olbermann also brought one of his favorite cards.

Oh hey, a T206 Honus Wagner. (Keith claims to own three of them; maybe this is the "Weekend Wagner.")

I've no particular political leanings, but remain a fan of Olbermann's for the part he played in TCMA's growth and success in the 1970s and 80s, as a key maker of oddball and minor league sets that helped challenge and overcome Topps monopolistic control of MLB card production.

While Topps has reclaimed a similar prominence in today's hobby (thanks to its exclusive MLB license), Keith's appearance strikes a relatively minor chord of dissonance. This event is more about the cards than any particular history or narrative. Rip 'em up!

Check out Keith's Baseball Nerd blog for more of his posts on the sport and our hobby.

Type Site: Cards That Never Were (and Don Schwall)

2012-01-30T19:32:00.000-05:00

For the last several months, baseball blog Cards That Never Were has riffed on the 1975 Topps MVP subset (#189-212) with custom "Rookies of the Year" that count up from Topps' 1951 debut year. Compare an original pair of Topps MVPs...

1975 Topps #199, 1961 MVPs

...to its latest Rookies of the Year post for 1961.

Cards That Never Were, 1961 Rookies of the Year

This 1961 version caught my eye because Don Schwall also appeared on my very first card from the 1960s, not something a young collector soon forgets.

1965 Topps #362, Don Schwall

Man, that's just so old, right? At least it used to seem that way before I turned over a few decades myself. These days, 1965 seems well within the bounds of youthful exuberance.

Thanks to Cards That Never Were for this trip down memory lane and find more great work in its series of custom 1975 Topps cards.

Type Site: 1977 Topps Baseball Cards Updated

2012-01-27T15:08:00.003-05:00

Traveling through Mariners country today, an excellent excuse to point people to the blog 1977 Topps Updated and their treatment of Seattle's second expansion team.

This pair of articles compares original Seattle Topps cards with updated custom cards and gives the "real photo" treatment to guys who missed the 1977 set entirely, including this chaw-enhanced Rick Honeycutt, one of my favorite early M's.

1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 1: putting down the airbrush
1977 Seattle Mariners vol. 2: players without cards

I love to see this much work go into card posts. Check out 1977 Topps Updated for plenty more!

1960 Darigold Farms Spokane Indians Baseball #5, Joe Liscio

2012-01-25T15:14:00.001-05:00

You won't find well-groomed today's guest, Joe Liscio, in Spokane's 1960 batting or pitching stats, but he still meant a great deal to their PCL title--11.5 games in front of second place Tacoma--as clubhouse trainer and planner of their off-the-field workouts. It's likely, in fact, that the Dodgers sent Liscio to AAA after spring training to help young players strengthen up for MLB debuts or guide older guys through rehab. Of the 30 men who played for Spokane in 1960, an amazing 23 reached the majors, a great record of success for any minor league staff.

Joe trained baseball players from the 1940s to the 1970s and Baseball Digest quoted him several times during stays in LA, Philadelphia, and Montreal. My favorite story's a 1964 article on his work with the Phillies, "Sea Kelp, Wheat Germ and B-12." It covers in detail what supplements players used at the time--"Tony Gonzalez thinks daily B-12 injections give him dynamite!"--and calls back to past practices, like Ted Williams' wrist exercises with a weighted roller. I particularly enjoyed the author's closing line:

"The Phils may not win it all, but they will be excruciatingly healthy. Pass the sea kelp and give me a slug of that wheat germ oil."

Darigold Farms glued singles from this 24-player set to their milk jugs during baseball season. Cards prove hard-to-find today, thanks to its small print run and regional nature. I haven't found a real Darigold #5 for myself yet, so borrowed this back scan from Check Out My Cards to show the set design.

1960 Darigold Farms Spokane Indians #24, Ford Young

Ford's one of the unlucky 7 from Spokane to never make the majors, but at least one fan kept close track of him. It's intriguing how many modifications the previous collector made to this card; they (correctly) added both his middle name (Lester) and earlier minor league seasons with Shawnee, Thomasville, and Des Moines (career stats). It even mentions "Honolulu '63," perhaps a team he tried out for (the Islanders), but didn't stick with.

Value: The pictured low-grade Ford Young's listed at $60 on Check Out My Cards. The only #5 on eBay's listed for $120, which strikes me as optimistic (and it's been sitting there for awhile). The latest SCD annual guide puts NM singles at $145, VG at $40.

Fakes / reprints: I assume people have reprinted Darigold Farms cards, given their rarity and inclusion of eventual major league stars like Frank Howard, Willie Davis, and Ron Fairly. Real cards included a blank tab that Darigold glued to the milk bottle, which collectors usually cut off the card itself, leaving a ragged top edge. Reprints might have a factory-cut top border.

1979 TCMA Waterbury A's Baseball #5, Dennis Wysznski (actually Wyszynski)

2012-01-23T13:31:00.001-05:00

Today's TCMA team set includes another (tough-to-spell) name correction, as Dennis Wyszynski drops a letter to become Wysznski. He's right up there with Carl Yastrzemski for big-money SCRABBLE name scoring, but I'm not surprised he avoided the Yaz-style nickanme, since that'd be "whizz" or even "The Whizzer."

Dennis looks pretty nonplussed in this shot. Maybe the catcher told him to throw a spitball and he's got a bad case of cotton mouth.

Wyszynski toiled for 4 years in Oakland's farm system, but retired at age 23, probably to pursue another career. Several Waterbury teammates did successfully reach the majors, including another notable name, Shooty Babitt.

1982 Topps #578, Shooty Babitt

Here's the full 1979 TCMA Waterbury A's checklist, courtesy of TeamSets4U.

Dennis De Barr
Rick Tronerud
Walt Horn
Bart Braun
Dennis Wyszynski
Keith Atherton
Leroy Robbins
Frank Kolarek
Ed Nottle
Al Armstead
Shooty Babitt
Randy Green
Rob Klebba
Mike Patterson
Mike Davis
Al Minker
Larry Groover
Paul Mize
Bruce Fournier
Bob Grandas
Ron McNeely
Tim Conroy
Scott Meyer
Dave Beard
Robert Moore

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. Teammates Mike Davis and Keith Atherton achieved some big-league success, so might run more as singles.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1979 TCMA Memphis Chicks Baseball #5, Bryn Smith

2012-01-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

After a veritable cavalcade of TCMA minor league cards featuring players who never achieved MLB success, today's #5 features a bona fide big league hurler who won 108 games over 12 seasons, mostly for Les Expos de Montreal.

This card shows a clean-cut 23 year-old, but I remember Bryn as Captain Redbeard.

Smith's beard was mighty enough to rate a Badass Beard entry on the Sorting By Teams blog.

Team set checklist, courtesy of TeamSets4U's 1979 minor league page.

Steve Lovins
Steve Michael
Bill Armstrong TR
Julio Perez
Bryn Smith
Larry Goldetsky
Doug Simunic
Charlie Lea
Dave Hostetler
Anthony Johnson
Randy Schafer
Mike Finlayson
Rick Williams
Rick Engle
Bob Tenenini
Ray Crowley
John Scoras
Jeff Gingrich
Dennis Sherow
Tim Raines
Billy Gardner MG
Pat Rooney
Warren Hemm
Godfrey Evans

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com, a decent deal considering Bryn's MLB success. His 1979 TCMA Memphis teammates included future Montreal stars Tim Raines and Charlie Lea, so the team set's more expensive than most.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Type Site: Section 36, "5 is for..."

2012-01-16T14:27:00.003-05:00

During the off-season, Red Sox fan site Section 36 covers a wide range of baseball topics, numbered 1 to 36. It fills the chilly winter months for locals like me, who spend most of February creating spreadsheets that analyze snow accumulation. Today's fifth post for 2011-12 talks about Fenway's short (5') wall in front of its side-by-side outfield bullpens.

But why a 5' wall? To quote Section 36:

"To me it looks like a fairly careful calculation. Obviously they took an average player and stood him up against a wall. They had him take a little hop, as if he were reaching for a ball. They then marked the spot where his ribs were. 5 feet. That way, anyone crashing into the wall would be sure to at least bruise a rib, if not break it completely and puncture their lung."

Jay Buhner made one of Seattle's pinnacle defensive plays by leaping this wall to bring back a bomb hit by Moneyball binky (and former Sox slugger) Scott Hatteberg on June 29, 1997.

Another Mariner high point: "Buhner Buzz Cut Night"

Jay's effort was great enough to rank first on Mariner Top 5 Home-Run Robbing Catches (video at the MLB.com link). "It was the kind of play outfielders always dream about‚" Buhner said. (No doubt!)

Thanks for the highlight reminder and find more Sox stuff at Section 36.

1961 Bazooka Baseball #5, Roger Maris

2012-01-13T17:13:00.003-05:00

Given the special love vintage collectors and fans have for Yankee teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle racing to beat the Babe's home run record in 1961, it's pretty cool that Maris himself appeared on a #5 from that year. And what else says BOOM to a kid like BAZOOKA gum?

Card front (blank back)

Roger's power didn't come out of nowhere, as he averaged ~20 homers in Cleveland and KC prior to reaching New York. The cozy Bronx fences boosted that to 39 homers and an AL-leading .581 slugging in 1960, numbers that could've been higher if he'd played every day (career stats at B-R.com).

After setting the new 61-homer mark in 1961, Topps gave Roger the prestige spot of 1962 #1.

This blog recently featured Roger as one of the 1960 Cleveland CouldHaveBeen-dians and his stop in KC made him one piece in a larger puzzle of Athletics-to-Yankees talent shifts. Read David Fleitz's analysis of the KCA-NYY trade history for a fuller picture of how New York stocked many of those late 50s and early 60s World Series lineups. (1961's squad ranks high in any list of "all-time teams.")

Value: Low-grade Bazooka stars cost $15-20 and commons run a few dollars.

Fakes / reprints: 1961 fakes probably exist, given Bazooka's basic cardboard stock and blank backs. Look to buy from sellers that have a spread of vintage from that era, rather than just stars like Maris, or stick to commons for your type collection.

1979 TCMA Burlington Bees Baseball #5, Sam Gierham (actually Gierhan)

2012-01-11T15:07:00.000-05:00

Does today's card look a little off to you? Too smoothed on the crown? Oddly blended along the logo? I doubt that TCMA spent precious money on airbrushing--at least nothing like what Topps does every single year--but I could swear there's something unoriginal about Mr. Gierham's visage.

Speaking of that name, "Sam Gierham" doesn't really exist, but Sam Gierhan does, and pitched three years of minor league ball between 1975 and 1979. (There's a two-year gap for 1976-77, which I assume he committed to college studies.) Based on Google results, this TCMA card's the only time a "Sam Gierham" has ever existed.

TCMA got Sam's name right on their 1978 Newark Pilots team issue, but neglected to carry over his 0-1 record for this card back. He won a total of 2 games in the minors, both in 1975 rookie league play.

1979 Burlington Bees checklist courtesy of TeamSets4U.com; player names appear correct to me, other than Sam.

Larry Edwards
Russell Ramirez
Pat Seegers
Jim Robinson
Sam Gierham (Gierhan)
Rocky Hall
Willie Lozado
Nick Hernandez
Ron Buggs
Dan Gilmartin
Mark Lepson
Doug Jones
Steve Gibson
Bob Gibson
Johnny Evans
Roberto Diaz
Duane Espy
Vince Bailey
Randy Boyce
Greg De Hart
Stan Davis
Vince Pone
Jim Padula
Steve Norwood
Steve Manderfield

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. A few of Sam's teammates reached the majors, but no one's famous enough to run more than a few dollars. (#14 is the other Bob Gibson, who won a dozen games for Milwaukee in the 1980s.)

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

The 1960 Cleveland CouldHaveBeen-dians

2012-01-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

Today's post is both a trade "thank you" and callback to what could've been in Cleveland, if team management hadn't been so free to trade away their young talent. Most squads have good what-if stories, but it's been almost 65 years since the Indians won their last title, so any opportunity missed looms large.

First off, thanks to an OldBaseball.com trading friend for this 1961 Post Cereal #40 of Norm Cash, longtime Detroit first-sacker. His solid bat helped the Tigers win the 1968 World Series, just one of 15 seasons Norm spent in their uniform.

1961 Post Cereal #40, Norm Cash

As noted on the card, Norm changed hands twice in one off-season, moving from Chicago to Cleveland to Detroit following 1959. Picturing him in a Cleveland uniform reminded me of another high-ceiling hitter they traded away that year, Rocky Colavito.

1960 Topps #400, Rocky Colavito

Rocky's departure was significant enough to cast a Colavito curse, but Cleveland's potential power lineup didn't end there. This fellow also started in an Indians uniform, before being traded away in mid-1958.

1958 Topps #47, Roger Maris

The Mantle and Maris home-run race sold so many newspapers and magazines in 1961 that I think Mickey and Roger deserve credit for making baseball cards a mass-market item, acceptable for purchase by kids and adults alike. Post cereals featured the teammates on both store shelves and as a 1962 LIFE magazine insert.

Would this power trio have spurred repeated pennant runs the way Maris-Mantle-Howard made New York such a force in 1961? Context and coaching makes a big difference to team performance, but this Cash-Colavito-Maris lineup sounds pretty good to me...

1979 TCMA Newark Co-Pilots Baseball #5, Mike Overton

2012-01-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

Mike Overton took this his time in uniform quite seriously. Mike Overton was all business. After this photo shoot, Mike Overton went right out and created some local jobs. Mike Overton makes America strong.

I can imagine the team meeting that led to M.O. appearing at his neckline.

"Gentlemen, we've had problems with players misplacing their undershirts. Until further notice, we're enforcing a strict initials-on-the-collar policy."

Unfortunately, this set captures Newark's final year of play. They spent ten years farming for the Seattle Pilots and Milwaukee Brewers, but dropped affiliation for 1979 and folded after one season as an independent.

Some TCMA minor league team sets include sponsorships, which the team likely arranged in advance and included with their print order. McKanes Sporting Goods seems to be gone for good, though I found a few mentions of Newark's Pro-May Mall, including this 1984 newspaper article about a videotape service hosted in the same mall. And speaking of mustaches and videos, wish I could grow one half as good as Mike's.

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com and team sets run as little as $10 on eBay.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Virgil Trucks, still throwing fireballs (and TTM autographs)

2012-01-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

Congrats to William of Foul Bunt for snagging this hard-to-find Virgil Trucks rookie card, a short-printed #5 from the 1948-49 Leaf baseball set.

My own #5 takes up considerably less space, thanks to a youthful hack job (1948-49 Leaf Baseball set profile). Virgil also looks a little creepy, thanks to poor alignment of the print registers.

"Fire" Trucks (also called "Fireball" Trucks on his Leaf card) remains a ready signer for the price of a donation to his church, even at the age of 94. Foul Bunt's post adds more detail and includes a letter from Virgil.

TRIVIA: Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter for the Tigers (over the ChiSox) on April 8, 1984, the first no-no for Detroit since Jim Bunning tossed one in 1958 and Virgil threw a pair in 1952. The above video breaks down Jack's performance, complete with 80s hairstyles and not-so-subtle jabs at Ron Kittle. (B-R.com has the complete list of Tigers no-hitters, 7 in all.)

Van Lingle...Van Lingle...Mungo

2012-01-03T13:38:00.003-05:00

A happy 2012 to three gentlemen tied together by two American staples: pop music and baseball.

Dave Frishberg (b. 1933) wrote his bossa nova tune "Van Lingle Mungo" after enjoying the musical sound of golden era player names while piano noodling. As his song profile notes, former Dodger hurler Mungo hoped for some income based on the song, but learned he'd have to write his own to do so.

Two players mentioned in Frishberg's tune are still with us!

Boston fan favorite Johnny Pesky (b. 1919) played for teams other than the Red Sox, but he's been inseparable from the franchise since 1968, serving as instructor, coach, and namesake of Fenway's right-field foul pole.

WWII-era player Eddie Basinski (b. 1922) spent only a few years in the majors, but spun his war time opportunity into two MLB stints, first with the Brooklyn Dodgers and later with Pittsburgh. Eddie jumped right from the semipro sandlots to the bigs, an almost unheard-of feat detailed further in Slangon's write-up for his autograph (and custom card) of Mr. Basinski.

Happy 2012 (and many more) to Frishberg, Pesky, and Basinski! (And Van Lingle...Van Lingle...Mungoooooo.)

1971 Milk Duds Baseball #5, Billy Grabarkewitz

2012-01-02T18:10:00.001-05:00

Happy 2012 to all baseball fans! This year, I resolve to cover more of my dad's favorite squad, the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Thanks to Vin Scully's promise to return for his 63rd season, Chavez Ravine will continue to feel (and sound) like home.

Boys of Summer step one: a third pull from the sweets barrel of Milk Duds, that chocolate-and-caramel confection that's so much better than those malted, chalky Whoppers.

Milk Duds called itself the MLBPA's "official candy," an advertising tactic that's ubiquitous today, but comparatively rare in the 1970s. The scholarly study Applications and Implementation: The Effects of Endorsements on Product Evaluation even cited chapter and verse on a legal objection filed by the Federal Trade Commission over this kind of marketing.

"[The FTC] challenged Beatrice Foods, producer of Holloway Milk Duds, for their ad that showed Lou Brock stealing bases. The FTC claimed that the ad implied that eating the candy is necessary for improving one's athletic performance. The advertisement states that Milk Duds are 'the official candy of the Major League Baseball Players Association.' This endorsement was not based on nutritional superiority of the product, but rather on monetary consideration."

Many adults shrug off this kind of "we're the best!" advertising message, but I assume some kids took it at face value. Otherwise, why advertise in the first place? (Full paper accessible to Wiley.com subscribers.)

Beatrice/Holloway didn't grok the one-player-per-card concept and assigned three guys to each numbered flap (see scan's lower-left corner). Grabarkewitz ended up sharing checklist honors with a Yankee and an Angel, each on separate boxes.

1971 Milk Duds #5, Thurman Munson
1971 Milk Duds #5, Andy Messersmith
1971 Milk Duds #5, Billy Grabarkewitz (today)

Value: Full boxes cost about $10 these days and trimmed players run a dollar to two.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, though some dodgy sellers have repackaged empty boxes with candy and plastic wrap to make them seem rarer and more valuable. I recommend sticking to empty boxes for a type set.

Five Fantastic Finishes for 2011

2011-12-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all my readers for following along in 2011 and hope New Year's dawns bright in 2012! Here's are five of my favorite baseball endings to capstone the year.

1. 1967 Topps #605, Mike Shannon, the last card obtained for a set with teeth-gnashingly expensive high numbers. The Topps Archives did a great bit of research into 1967's short print frequency for Who Ya Callin' Short?! It's useful to remember that determining "real" short- and double-print rests on collectors examining original sheets, since Topps was tight-lipped about production quantity.

Scan cuffed from eBay, listed at $52 for this G/VG version

2. Even though my Red Sox lost out to Tampa on 2011's final day (and final inning), it ranks as one of most amazing days fans will ever see. ESPN broke it down for their "strange but truest last day of the season."

Longoria's homer in the 12th sends Tampa to the playoffs

3. One-time-reader comment of the year: Mike Aronstein (of TCMA and SSPC) complimented my analysis of their 1978 Yankees World Series yearbook. Mike said he expected to attend the 2011 National, but I was unable to track him down. Maybe next year! (I hope this one's a beginning instead of an ending.)

4. Vin Scully calls the 9th inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game in Sept 9, 1965. This is the same game Koufax's recent biography structured itself around, if you're the literary type.

"There's 29,000 people in the ballpark and a million butterflies..."

5. What says "the end" like This Week in Baseball's closing theme? This Aug 10, 1982 clip kicks off with Joel Youngblood's "Tale of Two Cities" moment in the sun and made me pretty nostalgic when those horns and strings swelled at 1:12.

Any fantastic finishes in your collection this year?

RIP to a Fellow Collector

2011-12-28T09:21:00.001-05:00

Sad news from my group of baseball card traders (OldBaseball.com), as we learned that long-time member Ryan Diselrath recently passed away. Fellow blogger Chris Stufflestreet wrote a nice post for Ryan at Vintage Sportscards, featuring these classic 1952 Topps.

Ryan and I swapped cards a few times over the years and our trading group kept track of his life and health via Facebook and chats after a seizure paralyzed most of his body. Despite how much that changes everything about day-to-day life, we never saw it dampen his enthusiasm for living. It was great to know Ryan and share his love for baseball.

1979 TCMA Appleton Foxes Baseball #5, Dave White

2011-12-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Ignore Dave White's oversized hat and big lapels--check out that cool, steady gaze instead. Ladykiller.

TCMA's orange-on-white "creamsicle wave" is the obvious part of their 1979 set design, enough that you can forget about the pictures themselves. So many backgrounds wash out to solid black or white, I have to wonder: did minor league photographers only work at night?

Given how poorly this black-and-white look compares to eye-popping 1978 sets from Cramer Sports, I can see why TCMA added a full-color option at some point in 1979 (e.g., Charleston Charlies #5, Gary Woods).

The White Sox drafted Mr. White in the 2nd round of 1978's amateur draft and he played most of 3 seasons with the single-A Foxes. Dave showed pop for a young infielder (20 homers in 272 games), but quit baseball abruptly at the age of 19, perhaps to attend college before a scholarship window closed.

1979 TCMA Appleton Foxes checklist (via TeamSets4U.com):

Paul Soth
Dennis Keating
Vito Lucarelli
Ed Bahns
Dave White
Kevin Hickey
Clancy Woods
Jeff Vuksan
Lorenzo Gray
Mike Johnson
Dave Daniels
Ivan Mesa
Mike Sivik
Phil Bauer
Mark Teutsch
Luis Estrada
Jim Breazeale
Vince Bienek
Bob Umdenstock
Mike Mattland
Duane Shaffer
Mark Platel
Don Kraeger
Vic Walters
Paul Gbur

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. His teammates didn't include any future big-league stars, so the Foxes remain an affordable team set.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

I'm Dreaming of a Steve Christmas (1983 TCMA Tucson Toros)

2011-12-23T14:18:00.001-05:00

Only two shopping days until the 25th. Anyone left on your Christmas list? Why not get them a card?

Holiday-friendly catcher Steve Christmas appeared once before in this blog, as a teammate of 1980 TCMA Waterbury Reds #5, Paul Herring. His pictured team, the Tucson Toros, adopted this rainbow-sleeve 80s look of their parent club, Houston, a few short years after their salsa-and-guacamole debacle.

1987 Fleer #67, Nolan Ryan

It's still above freezing in Boston, so who knows if this year's Christmas will also be white. I brought Bing along, just in case flakes start to fall...

Merry Steve Christmas, y'all!

1964 Topps Rookie All-Star Baseball Banquet #5, Election Committee (with Jackie Robinson)

2011-12-21T13:27:00.004-05:00

Thanks to his HOF career and all-round significance, one of these Topps Rookie All-Star Team Honorary Election Committee members is somewhat better-known than the others. See if you can identify him. :-)

Card front (blank back)

This stately group of gentlemen helped pick Topps All-Star Rookies between 1959 and 1964, usually designated as such on the card itself. Willie McCovey's rookie card is one of the best.

1960 Topps #316, Willie McCovey

In 1959, collectors could mail in votes for All-Star Rookies, thus the "selected by the youth of America" tagline.

Topps hosted a 1964 banquet in honor of their trophy-winning ballplayers and gave them a commemorative boxed set of 35 cards. Today's #5 includes a "page 5" note at lower-right because their set copied the event's full-sized program design note-for-note.

Will only a few hundred attendees, it's no surprise that very few All-Star Rookie boxes reached the 21st-century collectors market. Some singles appear on eBay, but complete sets usually sell at higher-profile auctions.

New York uniform trivia #1: Yankee reliever par excellence Mariano Rivera continues to hum along as the last guy to wear All-Star Rookie consultant Jackie Robinson's #42. The MLB retired for his uniform number for all teams in 1997, but allowed active players to continue using it.

New York uniform trivia #2: Once New York retires Derek Jeter's #2, the only active number under #11 will be #6, which they've left unissued since Joe Torre's departure in 2007. Jeter might be the last Yankee to wear single-digit pinstripes.

New York uniform trivia #3: The Yankees retired #8 for HOF catchers Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey at a shared ceremony on July 22, 1972, one of baseball's few such double-dips.

Superlative card blog The Topps Archives showed scans of these 1964 Rookie All-Star cards (and program) in A Moveable Feast? and Feast on This. (The latter article includes a full 35-card checklist.)

Value: I've only seen a score of singles (of any number) on eBay over the years, listed from $50 to $200. Since so few exist, the market price varies based on how many collectors go for a given auction or listing.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace. Not sure if enough people care about this set to make reprinting it worthwhile. (Jackie Robinson's popular for collectors, so #5 would be vulnerable to fakery if any exists.)

Type Site: Oriole Bobble Head of the Week

2011-12-19T17:04:00.000-05:00

I've plugged The Great Orioles Autograph Project before, but check out its featured Baltimore bobble head for this week. None other than HOF #5, Brooks Robinson!

Brooks holds a special place in my heart as the first HOF to answer a letter of mine way back at age 13. Find a scan of my questions and his response in the profile for 1973 Johnny Pro Orioles (fielding) #5.

Didn't occur to me until today, but Brooks appears on quite a few type collection cards. (Five in all!)

Orioles (and autograph) fans should keep tabs on The Great Orioles Autograph Project for more bobbles and other good stuff.

1979 TCMA Clinton Dodgers Baseball #5, Matt Reeves

2011-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

Matt Reeves, master of the blank stare. Look deep into those eyes. You are getting very sleepy. Sleeeepy.

Forget Dave Stewart's intimidating glare. I'm surprised batters could stay awake against Mr. Reeves, if this TCMA rendition is true-to-life. (Should more teams consider the secret weapon of sedation?)

Reeves never pitched above single-A for Los Angeles, but overlaps with two significant players for the major league Dodgers.

1982 Topps #114, Ken Landreaux

Number 1: Following 1980, LA traded Matt Reeves, Mickey Hatcher, and Kelly Snider to Minnesota for their All-Star CF, Ken Landreaux. Kenny roamed the Dodger outfield through 1987, helping them reach the postseason three times and win the World Series in 1981.

Number 2: Former Clinton Dodger Mickey Hatcher returned to the parent club in 1987. He and LA's other utility players--Tom Lasorda dubbed them the "stuntmen"--helped overcome Oakland's Bash Brothers to win the 1988 World Series. (Hatcher slugged a pair of homers in the series after hitting only one all year and famously sprinted around the bases after each.)

1979 marked Matt's first pro season, so TCMA didn't have any stats to print on the card back. He finished the year 8-8 with a tidy 2.85 ERA, more than half-a-run better than team average. (Teammate Orel Hershiser, another 1988 World Series hero, went 4-0 for Clinton in his own pro debut.)

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. Guys who reached the big leagues run more, depending on how famous they became. Steve Sax is the most valuable card in this team set.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1979 TCMA Asheville Tourists Baseball #5, Wayne Terwilliger

2011-12-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

Today's TMCA team of minor league hopefuls is that rare set where the manager's career experience might exceed his starting lineup's...combined.

Wayne "Twig" Terwilliger spent more than six decades playing, managing, and coaching in pro ball. His web site--updated in 2009--cites a managerial retirement date of 2005, but Twig continued to coach first base for Fort Worth of the American Association through 2010, pushing his total to 65 years.

Hate to quibble, Asheville Police Department, but how is riding one kid per bike a CRIME prevention tip? Are they saying "don't be a getaway driver for bicycle bandits?" (That might be what they're saying.)

Twig appeared on Topps cards (as a player) way back in the 1950s. His 1956 action pose captures a nice slide into home, though it looks like the ball arrived first and they've got Wayne dead to rights.

Both Wayne's 1956 card and today's TCMA #5 appear in his site's baseball card gallery.

Value: This #5 cost $2 from MinorLeagueSingles.com. Wayne garnered plenty of cardboard in his day, but never rose to star level for collectors.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Type Site: The Phillies Room

2011-12-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

I've tracked Jim's line of custom Chachi cards on The Phillies Room for quite a while. Hard to miss today's post, as #5 in a series of off-season transactions.

2012 Chachi Transactions #5 Ben Francisco

Ben Francisco moved to Toronto yesterday in a "major leaguer for minor leaguer" swap, opening a roster spot for further movements prior to spring training. Jim tracks all past deals in each off-season post, giving readers the full picture of how teams--even successes like Philly--plan and rebuild between October and April.

Find many, many more custom cards and Philadelphia loyalty at The Phillies Room. And hey, this is Number 5 blog post #600! Happy to use it to honor team fandom anytime and anywhere.

1979 TCMA Quad City Cubs Baseball #5, Bill "Tex" Morgan

2011-12-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

1979 meant mostly orange waves under black-and-white photos for TMCA minor league cards, as seen in several earlier team sets. This doesn't mean founder Mike Aronstein and his staff avoided full color; they'd already put it to use for MLB retrospectives like The 1960's (#5 profile). Small-town A and AA-ball teams promoted their players on thin budgets, so might've asked for "cheap" over "pretty." By 1980, TCMA added color and plenty of teams took that option. (Funny how people will spend more for a premium product when you give them the choice.)

TCMA card editors called this man Bill--born William Arnold Morgan--but Baseball-Reference.com knows him by the more memorable moniker Tex Morgan. If I were Bill, you can bet Tex is what I'd want on anything sports-related. Bats, autographs, hats, you name it. Give me a Tex monogrammed sweat towel!

Tex spent 1979 and most of 1980 shagging flies for these Cubs. He never crested above Midland's AA team, unfortunately, as hitting .212 in the minors rarely means success in the majors, and retired after 1981.

Marvel Comics ran their own Tex Morgan comic back in the 1940s and 1950s, which I suspect inspired guys named Morgan to adopt it themselves; can't get more cowboy than six-shooters, spurs, and a bandana. (Follow the image link for more comic covers.)

Value: This #5 cost $2 from MinorLeagueSingles.com, about right for late 70s cards of guys who didn't reach the majors.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any 1979 reprints. TCMA did reissue some 1980 team sets in the late 1980s, so it's possible 1979 cards also reappeared. (Unfortunately, I'm not sure how you'd tell them apart.)

1979 TCMA Buffalo Bisons Baseball #5, Tony Pena

2011-12-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

This man's done some of everything on the baseball diamond, from 5-time All-Star catcher to Kansas City manager to title-winning bench coach for the Yankees in 2009. I remember Tony Pena mostly for his unorthodox half-sitting stance, but it didn't keep him from leading the league in throwing out would-be base stealers or being the consensus best defensive catcher of the 1980s.

That kid looks super-excited to be batboy and I can understand why. Nothing thrills a 10 year-old baseball fan more than the thought of being so close to your favorite players and having a real job to do on the field.

This orange-on-cream card style matches TCMA's other 1979 team sets and reminds me of summertime creamsicles. (Mmm, sweet and fruity.)

Buffalo elected Tony Pena to their franchise Hall of Fame in 2011. While it probably didn't generate the same excitement as winning a ring with New York in 2009, the embers of youthful nostalgia glow a little warmer when you're recognized for past achievements.

Value: Pena's minor league cards cost more than guys who never reached the bigs. A friend traded this one to me, but I estimate they'd cost $5 or so.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen 1979 reprints in the marketplace, but know that TCMA made late-80s reissues of 1980 teams, so it's possible they did so for earlier years.

1952 Bedard and Donaldson (a.k.a., Laval Dairy) Provincial League Baseball #5, Georges Maranda

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Georges Henri Maranda is one of those guys who hung around the lower minors long enough to get not one, but two shots at the big leagues. Today's card shows him at age 20, pitching for the Quebec Braves, a Canadian farm team of Boston's NL franchise. He pitched solidly as a starter and survived their move west to Milwaukee in 1954, when the C-league team itself shifted to Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Card front (blank back)

Georges continued to toil for Braves minor league teams throughout the 1950s, but ultimately reached the majors with San Francisco in 1960 (17 games) and Minnesota (32 games) in 1962 (career stats at B-R.com).

Vintage card guides called this black-and-white issue "Laval Dairy," but modern research shows they (and a contemporary hockey set) came instead from Bedard & Donaldson, Ltd. Cards cover local minor league teams known to Montreal and Quebecois fans, explaining why it's one of the few baseball sets in all French.

1951-52 Bedard and Donaldson hockey #92, Jacques Plante (HOF)

Bedard & Donaldson's 114-player checklist shows an ambitious commitment for that era; only Bowman published sets of similar size in the American market prior to 1952. I think Bedard's 1951-52 hockey set sold well enough that adding baseball images seemed financially viable, but unfortunately no similar issues followed in later seasons.

Value: A 2011 eBay auction for this #5 closed at $35, FKW Century Old Cards lists singles for $10-20, and Legendary Auctions sold a near-set for $657. (They're pretty rare, so prices are volatile, depending on how many collectors want a particular card.)

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, but someone might've produced a direct-to-collectors version, given the rarity.

1967-1968 Coca-Cola Boston Red Sox Baseball Caps #5, Darrell Brandon

2011-12-02T09:50:00.000-05:00

The late 1960s Coke caps comprise several brands, all still sold today in one form or another: Coca-Cola, Fresca, Tab, Sprite, and Fanta. Most feature players with blacked-out team insignias, given the changing nature of player and team licensing in the mid-60s union upheaval, led by the stronger MLBPA and director Marvin Miller. Mr. Brandon's hat has an O or zero on it, which might've been scratched in by a young collector. Other team logos remain, including the LA on 1967 Coke Dodgers #5, Don Sutton.

Collectors differ over what to call these Coke toppers. The Sports Collectors Digest annual price guide calls them bottle caps, which I favor despite its ho-hum descriptiveness. Others call them crowns to separate them conversationally from baseball uniform caps and match the worldwide cap collectors market. (See BottleCrowns.net for an extensive non-sports collection.)

Coke used Darrell "Bucky" Brandon as #5 for their 1967-68 sets. This checklist turned over nearly half of Boston's 18 players between the two years (1967 / 1968 below).

Lee Stange
Carl Yastrzemski / Gary Waslewski
Don Demeter / Gary Bell
Jose Santiago / John Wyatt
Darrell Brandon
Joe Foy
Don McMahon / Ray Culp
Dalton Jones
Mike Ryan / Gene Oliver
Bob Tillman / Jose Santiago
Rico Petrocelli
George Scott
George Smith / Mike Andrews
Dennis Bennett / Dick Ellsworth
Hank Fischer / Norm Siebern
Jim Longborg
Jose Tartabull / Jerry Adair
George Thomas / Elston Howard

If you've seen Jose Santiago caps with different numbers (4 vs. 10), now you know why!

Value: Nipped this scan from an eBay auction, where Mr. Brandon sits at the asking price of $3.

Fakes / reprints: I doubt it's economical to fake a Coke cap.

Bobby Valentine to Manage Boston Red Sox

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know Bobby V was in the mix for Boston's bench? I sure didn't. Inevitable he ended up managing again somewhere, though my vote was for Seattle about 3 years ago, given his experience in Japan.

That's not my favorite Valentine card, though.

1981 Topps #445! Love the face mask and vertical uniform striping. Ellis wore the half-football bars to protect his injured cheekbone, as pioneered by Dave Parker not long before.

Sweet mother of mercy, that's creepy. Find the whole story at Aggh! It's Dave Parker at the Plate! by Paul Lukas.

And now the circle to "Valentine's Day Massacre" is complete. Welcome to Boston, Bobby V!

1948 Sommer and Kaufmann San Francisco Seals Baseball #5, Alfred Lein

2011-11-30T08:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the wizardry of eBay, I finally know what this obscure Pacific Coast League team set's #5 looks like. These scans come from the first time one turned up in years of personal searching, foreshadowing a well-above-guide closing price (to be named below). I mean, who wouldn't pay top dollar for that posed catch in a left-field bullpen?

Al Lein bounced around the low minors as a Yankee farmhand during the late 30s before settling in with the San Francisco Seals for a dozen years. He proved a durable arm and averaged almost 40 games pitched during his decade with the team, serving as both starter and spot reliever (career stats at B-R.com).

The Bay Area's Sommer and Kaufmann chain, sellers of boys and mens clothing, sponsored this set of San Francisco Seals in the same mold as "competing" team sets from nearby Oakland businesses. (Links go to previous #5 profiles.)

1946 Remar Bread Oakland Oaks - Hersh Martin
1947 Remar Bread Oakland Oaks - Mickey Burnett
1947 Smith's Clothing Oakland Oaks - Ray Hamrick
1948 Smith's Clothing Oakland Oaks - Lloyd Christopher

With so few Sommer and Kaufmann singles in today's market, I assume the store printed small quantities compared to Smith's and Remar. Count yourself lucky if you've already snagged one as a type card!

Value: This low-grade #5 closed at $65 in its eBay auction, well above the NM guide price. Enough vintage collectors go after team and PCL issues today to make this a high-demand, volatile set.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, but they might exist, given overall rarity.

1967-1968 Coca-Cola Atlanta Braves Baseball Caps #B5, Tony Cloninger

2011-11-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Coca-Cola covered a bunch of teams with their 1967-68 baseball bottles, each featuring a set of about 15 floating heads sealed beneath plastic cap liners. There's another series of All-Stars from the same period and several players show up in both sets. (Rusty Staub is All-Star #5.)

The 1967-68 cap sets were one of the first MLB Players Association-licensed products available nation-wide. Coke blacked out hats to save team license fees, knowing that player images help move food and perishable products. (By comparison, team logos sell better for caps, shirts, and clothing.)

On the 3rd of July, 1966, Braves pitcher Tony Cloninger hit a pair of grand slams off San Francisco pitching and remains the only pitcher to do so in MLB history.

Tony hit his first-inning slam off Bob Priddy, already pitching in relief of starter Joe Gibbon.

Ray Sadecki mopped up the last six innings of San Francisco's 17-3 loss and gave up Tony's second blast in the 4th.

Cloninger finished with 3 hits and 9 RBI, a monster game for anyone, pitcher or slugging outfielder. (Hank Aaron hit "just" a solo shot and probably bought the post-game beers.) Might a guy hit three grand slams one day? If so, it probably won't be a pitcher, making Tony's place in history pretty secure.

Read more about Tony's post-playing career and life in retirement at this retrospective article from DenverNCNews.com.

Value: Low-grade Coke caps go for $1 or less. HOFers or commons without edge wear and rust cost a little more.

Fakes / reprints: Can't imagine how you'd fake a Coke cap and still make a profit!

1980 TCMA Arkansas Travelers Baseball #5, Sonny Ruberto

2011-11-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

Sonny in name and sunny in disposition, Mr. Ruberto made a career of 60s and 70s minor league baseball, primarily in the Cardinals and Reds organizations. True to the "Travelers" name, he suited up for more than a dozen North American teams, bussing all the way from Winnipeg to Sarasota in 1964 alone.

Uniform detail that interests only me: the big A has two serifs at the bottom, but none on top. Unusual typographical choice.

As with the 1978 TCMA Arkansas set, it looks like they caught Sonny at night, or at least with such a bright flash that he's just a silhouette. Card design's otherwise identical to other 1980 TCMA issues, red border with white text.

Ruberto led Arkansas to the Texas League's best record in 1980, beating out seven other teams.

Arkansas Travelers, 81-55
Amarillo Gold Sox, 77-59
Tulsa Drillers, 75-61 (1980 TCMA #5, Mike Roberts)
San Antonio Dodgers, 74-62
Jackson Mets, 74-62
Midland Cubs, 64-72
El Paso Diablos, 50-86
Shreveport Captains, 49-87 (32 games back! Ouch.)

That squad's best-known player (now) was another manager, Jim Riggleman, who appeared as the #5 in their 1979 TCMA Arkansas team set.

Value: Sonny cost $5, more than my usual TCMA budget, but proved hard to find, so I made an exception. Most singles from this era cost a dollar or two and team sets run $10-20, depending on player popularity.

Fakes / reprints: TCMA reprinted several 1980 team sets later in the decade, as collector interest in minor league rookies escalated. Those cards used black ink on the back. The blue ink means this card is an original.

1934 World Wide Gum Baseball #79, Larry French

2011-11-23T08:39:00.001-05:00

This card made me smile for two reasons.

First, it's a nice vintage design, down to the Lou Gehrig quote and the backset baseball diamond.

Second, it's Larry French...in French. World Wide Gum, Co. licensed this 1934 Goudey design for Canadian distribution, which also meant translating card backs. (The #5 is Brooklyn's Babe Herman.)

French in French! I'm easy to please. Any amusing cards you've seen lately?

1973 TCMA Cedar Rapids Astros Baseball #5, Bob Dean

2011-11-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

20 year-old Canadian righty Robert S. Dean is one of the youngest guys profiled on this blog, but he was already a third-year veteran by 1973, after spending 1971-72 in the Appalachian rookie league (career stats at B-R.com). He's also got a look that says, "wait, is that a camera?"

This black-and-white design echoes TCMA's first set, which featured the 1972 Cedar Rapids Cardinals. Bob Dean is one of my few autographed #5s and a scarce one at that, as not many collectors hung onto cards from Iowa's single-A teams.

TCMA started their minor league work with annual Cedar Rapids sets from 1972 to 1974. They expanded in 1975 to four Iowa cities (Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Dubuque, Quad Cities) and one in Louisiana (Lafayette). Odd that I lived in Iowa and attended games with my parents during that era, but never ended up with cards myself. Wait long enough and life comes full-circle.

Can't miss that classic Astrodome logo, complete with orbiting satellites. Single-A affiliate Cedar Rapids eventually "launched" six of its players to the bigs; most successful of those is a toss-up between Mike Stanton and Luis Sanchez.

Value: Not sure how many sets reached today's market, but it took awhile to track down this type card, so I assume the answer's "not many." Some sellers price TCMA singles or team sets as rare treasures, asking $10 or $20 per card for guys who never reached the majors. Wait until you see them for $5 or less. As of writing, eBay offers a team set for $20.

Fakes / reprints: Don't know of any 1973 reprints, but TCMA occasionally did so for 1980s minor league sets.

1971 Topps Baseball Coins #5, Felix Millan

2011-11-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

Various baseball makers tried out metal and plastic baseball coins during the 60s and 70s, such as Topps' debut issue in 1964 (#5 Dick Groat). Similar efforts include Coca-Cola's cap liners and the Salada/Shirriff plastic coins.

Topps punched these coins from a metal sheet and then rounded the edges to keep kids from cutting themselves. My scanner got hung up on Millan's knurled lip, so here's a clearer scan of one of his more famous teammates.

Topps packaged these coins in wax packs of their "regular" 2nd series and even printed a separate checklist as 1971 Topps #161, the first time they'd made such an overlap.

Find just about everything there is to know about 1971's coin color-coding and other set peccadilloes at The Topps Archives' coin posts. (Checklist scan borrowed from its feature article, Post Pattern.)

As the tag line says, Topps minted a set of 153 coins, which itself divided into three sheets of 51 players (3 rows of 17); uncut proofs pop up occasionally in auctions.

Value: Single coins are common; Felix cost 25 cents at a show several years ago.

Fakes / reprints: It'd be quite a feat to fake one of these coins and I haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Off-Season Giveaway: New York Yankees

2011-11-18T09:44:00.001-05:00

Let's not beat around a bush with these giveaways. It's time to send someone several dozen Yankee cards.

As with the first giveaway, these cards are from all over the place, and cover quite a range of players. Even guys with famous elbows.

Some of the Donnie Baseball cards include mustaches, but others do not.

There are also several Jeter cards, including this 2009 OPC Black Border.

UPDATE: Congrats to winner AstrosFreakCam, who picks up this lot of 70 Bronx Bombers.

MY FAVORITE GAME: By mid-July of 1979, both Seattle and New York sat several games back in their division standings, though at least the (defending champion) Yankees were above .500.

Dad and I went to a Mariners home game on July 11, expecting to see Tommy John pitch and Reggie Jackson swing. We did not expect for Seattle to knock New York pitchers around for 9 runs in the first inning, the final two scoring on an upper-deck homer by Ruppert Jones, which itself followed a two-run triple by Mario Mendoza.

Mariner starter Floyd Bannister spun a complete game 3-hitter, limiting the Yankees to a single run: a homer by future NYY/SEA manager Lou Piniella. Final score, 16-1. (In all the years since, I've never attended such a lopsided game.)

Let me know what NYY-connected games you've enjoyed, from either side of the ledger.

1980 Mitock LA Dodgers Baseball Postcards #5, Jay Johnstone

2011-11-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

This smilin' Jay Johnstone postcard, from one of several team sets printed up by LA area photographers Mitock and Son, figures into one of my formative childhood baseball beliefs and one shared with many others: TEAMS DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER. Franchises should seek out rivals to challenge, fight, and beat. Every pitch is a potential bench-clearing incident. Fans have long memories for victories, mishaps, and offenses. That's part of why this postcard looks...wrong.

Between 1970 and 1980, Johnstone played for several teams: California, Chicago, Oakland, Philly, New York, San Diego, and Los Angeles. It's hard to imagine a guy with that resume feeling "anchored" to one area, but my young mind only cared about one team in 1978: the Dodgers, NL pennant-winners over Philadelphia for the second straight year.

LA's World Series opponent, the Yankees, included one Jay Johnstone, a man who played only 59 games for the Bombers over parts of two seasons, but did enough to snag a World Series ring that year, over the Dodgers. Jay appeared twice as a defensive replacement without batting, so figured only slightly in the result, but I remembered: JAY JOHNSTONE WAS A YANKEE.

But if Jay was a Yankee, wasn't he also a Dodger? The crazy part is that Jay won another title in 1981, as a Dodger, over the Yankees. He even hit a crucial pinch-hit homer off Ron Davis in game 4, a win that squared the series at 2-2! So why am I stuck on him as a "hated" Yankee? Those six year-old feelings are hard to shake. These days, I have to remember that rivalries are more about nostalgia than records of what really happened on the field.

According to scattered Internet sources, the KVB12953 prefix (at bottom middle of the card's back) covers Mitock's 1980 postcard set and these known players.

KVB12953-1:
KVB12953-2: Jerry Reuss
KVB12953-3: Dave Goltz
KVB12953-4: Rudy Law
KVB12953-5: Jay Johnstone
KVB12953-6: Rick Sutcliffe
KVB12953-7: Don Stanhouse
KVB12953-8:
KVB12953-9:
KVB12953-10:

Let me know if you have others and we'll update the checklist.

Value: Jay cost $1 at a recent card show. (I've seen autographed versions online for $5.)

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any Mitock postcards I'd call a "reprint," though the company might've printed more of each player as long as they stayed with the team.

Winner of St. Louis Cardinals Giveaway

2011-11-14T16:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks to fellow bloggers Ryan G (Cardboard Zoo) and Matt (Tenets of Wilson) for adding their stories to my St. Louis Cardinals giveaway. They made it easy to pick a winner; I gave Ryan heads, Matt tails, and went to Random.org's coin flipper.

Spanish 5 Pesetas piece; love the on-coin soccer ball

Congrats, Matt! Here are just two of the cards headed your way.

2007 Fleer Ultra Swing Kings, Albert Pujols

2009 OPC black border #579, David Freese

Look for another giveaway later this week!

David Segui Wantlist Hits from Mad Guru

2011-11-11T09:08:00.001-05:00

Big thanks to Rain of Error's Mad Guru for a pair of hits to my David Segui wantlist. I've been at this player collection a while, so getting two new ones at once is much appreciated.

First up, 1997 Fleer Circa Rave. Headline-sized text, on-card pull quotes, and bar charts instead of stat grids? They're the New York Post of baseball cards.

Keeping that card company was 1995 Donruss Top of the Order, one of several 90s attempts at a baseball-themed collectible card game (CCG).

This game set requires at least one starter box, which contains rules, and as many booster packs of extra players as you care to purchase. In most CCGs, people who spend more tend to amass better and more powerful cards. It's a real design challenge to keep all player levels interested. (See a ripped booster at A Pack To Be Named Later.)

Anyone tried playing Top of the Order? If so, was it fun?

Thanks for the hits, Guru! I've updated my David Segui wantlist to reflect the arrivals.

FREE STUFF: Don't forget you have until the end of Friday, Nov 11, to enter my St. Louis Cardinals giveaway.

Off-season Giveaway: St. Louis Cardinals

2011-11-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

Congrats again to the Birds on the Bat on their 11th championship. My Missourah-based aunt didn't send a commemorative six-pack of Budweiser yet, but I bet one shows up in a stocking at Christmastime.

Budweiser's 2006 Championship Bottle

Speaking of times for gifting, this blog will spend the off-season shipping out variety packs of team cards, starting with the title-holding Cardinals. Each will contain a mix of extra #5s, 2009 OPC, 2008 Allen and Ginter, oddballs, and who knows what else. I'm excited and intrigued just speculating what they might contain.

MINOR SPOILER: I'm pretty sure that the St. Louis assortment will have an OPC box panel with Albert Pujols, though not the one shown above (an image borrowed from elsewhere).

WHAT TO DO: Interested in receiving the St. Louis pack? Add a comment with your earliest memory of the Cardinals, a favorite game, or moment that's special to you. I'll pick a winner from entries this Saturday, so you've got a few days to percolate.

MY FAVORITE MOMENT: Former STL greats Lou Brock and Stan Musial attended a Boston-area card show several years ago, the first time I'd seen either HOFer in person. The car carrying them both arrived before show opening, with a bunch of us gathered at the entrance waiting to get in.

Stan got out first, pants hitched up high enough to be a grandfather's grandfather. He sort of shuffled through the doors without much acknowledgement, but who knows how much he could see or hear at the time.

Lou came next and departed the guest van like a president stepping off Air Force One, resplendent in suit, tie, and fresh coiffure. He smiled big, waved big, and acknowledged just about everyone within sight. It was a cool experience, just seeing how much Brock wanted to let us know he was feeling good and happy to meet fans after traveling halfway across the country. Just one of those times that makes collecting fun and memorable.

1976 Mitock LA Dodgers Baseball Postcards #5, Charlie Hough

2011-11-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

Jamie Moyer (who this blog recently profiled on 1995 Fleer Flair #5) plans to pitch again in 2012 at age 49. Doing so would push him past other 40-something hurlers like Phil Niekro (48), Nolan Ryan (46), longtime Dodger/Ranger/Marlin/ChiSox Charlie Hough (46), and into rarified air with Hoyt Wilhelm (also 49). Since the second wave of MLB expansion in 1969, only those two gents will have pitched so close to 50 years old.

Niekro and Hough threw low-impact knuckle balls, which no doubt helped their longevity. Moyer's also known for soft stuff, with fastballs that top out in the low-80s. All three are polar opposites of the 100-MPH Ryan Express, but if Jamie's plan comes together (and several teams with pitcher-friendly parks DO need mound help), Moyer will need just two seasons to tie Ryan's mark of 27. (He's already level with Hough's 25.)

TRIVIA: Of all pitchers to win and lose at least 200 career games, Charlie Hough leads all pitchers in games finished with 240. In the same category, Jamie Moyer trails all pitchers with just 33.

I sifted this Mitock Publishing #5 out of a group of Dodger postcards at a local card show last weekend. They ran several years of similar sets, delineated by catalog prefix number. According to what I can find online, "KV8861" came out in 1976 and includes these Dodger players.

KV8861-1: Walt Alston
KV8861-2: Ron Cey
KV8861-3: Tommy John
KV8861-4: Davey Lopes
KV8861-5: Charlie Hough
KV8861-6: Steve Garvey
KV8861-7: Mike Marshall
KV8861-8: Joe Ferguson
KV8861-9: Dusty Baker
KV8861-10: Burt Hooten

Let me know if you've seen any numbers above 10 from this series and I'll update the checklist.

Value: Hough cost $1, which I considered a good deal. Fan favorites like Lopes and Alston could cost more.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any fakes and I think it's too specific a collecting niche to make money reprinting modern players.

1978 TCMA Holyoke Millers Baseball #5, Bernardo Leonard

2011-11-04T16:20:00.003-04:00

TCMA produced dozens of 1970s oddball sets aimed at collectors and small-town fans, but this is their earliest minor league set I've seen with full-color fronts. I assume it went to press with their major league retrospective, The 1960s (#5 profile), so proved economical to print both.

This white-bordered look also calls back to 1953 Bowman Color, the vintage company's initial try at full-color photos in card packs (#5 profile). That experiment proved so expensive, Bowman Gum switched to black-and-white fronts for a late-season series of 64 cards and even renumbered it, a somewhat confusing strategy for issues with similar card backs (#5 profile).

Nice to see TCMA include Holyoke's team logo. It's modeled after the eponymous paper mill smokestacks that lined their town's canal system, first developed in the 1800s. Most of this infrastructure now supports the generation of electricity, a common changeover as railroads carried American industry west over the last 150 years.

Value: Bernardo cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1980 TCMA Tidewater Tides Baseball #5, Sergio Ferrer

2011-11-03T10:14:00.002-04:00

When I think base runners on cards, multi-sport champion Herb Washington comes right to mind.

The 1970s track-and-field title holder appeared in 105 career games for Oakland, always as a pinch runner, and nabbed a World Series ring in 1974 during their 3-year title run. (Note the single white glove, pre-Michael Jackson, and excellent penmanship. Personal style counts!)

The 1970s strategy of "run early, run often" also paid the big league bills for guys like Sergio Ferrer, who tripled more than he doubled and split 1979 duties evenly between Mets pinch-runner and AAA Tidewater infielder (career stats at B-R.com).

5'8" and 145 pounds sounds like a lean dude, baseball or no baseball. I can see why a guy with that frame would be quick around the bases.

If you like that white-text-on-red-background look, also see the Cards on Cards salute to Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina, which co-stars several 1980 Portland Beavers. TCMA used that design for all its minor league teams, so they're easy to pick out at show tables or online stores.

Value: Sergio proved elusive; I finally found him last month on eBay for $6. The team set includes popular Mets like Mookie Wilson, Hubie Brooks, and Wally Backman, so goes for $20 and up.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1995 Fleer Flair Baseball #5, Jamie Moyer (and Type Site for Orioles Card O The Day)

2011-11-02T05:18:00.001-04:00

Orioles Card "O" the Day featured this 1995 Fleer Flair card in 2009 to check in on Moyer's recovery from a series of minor medical procedures. Blog author Kevin averages a new post each day and covers cards from throughout Baltimore's long team history.

Moyer went on to start 19 games for Philly in 2010, but missed 2011 with Tommy John surgery, his first year out of the majors since 1992. Jamie says that he rehabbed all year and plans (hopes?) to pitch again in 2012.

This set came to mind when a fellow OBC collector sent this hit to my David Segui wantlist, 1996 Fleer Flair #313.

In hand, that speckled background really jumps out at you and Segui's righthand pose has an embossed edge.

Fleer tried some of everything on these Flair cards, going with four different poses per card, each with different framing and photo effects. I like the choice to show players in home/away jerseys, but prefer the horizontal look of Moyer's 1995 card when companies arrange both portrait and action on card fronts.

Segui's action shots might be from the same game, as it's clearly an afternoon contest with identical uniforms. Critics of 1990s cards say the crowded design (and, of course, set overproduction) fatigued collectors and eventually killed the market, but I'm happy to have another hit for my player collection.

Topps Decades (and Type Site for This Card is Cool)

2011-11-01T12:59:00.001-04:00

2011 marked the 60th anniversary of Topps packaging baseball sets with chewing gum and candy, hearkening all the way back to a quintet of 1951 issues. I've profiled the Red Back #5 (Johnny Pesky) and Blue Back #5 (Phil Rizzuto) before, but they also created three odd-sized sets that year, the Connie Mack All-Stars, Major League All-Stars, and Team Cards.

1951 Topps Connie Mack All-Stars, Connie Mack

Connie Mack All-Stars featured retired greats and a die-cut around player silhouettes, so you can fold the backs over and stand them up.

1951 Topps Major League All-Stars, Yogi Berra

Major League All-Stars used active players on the same die-cut design and prove almost impossible to find today, possibly due to legal wrangling with Bowman over contract exclusivity.

1951 Topps Team Cards, Chicago White Sox

Team Cards are full-squad photos. Topps printed only 9 of 16 active teams, possibly for lack of pictures at design time.

It's quite expensive to build any of these three sets, given their rarity. Find a wealth of detail on their checklists and printing peccadilloes in The Candy Men post at Topps Archives.

The Topps 60th baseball anniversary came to mind when I came across a 1980s set summary at the This Card Is Cool blog, another great source of card scans and writing from any era. Author Ryan G turns out more than 1 post per day, so you'll never run short of reading material. Combine our decade profile posts and you've got all six covered!

1964 Topps Baseball Coins #5, Dick Groat

2011-10-31T14:36:00.002-04:00

Congrats to 2011 World Series winners St. Louis, who captured their 11th overall title with a string of amazing comebacks in game 6 and a dominant game 7. I had no horse in the series, so enjoyed each twist and turn for its own sake, as great October baseball.

Today's oddball coin set coincides with St. Louis' 1964 series win over the Yankees, their first since Stan Musial led the Cardinals to three titles in the 1940s. Topps packaged individual coins in baseball card wax packs that year, with 120 regular players (#1 - 120) and 44 All-Stars (#121 - 164).

These three All-Star variations run the master set (normal + variations) to 167 total.

#131 Mickey Mantle AS (left- and right-handed poses)
#161 Wayne Causey AS ("NL" vs. "AL")
#162 Chuck Hinton AS ("NL" vs. "AL")

All-Star coins dropped the "collect the entire set of 120 All-Stars" headline, since their own numbers exceeded 120. As with other sets, the (c) T.C.G. tagline stands for Topps Chewing Gum, since just about everything they created was sold to move sweetened gum or candy.

Dick Groat's All-Star coin, #147

Groat pulled a hidden-ball trick on Mickey Mantle in 1964's World Series, one of only two known successful instances in the post-season. Dick faked a return throw to pitcher Roger Craig in the third inning of game four and caught Mantle off second when he took a lead. The play ended New York's threat and Ken Boyer's grand slam powered St. Louis to a 4-3 win. Haven't seen someone try that lately in a major league game--anyone witness one this year?

Value: Low-grade coins cost $1 or so, up to several dollars for HOFers like Mantle.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace and it'd be a hard set to fake.

Third Decade of Topps Baseball, 1970 - 1980

2011-10-28T00:57:00.002-04:00

Prior to a looming seventh game of the 2011 World Series, let's wrap up my childhood memories of the 1970s and those waxy packs of Topps cards. The salad days of youth and cardboard!

1970 Topps #5, Wes Parker

Parker might be L.A.'s most underrated first baseman, little-known behind guys like Gil Hodges, Steve Garvey, and Eric Karros. I bet his name comes up about as often as Greg Brock, despite the good hitting and streak of Gold Gloves. Take heart Wes, we remember you!

1971 Topps #5, Thurman Munson

What more is there to say? One of the best-ever cards by Topps.

1972 Topps #5, John Bateman

I love to visit Montreal and am always bummed that they lost their baseball team.

1973 Topps #5, Ed Brinkman

My set profile poked fun at Ed's odd pose here, but it could be worse. It could be raining.

1974 Topps #5, Hank Aaron Special

Funny that 1968 and 1969 Topps used the same photo, but color-balanced it so differently that the bat looks yellow and the background's a green fog. Baseball cards are weird.

1975 Topps #5, Nolan Ryan Highlight

Nolan Ryan (as Rangers owner) is again front-and-center for the 2011 World Series. Given the back-and-forth games, I imagine he wanted to pick up a glove again and brush back some batters on more than one occasion.

1976 Topps #5, Tom Seaver Record Breaker

Pretty sure Seaver can strike anyone out, but that retouched red helmet gives me the willies.

1977 Topps #5, Victory Leaders

Jim Palmer's average season was 17-10 with a sub-3 ERA. You better believe that's a HOFer.

1978 Topps #5, Pete Rose Record Breaker

Little League baseball helmets have earflaps on both sides, so either lefties and righties can use them. As a kid, I assumed switch-hitters like Rose would also use them. Nope. As this picture demonstrates, MLB teams can afford two helmets, one for each side.

1979 Topps #5, Victory Leaders

Trivia: Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph captained the Yankees together from 1986-1988, the only time New York featured team co-captains.

1980 Topps #5, Garry Templeton Highlight

Another switch-hitting highlight! Always respected guys who can hit well from either side. It seems like a superpower.

Any other collectors who started buying packs in the 1970s? If so, what's the first card or player you remember picking up?

Second Decade of Topps Baseball, 1960 - 1969

2011-10-26T16:33:00.000-04:00

The 2011 World Series hits game 6 soon and the Texas Rangers get two chances to close out their first title. As we await its first pitch, here's a profile of the 60s, Topps' second decade of baseball sets.

1960 Topps #5, Wally Moon

Do collectors ever get tired of Wally Moon's unibrow? No, we do not.

1961 Topps #5, Johnny Romano

I love this black hat + warmup jacket look.

1962 Topps #5, Sandy Koufax

The definition of going out on top, Koufax won three Cy Youngs and an MVP in his final four seasons.

1963 Topps #5, ERA Leaders

Topps plucked Sandy's head right off 1962 #5 for this leader card. (The three Bobs and Don also came from earlier sets.)

1964 Topps #5, Strikeout Leaders

That's 3 straight Koufax cards, thanks to his record-setting strikeout totals. Koufax broke Bob Feller's modern mark with 382 whiffs in 1965; that stood until Nolan Ryan send down 383 batters in 1973.

1965 Topps #5, RBI Leaders

Collectors must've taken to these leaders cards, as Topps kept them going for decades. It's the cheapest way to get Mantle cards from his career.

1966 Topps #5, Jim Fregosi

Topps showed hatless Angels for more than a year across 1966, Fregosi included. (I assume it was because of their name and logo change from L.A. to California.)

1967 Topps #5, Whitey Ford

Yogi's final active card came in 1965, Whitey in 1967, Mantle in 1969. It took a decade (and the dawn of free agency) for the Yankees to put a championship roster back together.

1968 Topps #5, Home Run Leaders

That's an early-60s picture of Ron Santo, possibly even his rookie year. Topps never forgets!

1969 Topps #5, Home Run Leaders

Willie Horton swung a big stick for the expansion-era Mariners, so was one of my favorites. He now has a statue outside Tiger Stadium and rocks a world-class mustache.

First Decade of Topps Baseball, 1951 - 1959

2011-10-25T00:46:00.001-04:00

As the 2011 season draws to a close, let's look back at Topps first full decade of set production, the 1950s. They tinkered with sports as early as 1948 (Magic Photos set profile), but 1951 ushered in their unbroken run of baseball-only cards that continues to the present.

There were many fewer teams in 1951, just 16 total spread across 10 cities. New York (3), Chicago (2), Boston (2), St. Louis (2), and Philadelphia (2) hosted multiple teams and 1950s Topps #5s pulled players from just four: New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. (Click through each card to read its set profile.)

1951 Topps Blue Backs #5, Johnny Pesky

60 years later, Johnny Pesky still works for the Red Sox. Amazing.

1951 Topps Red Backs #5, Phil Rizzuto

Scooter at his best, in 1950's MVP season.

1952 Topps #5, Larry Jansen

Larry's counting his seven children.

1953 Topps #5, Joe Dobson

Like the painted clouds and skies in this set in spite of myself. Kind of Bob Ross-y.

1954 Topps #5, Ed Lopat

"D. M." added by young collector. Dungeon Master? Dirty Money? Double Moonpie?

1955 Topps #5, Jim Gilliam

A patient man at the dish, Junior Gilliam walked 100 times (!) in his 1953 Rookie of the Year campaign. 2011's NL leader (Joey Votto) only had 110.

1956 Topps #5, Ted Williams

One of my favorite-ever cards. But is Ted hitting a pop-up?

1957 Topps #5, Sal Maglie

Sal "the Barber" Maglie, but not the kind you want close shaves from.

1958 Topps #5, Willie Mays

First year after moving to San Francisco, Willie led the league in runs, steals, and on-base-plus-slugging (OPS). Finished second in MVP to Ernie Banks, who hit 47 homers. Award voters dig the long ball.

1959 Topps #5, Dick Donovan

Always thought of 1959's circle-inset photos as the "James Bond" set. It just needs a crosshairs and some silhouetted ladies.

1980 Topps Baseball #5, Garry Templeton Highlight

2011-10-21T09:47:00.001-04:00

Since 1900, only five switch-hitting shortstops have played long enough and well enough to amass 2000+ career hits. Maury Wills was the first, Larry Bowa the second, and Omar Vizquel continues to motor along (2841 hits as of 2011). The other two were contemporaries and flip sides on one of the 1980s most significant trades: Ozzie Smith (who went from SD to StL) and Garry Templeton (vice versa).

On paper, the trade made sense, as StL needed more defense and SD wanted to resolve contract issues with Smith. Ozzie boasted a better glove and Templeton swung a bigger stick. If things stayed simpatico, both teams could shore up overall weaknesses.

Unfortunately for Garry, his best year hitting for the Padres barely equaled his worst for St. Louis. Ozzie, meanwhile, went on to appear in 14 All-Star games, became the superior hitter, and played five years longer than his trade partner. Both went on to win pennants on their new teams, but Templeton never reached his apparent potential. (Cardboard Gods summarized the after-effects back in 2007.)

1980 marked the first year I really got into baseball cards. Down the street, my friend Brandon picked up a bunch and buying my own proved an excellent excuse to hang out and swap. We both followed the Mariners, but Seattle didn't field players worthy of these highlight cards until the 1990s, when Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez started doing what they did best.

Value: Most 1980 singles cost a dime or nickel and the stars top out at a couple of dollars. Rickey Henderson remains the key rookie card.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen Topps include any "highlight" reprints in their modern sets.

1979 Topps Baseball #5, Victory Leaders (Ron Guidry, Gaylord Perry)

2011-10-20T09:42:00.002-04:00

That's quite a pair of expressions, with Guidry lost in thought and Perry so mischievous. Not sure how I would handle a pitcher who looked in and seemed to be snickering. Why is he laughing like that? Are my shoes untied? Is my zipper down? I would not feel comfortable in the batters box facing that.

Gaylord's shoulder patch commemorates the 1978 All-Star game, hosted at San Diego Stadium. The AL and NL played a close game until Yankee closer Goose Gossage allowed 4 runs in the 8th and the Nationals won 7-3. Perry himself didn't make that All-Star squad; Vida Blue started and future HOFers Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver, Rollie Fingers, and Bruce Sutter helped fill out the NL bullpen.

1978's All-Star Game didn't decide World Series home field advantage like it does today, but according to Padre reserve Dave Winfield, it was the first time fans could enter the stadium early enough to watch players practice. These days, the All-Star weekend's completely fan-focused, with several days of events preceding the game itself.

Some believe Perry threw doctored balls on a regular basis, but Gaylord wasn't ejected for it until 1983, his 21st season. More likely, he found a reputation for spitters useful, to make batters unsure what kind of pitch was coming.

Value: Low-grade 1979 singles run a quarter or so. Even a card with two greats like Perry and Guidry tops out at about a dollar.

Fakes / reprints: Topps includes vintage reprints in their modern sets, but I haven't seen any of the multi-player cards reappear. Some even reduced the number of players to show only big stars. See the Phillies Room for several such Schmidt RC reprints.

1978 Topps Baseball #5, Pete Rose Record Breaker

2011-10-19T19:25:00.000-04:00

Wild-card cinderella St. Louis and AL West champ Texas kick off the 2011 World Series tonight in a contest that experts predict will break records for calls to the bullpen. The Rangers boast a strong rotation and powerful bats, but Albert Pujols hits plenty himself and Tony LaRussa loves to play chess with his relievers; I bet grandmaster lefty Arthur Rhodes makes at least 3 appearances.

Charlie Hustle participated in six World Series, first as a key cog in the 1970s Big Red Machine and later as veteran support for the early 1980s Phillies. His teams won three, CIN in 1975, 1976, and PHI in 1980. Neither total is close to a record, but I'm surprised that someone who never played in New York reached the series so many times. Yankees dominate the top 20 list of players with multiple rings and former ChiSox/A's star Eddie Collins is the only non-NY player to win more than five titles.

Back in 1979, SABR took a "Baseball's Best Switch Hitter" poll and Rose finished second to Mickey Mantle. Pete had 3164 hits by that point and taking this poll silently implied his productive days were done. As we know now, Rose took the field for another 7 years, setting records for both hits (4256) and games played (3562). He never challenged Mantle's power numbers, but I expect some teams would prefer his multi-position, IF/OF versatility. Rose played anywhere they needed him and fell just 10 short of logging 600 games at an amazing 5 different position. (He played 590 in RF.)

Value: This #5 runs about a dollar and low-grade 1978 singles cost a quarter or less.

Fakes / reprints: Topps includes vintage reprints in their modern sets, but I haven't seen any "special" cards like the record breakers.

1977 Topps Baseball #5, Victory Leaders (Jim Palmer, Randy Jones)

2011-10-18T10:50:00.002-04:00

1970s hair is a special breed of hair. It feathers, it fluffs, it 'fros, and it Farrahs. Oh boy, does it Farrah.

Farrah Fawcett at peak fluffiness

Topps snagged a couple of classic 1970s hairstyles for their 1976 victory leaders card, courtesy of Jim Palmer's feathery waves and Randy Jones's blond frizz. The latter might not have become a famous Jockey underwear model like Palmer, but did plenty of great work on the mound. (Randy's 92 wins are tied for second all-time by a Padre pitcher, trailing only Eric Show's 100.)

Both pitchers garnered Cy Young awards for their work and beat out competitors by a healthy margin (voting results at B-R.com). The AL's 2nd-place finisher Mark Fidrych picked up Rookie of the Year honors and the NL split theirs between two guys you might not have heard of, Padre reliever Butch Metzger and Reds starter Pat Zachary. Not many seasons bestow ROY hardware on one pitcher, let alone three!

I've always thought of 1977's wide borders, double-green backs, and ALL CAPITALS as a little stale. 1978, on the other hand, made a nice jump to script fronts, All-Star badges, and...product placement.

Wear BRUT, guys. You'll be a good-looking, All-Star underwear model, just like Jim Palmer.

Value: You can find this #5 for a dollar or two.

Fakes / reprints: O-Pee-Chee did their own version of this card, which differs by card stock and French (1977 OPC set profile). Topps reprinted several 1977 stars as Archives inserts for modern sets, differentiated by glossy finish and foil stamping.

1976 Topps Baseball #5, Tom Seaver Record Breaker

2011-10-17T09:58:00.000-04:00

Topps used their number five slot to mark strikeout records in both 1975 and 1976, first Nolan Ryan's three-season 300K streak (1975 set profile), and then for Seaver's eight-season 200K streak.

I don't know quite what to think about this card. Topps started with a presentable (if static) photo of Seaver looking in for a sign and then couldn't decide what to do with the nebulous foreground player. Airbrush away his blurry edges? Replace his batting helmet with an upside-down gravy boat? Some of both?

2008 Stadium Club #100

Sometime at Topps liked this picture, because it resurfaced for their 2008 Stadium Club set. This version's a big step up in quality, both for Seaver's clarity (no face shadows) and the batter's more consistent blur (if that's not an oxymoron). The photo finally comes across in a way 1976 card production technology couldn't deliver.

Seaver and Blyleven ran their respective streaks to nine and six in 1976, before falling short of 200 in 1977. Note that most of the pitchers on that card played during the 60s and 70s, a high-point for moundsmen dominance; only a dozen or so clear 200Ks these days and rarely string together consecutive years.

Anyone you think can make 6 in a row in today's game? My vote's for Felix Hernandez, who's sitting at three (2009-11) and looks as sturdy as ever.

Value: You can find this Seaver for less than $5, but I recommend picking up one of his mid-delivery cards. (The Fleer Sticker Project posted a good one for its "Topps - I've Found Your Secret Photo Stash!" post.)

Fakes / reprints: Don't know of reprints other than Seaver reappearing in Stadium Club.

1975 Topps Baseball #5, Nolan Ryan highlight

2011-10-14T11:45:00.001-04:00

"Need something to draw on? OK, son, just grab some paper from daddy's desk. Wait, is that my Nolan Ryan? Noooooo..."

Whoops. That's coloring outside the lines for sure.

First in modern baseball history? That implies a cutoff around 1900, but a look back in the 1880s pushes numbers even higher. In 1884 alone, 14 different pitchers struck out more than 300 batters. 4 of those (Hugh Daily, Dupee Shaw, Old Hoss Radbourn, and Charlie Buffinton) cleared 400. The all-time record goes to 20 year-old rookie Matt Kilroy, who sent down 513 batsmen in 1886 for the original Baltimore Orioles.

Nolan Ryan's 1973 mark of 383 still stands as the modern single-season standard, an amazing feat considering the runner-ups (Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson) both played in the NL and got to strike out other pitchers every couple of innings.

Value: Thanks to all the ink, this Ryan cost $1. Nolan's a key card in any set, so I take the cheap ones where I can get them.

Fakes / reprints: Topps reprinted plenty of Ryans for their Archives series and other vintage-style inserts. Not sure if they included this record breaker, but it's possible. Look for a glossier finish and foil stamping on newer versions.

1972 Topps Baseball #5, John Bateman

2011-10-13T10:47:00.000-04:00

This set holds a special place in my heart for its disco-style borders, dizzying color combos, and standout roster of players: Aaron, Mays, and Bench in the NL, with Reggie, Yaz, and Carew in the AL, to name but a few.

The logos remind me specifically of Schoolhouse Rock! cartoons, which an advertising team pitched in 1972. Safe to say my childhood would be totally different without baseball cards and those Grammar Rock episodes.

With those borders, jacket, jersey, hat, gloves, and teeth, John's card has more shades of white than Home Depot's paint aisle. That's about 5 full rooms of white, two coats each. (Wonder if there's a pack of cigarettes in that rolled-up jacket sleeve? And is it another shade of white?)

Not many guys hit multiple grand slams in a year. The single-season leaders are Travis Hafner (2006) and Don Mattingly (1987), who both hit 6. No one in 1971 hit more than 2, so John co-led the National League with Willie Stargell. It's not hard to find Bateman's slams in the batting log, since you'll get at least 4 RBIs out of it.

Both homers came with two outs, pretty dramatic moments for any guy's career.

Like many catchers at 30, John was just about done behind the plate. Montreal traded him to Philly mid-season for 77 games of Tim McCarver, another guy on his last legs in catching gear. Bateman retired after 1972 and McCarver spent his remaining years as a part-time player for Boston, St. Louis, and back again in Philadelphia, even playing six games (and collecting his final hit, a double) for 1980's first title winner.

Value: 1972 singles cost about a quarter.

Fakes / reprints: Topps reprinted several 1972 stars as inserts into modern sets. Look for a glossy finish and gold foil to distinguish reprints from originals.

1971 Topps Baseball #5, Thurman Munson

2011-10-12T08:55:00.002-04:00

Most vintage collectors count this #5 as one of the best cards ever and I agree; here are five reasons why.

Standout horizontal shot in Topps first set with action photos
Outstanding play at the plate in a cloud of dust
Munson's own story as Yankee captain and MVP
Oakland's gold-and-green stirrups and jersey
Topps All-Star rookie trophy and nice autograph

Thanks to Card Corner, we know the guy sliding is Oakland pitcher Chuck Dobson. Read its article for full details, including Dobson's own place in history as Reggie Jackson's road trip roommate.

Since the card back mentions both the AL Rookie of the Year and Topps own Rookie All-Star team, I wonder: has anyone ever won the league award but missed out on a Topps trophy? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened on baseball cards (*cough* Glenn Hubbard *cough*). If you know of such shenanigans with the Topps All-Star Team rosters, please add a comment.

Value: This card's popular, but you can find low-grade versions for $10. It's considered a key card for the 1971 Topps set.

Fakes / reprints: Topps reprinted this card for their "Archives" inserts into modern sets, so look for a glossier finish and foil stamp to distinguish them.

1970 Topps Baseball #5, Wes Parker

2011-10-11T16:45:00.001-04:00

My dad, a lifelong Dodgers fan, turned 64 last week. I missed him on the day itself, so left a birthday voice mail with generic good wishes and a call back request. I steered clear of talking baseball, given LA's huge off-field issues with the McCourts and their looming, uncertain off-season.

Fast forward to last night, when my voice mail chirps with a response. Dad spent three seconds catching me up on the home front ("All is good here! Hope it's good there!") and then charged right into a recap of the Dodgers' supposedly lame-duck September, when they went a stellar 17-9.

"So first we knocked those evil Giants out of the picture and then gave those snakes (i.e., Diamondbacks) something to think about. Should've done more of that in July, but we'll take what we can get. And let me tell you about Matt Kemp..."

I think dad's ready for Spring Training 2012.

Wes "Mr. Steady" Parker turned in his own Matt Kemp-caliber season in 1970 by knocking around NL pitching (in a pitcher's park, during a pitcher's era) to the tune of a 133 OPS+ and finished fifth in MVP voting behind HOFers Johnny Bench, Billy Williams, Tony Perez, and Bob Gibson, not the worst group of guys to lose out to.

I'm a big fan of Topps' multitasking cartoons, but they got the glove hand wrong, since Wes throws with his left. That, and 1969 produced a third Gold Glove, not the second; he grabbed six straight from 1967-72. That's two errors on one card back, not very Parker-like.

UPDATE: I also used this Wes Parker to design my own custom 1970 Topps card.

Value: 1970 non-star singles cost about a quarter. I picked up this #5 as part of building the set, so probably with another collector for it.

Fakes / reprints: Topps reprinted stars from this set as vintage-style inserts for modern sets, so look for their glossier finish and "Archives" stamp to avoid confusion.

The Accidental Giveaway: NFL Panini Promo Stickers

2011-10-10T17:53:00.000-04:00

Watched yesterday's Patriots/Jets game from a bar and stumbled across this Panini sticker sheet. It's the first of three promos planned for Sunday issues of the Boston Globe in October.

I'm mostly a baseball collector, so let me know if you'd like this sheet. Not sure if I'll come across others, so get in touch with Boston-area friends or collectors if you want to pick up the other sheets. (Being Boston, they'll probably have Brady, Welker, and a few other Patriots along with the guys like Newton and Tomlinson.)

1978 TCMA Arkansas Travelers Baseball #5, Joe Edelen

2011-10-10T00:56:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure how today's photo came to be, given a card-maker's usual practice of posing players under bright sun or at least during daytime. This set, though, looks night-shot or trimmed down to player silhouettes over black backgrounds. I assume there's a good reason for the unusual light balance, even if just "it was at night or never."

This set carries over a 1977 design and precedes TCMA's leap to full color in 1979, which several teams used instead of black-and-white (see my Charleston Charlies #5 profile). Distinguish the two by their front labels, orange for 1977 and green for 1978. Former MLB manager Jim Riggleman appeared in the 1977 version, scan visible in Keith Olbermann's article "A Hairstyle Is Temporary; A Baseball Card Is Forever."

Looks like a McDonald's sponsorship helped pay the print bill for TCMA, at least in Arkansas. I lean on TeamSets4U.com for their year-by-year minor league team checklists; here's everything from 1978, including all 23 Arkansas Travelers (note that some numbers don't match up).

Value: This #5 cost a couple dollars on Beckett Marketplace. A few of Joe Edelen's teammates went on to make their name in the bigs; you might pay more for Tommy Herr, Leon Durham, and Terry Kennedy.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Two more player wantlists and a sketchy giveaway

2011-10-07T09:30:00.004-04:00

Added two more wantlists to my player collection last night and posted links to all four on the blog sidebar, just below "Top 5 Posts."

Jamie Quirk caught and played utility man for nearly two decades in KC, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, Oakland, Baltimore, and New York (but mostly KC). He did a little of everything for everyone and switched to coaching after retirement, currently on staff with Houston (Jamie Quirk wantlist).

Spike Owen was my favorite Mariner during the 1980s and I was bummed when his Seattle tenure ended with a trade to Boston in 1986. Spike went on to play good-glove shortstop for Montreal, New York, and Anaheim. He continues in baseball as manager for the Texas AAA affiliate Round Rock Express (Spike Owen wantlist).

I've got a variety of low-grade vintage cards to trade for hits to my player collections; just leave a comment on their wantlist pages or send an email through my Google profile!

CONTEST: This pair of 1960s cards received a virtual gravestone rubbing, very sketch-like. First to identify the set, year, and players via blog comment wins them. (Please guess only if you actually need/want the cards. :-) Both are HOFers.

David Segui Baseball Wantlist Added

2011-10-06T09:07:00.002-04:00

Just posted my second player collection wantlist for former Oriole/Met/Expo/Mariner/Ranger/Blue Jay David Segui, son of original Seattle Pilot and Mariner Diego Segui.

David Segui (as a Met) photobombs a Will Clark card

David played in the heart of the junk wax era (1990-2004), so plenty of cards are out there! According to Beckett, I've filled in most of 1990-1999, but 2000 and up had so many cards it's hard to know for sure. I've got mostly low-grade vintage as trade material.

David Segui wantlist

1975 Sussman West Palm Beach Expos Baseball #5, Mark Ewell

2011-10-05T14:01:00.001-04:00

This is another of Neil Sussman's sets of Florida minor league teams, preceding the already profiled Fort Lauderdale Yankees from 1976 and 1977. All of Sussman's sets share this basic design, with black-and-white fronts and blank backs. Today's set numbering maxes out at 30, but two checklist variations bring it to 32 cards total.

This Mark Ewell picture's so completely grey, it begged for pastel Miami Vice revitalization.

YEAHHHHH!

So much cooler. That's a card that knows the thrill of riding in a convertible and busting South Beach drug dealers.

Value: This #5 cost $3 at MinorLeagueSingles.com, who supplied a bunch of my 1970s minor league cards. Few of Mark's 1975 teammates made the big leagues (team roster at B-R.com); best-known were Shane Rawley and Tony Bernazard, who might cost a little more. (As of writing, you can buy most of the set on eBay for $8.)

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1970 Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Autograph Cards #5, Dave Ricketts

2011-10-03T14:49:00.003-04:00

When I was a lad, the Seattle Mariners and Mother's Cookies teamed up to create several years of team sets, many of which still reside in my collection. Attendees received a small envelope of cards as they entered the Kingdome on scheduled "baseball card day" games throughout the season, or you could buy sets and albums in the stadium shop. I never felt flush enough for the full set, so did my best to trade for missing cards.

1985 Mother's Cookies Mariners #15, Jim Beattie

Jim Beattie generated Seattle's most interesting pose, given that he was a pitcher. Not sure if this a straight-up photo gag or they caught him in bullpen warm-up gear. Several other cities got the Mother's Cookies treatment in that era--any favorite cards from other collectors?

On the same theme but a generation prior, Pittsburgh sold sets of pre-autographed photo cards to fans throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Today's featured players wearing white 1970 home duds in an empty Three Rivers Stadium, which opened on July 16 of that year. Its 25-man checklist includes HOFers Stargell, Mazeroski, and Clemente, making set-building a challenge.

Card front (blank back)

I learned this 1970 Pittsburgh uniform, the "white home alternate," was MLB's first entirely synthetic model, down to its stretchy waistband and pullover jersey with no zippers or buttons. That means the synthetic jersey's middle aged! Next thing you know, it'll be riding around town in a new "mid-life crisis Corvette" and shooing teenagers off its Astroturf lawn.

Value: This #5 came in a group lot for $4; they're rare enough to make singles unpredictable. You might get lucky, like I did, and find for $1. HOFs run $25 or more.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, but it'd be easy to fake valuable players like Clemente. Note these are oversized cards, approx 3.5" x 4.5", so larger than a normal card but smaller than a postcard.

Wantlist added for Steve Garvey

2011-10-02T10:14:00.002-04:00

This blog now hosts my Steve Garvey wantlist. It's been a long time in the making, close to 30 years! Here's one of my favorite obscurities.

1990 Michigan State #105

Not many vintage gaps remain, but thanks to our modern era's return to 70s and 80s players, more "new" Garveys hit the market each year.

2010 Topps Garvey signed bat barrel

Hadn't even seen that card before, so copped the scan from COMC.

I've got a couple dozen post-1990 Garveys, but there must be plenty more. Expect low-grade vintage in return, 1980 and before, as that's what I collect. If that's what you're seeking, check out the wantlist and let me know!

1977 Sussman Fort Lauderdale Yankees Baseball #5, Mark Theil

2011-09-30T16:01:00.001-04:00

Check out Fort Lauderdale catcher Mark Theil, moments after he ate everything in the ballpark. What choppers!

1970s collector and Florida-based baseball writer Neil Sussman published these sets of local single-A teams, some for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and others for the West Palm Beach Expos (profile to come). While their design lacks Topps-level detailing, just about any mid-70s minor league set offers a rare glimpse of players and ballparks long since retired.

Keith Olbermann's 2010 seasonal wrap-up, Expectations and More Minor Leaguers, showed Theil's teammate and future MLB manager Doug Melvin on a Sussman card, sporting the best monobrow since Wally Moon. His article also features Moneyball leading man Billy Beane in Portland Beaver gear.

The 2011 movie stars Brad Pitt as Beane, a pretty decent visual match. Anyone you'd have cast instead? Scott Bakula circa 1990?

Value: This #5 cost $3 at MinorLeagueSingles.com, about what other mid-70s players go for.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1976 Sussman Fort Lauderdale Yankees Baseball #5, Jim McDonald

2011-09-28T08:16:00.001-04:00

Most MLB teams have a presence in Florida, given its strong collegiate sports and geographic access to players from Central America, South America, and the Gulf islands. A solid base of southern operations makes it easier to coordinate scouting, coach multiple levels as a group during spring training, and concentrate contract negotiation in a handful of cities. (I assume those without a local affiliate lean on MLB's Scouting Bureau or services like PerfectGame.org.)

Card front (blank back)

Fort Lauderdale played in the single-A Florida State League, which now comprises 12 teams. They're split between "North" and "South" divisions, but most play the state's peninsula (instead of its panhandle). 15 big league franchises hold spring training in Florida; the other 15 go to Arizona's Cactus League.

The minor leagues aren't all about grooming high-round draft picks; many teams place equal emphasis on developing their trainers and coaching staffs. Several of Fort Lauderdale's managers, for example, went on to play important roles for their parent club.

Bobby Cox (1971): future Yankee coach and HOF manager for Atlanta and Toronto
Leo Posada (1975): uncle of future Yankee star Jorge Posada
Stump Merrill (1982-83): future Yankee manager
Bucky Dent (1985-86): future Yankee manager
Buck Showalter (1987-88): future Yankee manager

Value: Today's #5 cost $3 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. Willie Upshaw's the best known player from its checklist and would run a little more.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the market, though they'd be easy to reprint with modern equipment.

1978 Cramer Albuquerque Dukes Baseball #5, Ron Washington

2011-09-27T00:19:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to 2011 AL West winners Texas, who wrapped up their second straight crown under the tutelage of one Ron Washington, current manager and former shortstop for the Dukes of Albuquerque. In Keith Olbermann's tradition of posting cards for MLB managers as minor leaguers, here's a "serious face" shot from Ron's salad days.

If there's one thing you can say about Cramer baseball cards, it's that they didn't skimp on quality color. Washington's red-heavy Conquistador uniform jumps right off the cardboard and into your eye sockets. (Albuquerque ditched the "conqueror" image some years ago and now play as the Isotopes.)

I haven't seen the Hollywood take on Moneyball yet, but look forward to the portrayal of Ron's role in developing young players for Billy Beane and Oakland during that era, including first-time first-baseman Scott Hatteberg. Washington came off as an old-school disciple in Michael Lewis's book, but so did just about everyone in those days, otherwise the stats-driven story wouldn't be so interesting. (For the record, Ron said he enjoyed the movie.)

Cramer printed most of their minor league teams on thin, white cardboard that's reminiscent of 1981 Donruss. Collectors purchased complete sets at games or team stores for a few dollars and not many singles reached today's market; most price guides continue to price them only as team sets.

Value: This #5 cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com. You can probably charge a Rangers fan something extra, given Ron's success at the helm.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any non-star minor league reprints in the marketplace.

1978 Zest Baseball #5, Manny Mota

2011-09-23T17:16:00.001-04:00

Not long ago, this blog profiled several card sets that Topps licensed for printing in Venezuela. They no doubt hoped to open a regular market there, with both the MLB season (April-October) and winter ball (November-January) to generate interest. Baseball-hungry locals from South America offered the prospect of a year-round flow of income and nothing excites a profit-driven company like "year-round flow of income."

So did it work? Sort of, for a while. Venezuelan printers licensed several sets starting in 1959, but Topps switched gears after the 1960s, probably to dedicate more attention to North American efforts like O-Pee-Chee, who reused the Topps design every year, and the Mexican market, which included today's Zest set of 5 cards featuring well-known Latino players. (Find more Venezuelan details at my summary post.)

Personal blog favorite The Topps Archives profiled today's set in A Zest for Cleanliness and scanned all 5 cards and a mail-in insert for Zest soap. Its related post Oh, Mexico covered three other Spanish language issues from Topps, which covered football, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Star Wars. Both articles make good reading for oddball card fans.

Apologies for the lower-resolution card back scan; my own #5 card's in an original cello pack with the set, so I borrowed this from the Zest post above. You should still be able to read several of its Spanish translations, like "jardinero" for "outfield."

Value: My set of 5 cards cost $6 on eBay and none of the singles should run more than a dollar or two.

Fakes / reprints: No reprints that I know of, but I'm sure some Zest singles ended up in Topps sets, given the design similarities.

1968 Atlantic Oil Baseball NL #5, Norm Cash

2011-09-21T15:18:00.001-04:00

On September 15, Panini announced a multi-year contract with the MLB Player's Association, the business arm of our pastime's players union. Topps retains exclusive permission to use on-card major league team names and logos, but more competition in a market usually means better options for buyers. Panini's main challenge will be the same faced by other MLBPA licensees: how can we make cards look cool without logos and uniforms? How do we look better than...this?

Atlantic Oil blacked out Norm's cap to avoid legal trouble with Topps, who claimed sole right to MLB team logos and cards packaged with gum. Instead of paying their own photographer, Atlantic licensed the photos (sans caps) used by Dexter Press in their 1967 set, which shows an unaltered version.

1967 Dexter Press #44, Norm Cash

Atlantic put most of their creative energy into laying out the contest rules on card backs. Hard to say how well it turned out, but we know they didn't repeat the promo for 1969.

Atlantic Oil printed four different #5s for this contest and Norm's probably the easiest to find. This list links to my other profiles, which I just updated with new front-and-back scans for Yaz and Frank Robinson.

Norm Cash (this entry)
Frank Robinson
Carl Yastrzemski
Ernie Banks (don't have yet)

Value: Norm cost $3 on eBay, about average for low-grade oddball sets from this era. Fellow #5 Ernie Banks remains a white whale for my type collection, since he was intentionally short-printed for the $100 contest prize and is probably available only at auction.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen fake Norms in the marketplace, but it's possible for rarities like Banks. Look for the perforated edges, as each player came on a sheet.

1977 Burger King Yankees Baseball #5, Ed Figueroa

2011-09-19T14:35:00.000-04:00

1977 marked the first year Burger King licensed Topps' standard card design, front and back, to support both MLB team promotions and their sponsorship of local Pitch, Hit, and Run events, a baseball skills competition for boys and girls around the country. (It continues to the present day under the banner of Aquafina water.) Only Yankees appeared in this debut year, with 23 numbered players and one unnumbered team checklist for 24 total cards.

Burger King originally planned a 22-player set, but added Lou Piniella as #23 after their initial run. Why tack on Lou late in the game? Lovers of Steinbrenner drama should read The Curious Case of the 23rd Card in a Series of 22.

1977 Burger King #17, Reggie Jackson

Other than Lou's special case, new acquisition Reggie Jackson stands out as the key card for set collectors and got a "real" stadium photo instead of Topps' airbrushing over his 1976 Baltimore uniform. (See them both at 1980 Topps Baseball's look at Burger King cards.)

Today's card back taught me something new, that Fergie Jenkins was Canadian. The 284-game-winning HOFer hails from Chatham in southern Ontario and it's kind of a shame he didn't spend time with nearby franchises Toronto (northeast) or Detroit (west). Hometown appeal sells tickets!

With Figueroa in the books, I've profiled all nine vintage Burger King sets and recently "refreshed" the other eight entries with better scans. (No more french fry stains.) Ed has the distinction of appearing twice, once on today's angled stadium shot and in portrait for 1978.

1977 Burger King Yankees #5, Ed Figueroa (this profile)
1978 Burger King Astros #5, Joe Niekro
1978 Burger King Rangers #5, Jon Matlack
1978 Burger King Tigers #5, Dave Rozema
1978 Burger King Yankees #5, Ed Figueroa
1979 Burger King Phillies #5, Larry Christensen
1979 Burger King Yankees #5, Jay Johnstone
1980 Burger King Pitch-Hit-Run #5, Jerry Koosman
1980 Burger King Phillies #5, Manny Trillo

Value: Ed cost $2 at a show in 2006 and probably hasn't changed in value since. #23 Lou Piniella's considered a short-print and runs several times other singles.

Fakes / reprints: Don't know of any reprints, but many collectors confuse early Burger King cards with their Topps equivalents, given the lack of a company name or logo. 1977 Topps (and O-Pee-Chee's) normal #5s are the MLB Victory Leaders, Jim Palmer and Randy Jones.

1973 Topps Baseball Want List Giveaway

2011-09-15T16:18:00.001-04:00

After some card reorganization yesterday, I confront an insoluble problem: my dupes box contains way too many 1973 Topps. We're talking 400+ cards, with occasionally 5 of the same player...

...and those 5 copies aren't of awesome guys like Bob Gibson. Instead, I've got a fistful of airbrush specials like Jose Arcia. (At least the position backgrounds match their team colors: red for Bob, blue for Jose).

TRIVIA: Arcia last played in the bigs as a Padre in 1970, so this is an old picture airbrushed for 1973. He signed a minor league contract that spring with KC and Topps probably thought he'd make their squad, but Jose spent the remainder of his career at AAA and AA (minor league stats).

THE GIVEAWAY: Are you working on 1973 Topps baseball? Add a comment that links to your wantlist and I'll do my best to hit it! Unlike other randomized contests, this one applies to everyone and will continue until my dupes return to a normal level. ("I want to start" is also an acceptable answer; if enough cards remain after hitting lists, I'll send someone a starter set of what's left.)

I'd be remiss to not mention 1973 Topps Photography here. It's covering the whole set in full, chain-link-fence glory.

1950 R423 Baseball #5, Yogi Berra

2011-09-13T07:04:00.001-04:00

Meet the Eddie Gaedel of Yogi Berras, a baseball card so small that I'm re-evaluating my line between "card" and "chit."

That tiny card is just 5/8" x 7/8", even smaller than Topps Micro.

R423 purple back

Those purple perforated edges bely Yogi's origin as a strip card; R423's intact 13-player strips also came with (common) orange or (rarer) green backs and its checklist mixed current players with long-retired stars like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Ty Cobb.

Complete R423 13-player strip (orange back)

Vending machines sold this set pretty much like they sell things today, as part of a large assortment of stuff kids will part with pennies or nickels to own. Comics and cartoon characters feature heavily in the same series, though came on separate strips, never mingling with baseball. Full sets number from #1 to #120 but omit #100, for 119 total players. (The publisher probably left out one card to keep kids buying strips in a vain search for completion.)

1948 R346 #30

Today's R423 set calls back to my recent giveaway, where Mad Guru won this 1948 R346 Johnny Mize in my "favorite card goof" contest. (Guru added personal detail about his winning nomination, 1988 Topps Al Leiter, at Rain of Error).

Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog prefixed these R346 and R423 sets with "R" for "pre-1951 gum cards" and added a number to further organize them. Based on the catalog's first few hundred entries, Burdick started with an alphabetic system but abandoned it, likely because new set discoveries broke up his existing records. With no company name to ID them, collectors know these two baseball sets best by his catalog numbers.

Value: A collector friend from OldBaseball.com sent me this HOF oddball gratis; thanks Mike! Non-HOF singles cost a few dollars in low grade and Berra would go for $15-20.

Fakes / reprints: Thanks to Beckett, we know that fakes exist for HOFers in this set and possibly for the entire run. (Modern text printing and thicker paper look like the main counterfeit clues; see their notice for more.)

1928 Babe Ruth Candy Baseball #5, A favorite with the kiddes

2011-09-07T14:20:00.001-04:00

Today's Babe Ruth Candy set reminded me of a trivia question: who hit more homers for the Boston Braves, Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron?

1973 Topps #1, two years before Hank hit #715

It's sort of a trick, because while both sluggers played for Boston or the Braves, they spent very little time in Boston for the Braves.

Hank Aaron debuted for the Braves in 1954, two years after their move to Milwaukee, so hit zero for Boston's squad. Ruth famously debuted in Boston for the Red Sox, but only played a single, final year for their Braves team.

The Bambino slugged his last 6 homers wearing a Boston Braves uniform, career #s 709 to 714. Thus, your answer is Babe's six over Hank's zero.

Enough esoterica, let's see some Ruthian candy.

Babe smooches (youthful) babe carrying (toy) babe. Not your typical baseball card by a long shot. Others in the set show Ruth warming up on the field or in casual settings, one even in suit-and-tie, purportedly eating his Home Run candy bar. ("His candy helped him?" Hmm.)

As the card back implies, today's brief 6-picture set came packaged with pieces of Ruth-endorsed candy. But was it the Baby Ruth bar? It was not.

The Curtiss Candy Company debuted their peanut-and-chocolate Baby Ruth in 1921, one year after Ruth's popular ascendance, yet steadfastly maintained it honored the daughter of president Grover Cleveland, whose mid-administration birth made headlines...in the 19th century.

It's easy to see how Snopes debunked Ruth Cleveland as a defensible origin story, but at the time, Curtiss successfully blocked sale of Babe Ruth's Home Run bar due to potential name confusion. Are there Ruth shenanigans more shenanigan-y than this? None come to mind.

Value: Authentic, low-grade Ruth candy singles sell for $150-200, but change hands rarely due to concerns about fakery. (Most of his non-graded candy cards are reprints, thanks to the easy-to-replicate sepia tones and cheap paper.)

Fakes / reprints: People have reprinted and faked these often enough that authentic versions prove hard to come by. I recommend the more attractive 1933 Goudeys if you're looking for a vintage Ruth type card.

UPDATE: By request, specific things to know about faked Ruth cards.

1920s Ruth Candy and Fro-Joy sets extensively reprinted; most ungraded cards are fakes (all colored Fro-Joys are)
Best way to ID fakes: check context or provenance (card history and knowledge of seller); steer clear of vague or sketchy details
eBay scans tell you little besides the seller's ability to use a scanner
Ruth is among the top counterfeited players, if not the most
Poor scan-and-print fakes might print defects (creases, dings, dirt) onto the card; they stand out when inspected in person
Today's $50 printers can closely mimic 1920s images; main difference is ink application: Ruth's era used solid-color or photo-engraved inked sheets; modern printers apply a pattern of dots that look solid at arm's length
Jeweler loupes (or powerful magnifying glasses) show ink difference; see an engraved pattern scan in this Net54 Fro-Joy discussion
Card counterfeits are similar to art fakes (comparable 1920s print example), so knowledge of one crosses over to the other
Most Ruth cards are already in the marketplace; keep a healthy skepticism of single-card "finds" by non-collectors
Buy a graded version, if you want a type card without burning time on research

1910 Anonymous Set of 30 Baseball (E98) #5, Hans (Honus) Wagner

2011-09-05T23:39:00.000-04:00

After 30 years of opening packs, ticking off checklists, and stacking stacks of cards on other stack of cards, I can say it's a challenge to find individual players that shine, year after year. Aside from occasional design standouts like 1956 Topps that made everyone look good (set profile), most sets fit into a narrow design range, where action shots or unusual composition stick with you longer than individual names. Just a few all-timers float to the top: Jackie, Mantle, Ruth, Cobb...and Wagner.

Today's card, printed by an unnamed company around 1910, is a contemporary of what collectors call the Mona Lisa of Baseball Cards, Honus Wagner's T206. Already worthwhile for his stature alone, enough mystery surrounds its issue, withdrawal, and rarity to hike both value and collector interest; no other card combines name and history like this deceptively simple portrait of The Flying Dutchman. (Read The Card for a detailed look at both the T206 Wagner legend and our hobby's past.)

1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner

In catalog terms, the "E" prefix for E98 indicates a candy set and today's design resembles several other 30-player caramel issues, such as E95 (set profile) and E96 (set profile). All use slim, tobacco-sized cards with full checklists on the back and most feature portraits or tight action shots with solid color backgrounds. It's possible these details are design mimicry instead of actual reuse, though, so modern collectors call it simply "Anonymous Set of 30" for lack of any publishing origin. (E95 and E96 both include Philadelphia Caramel Company bylines, shown in the set profiles.)

Are names like Cobb, Mathewson, Young, and LaJoie not enough card-buying challenge? Masochistic master set collectors also pursue the colored background variations, a goal that ramps up the significant set cost another several notches. Others go after an interesting E98 version with black and white fronts; the linked Net54 prewar thread discusses their history, which might (or might not) be test sheets discarded prior to adding color.

Red background variation

Old Put Cigars provided a small clue to the set's origin with their 5-cent ink stamp shown in the scan below. A small number of E98s include this stamp, which links it somewhat with that cigar brand. Unfortunately, this mark's no guarantee of a tobacco-only release, since prewar printers often sold advertising space on card backs to multiple advertisers. One possibility is that Old Put bought a quantity of cards, added their stamp, and packaged them in cigar boxes. Another is that they provided stamps to local sellers, who added the ink manually when customers bought in-store products.

Old Put Cigars overstamp

Jefferson Burdick proposed in his American Card Catalog that Boston-based candy maker C. A. Briggs published the E98s, which explains why it succeeded their 1909-1910 E97 Briggs Candy, despite lacking the same "C. A. Briggs Co., Lozenge Makers" tagline. Some of Burdick's classifications later proved too simplistic (such as W516's co-mingling of 3 variations), so until a smoking gun links the "anonymous" set to a product and printer, E98 origins remain enigmatic and open to debate.

Value: While expensive, E98 Wagners run a good deal cheaper than T206s; this #5 cost $1000 at auction. (The extremely rare Old Cut Cigar versions cost several times more.)

Fakes / reprints: Full-set reprints exist and people have faked the stars. Given their age and rarity, grading's the most reliable way to give sellers and collectors confidence in an E98's value.

1980 TCMA Tulsa Drillers Baseball #5, Mike Roberts

2011-09-02T10:43:00.000-04:00

Given time, most baseball fans can rattle off all 30 MLB teams by city and name, and probably some former teams besides, such as the Seattle Pilots or Montreal Expos. Minor league teams, on the other hand, prove much more challenging to name, given how much they move around, often changing towns or names multiple times in less than a decade. Smaller fan bases leave most squads sensitive to changing fan interest and only the best-run teams hang around long enough to become known outside their geographic region.

Today's card brought the shifting sands of minor league existence to mind when I looked up Tulsa and the history of its AA team, the Drillers, who joined the Texas League the same year MLB added Seattle's Mariners and Toronto's Blue Jays.

1977: Amarillo Gold Sox, Arkansas Travelers, El Paso Diablos, Jackson Mets, Midland Cubs, San Antonio Dodgers, Shreveport Captains, Tulsa Drillers

The Drillers played briefly in Lafayette prior to moving to Tulsa, but are one of just two squads to maintain their Texas League town and name in the 35 years since.

2011: Arkansas Travelers, Corpus Christi Hooks, Frisco RoughRiders, Midland RockHounds, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, San Antonio Missions, Springfield Cardinals, Tulsa Drillers

If you've heard "Texas Leaguer" in a baseball context, by the way, that's a weak fly ball (lower than a pop up) that drops between an infielder and an outfielder (also "flare" or "blooper"). According to Wikipedia, the term originated when Ollie Pickering, a popular Texas League player, made his major league debut and proceeded to run off a string of seven straight bloop hits, to which the game announcers stated, "Well, there goes Pickering with another one of those Texas Leaguers."

Hey, is SPORTS BUFF COLLECTION an ad for Tulsa's local sports card shop? It's tempting to think so, but the only Internet reference I found refers to the business as either a "retail sports store" or "scientific and technological services." Maybe they sold cards and maybe they sold computers. Any readers from the Midwest know more about this store?

Value: Found this on Beckett Marketplace for $2.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any and it'd be tough to make money faking non-star TCMA cards.

Favorite Card Goofs (and Winner) of Friday's Giveaway

2011-08-29T18:00:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who nominated card goofs for last week's contest! Here's your roll call of infamy.

Spiegel83: Billy Ripken's many bat handles (original FF, black box, blanked).

1989 Fleer, "black box" variation

Ryan G: Reverse negatives (and Billy Ripken).

1957 Topps #20, Hank Aaron (reversed)

Chris Stufflestreet: Gimme some Topps Joe Rudi, but hold the Rudi.

1973 Topps #360, Joe Rudi not pictured

Hackenbush: The bonus card of Ron Santo.

1963 Topps #113, Don Landrum not pictured

The Lost Collector and Mad Guru: Now pinch-pitching for Al Leiter, Steve George.

1998 Topps #18, Al Leiter not pictured

Play at the Plate: Billy Martin, who may or may not be flipping off the cameraman.

1972 Topps #33, Billy Martin (autographed)

Matt: Juan Gonzalez bats lefty (and Billy Ripken).

1990 Donruss #33, Juan Gonzalez (reversed)

Mark A: "Double threat" Uecker can strike out from both sides of the plate.

1965 Topps #519, Bob Uecker (as lefty)

Greg Zakwin: Topps releases Alex Gordon rookie "by accident."

2006 Topps #297, Alex Gordon (withdrawn)

Night Owl: The younger Pettis brother stands in for Gary.

1985 Topps #497, Gary Pettis not pictured

Jason Shoemaker: George W. Bush and Mickey Mantle can pop up where you least expect them.

2007 Topps #40, Derek Jeter (Bush in stands, Mantle in dugout)

THE WINNER: I threw everyone into the Random.org hopper and it decreed that Mad Guru takes home the duplicate of my 1948 R346 Johnny Mize card (and his oddball hat)!

Congrats, Guru! And thanks to everyone for nominating their favorite cardboard shenanigans; you turned up some mistakes I'd never seen before.

UPDATE: Someone asked about the Dale Murphy reversed negative, so here you go! Note the backwards "A," "Braves," and bat handle number.

1989 Upper Deck #357, Dale Murphy (reversed)

Vintage Giveaway Friday!

2011-08-26T02:40:00.000-04:00

Soon after this year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, I won an eBay lot of R346 Blue Tints. This obscure 1948 set's one of the last strip card issues sold by coin-op machines at candy stores or along boardwalks and players on its checklist run the gamut from superstar (Ted Williams) to posthumous (Lou Gehrig) to "wearing an unexpected hat" (Johnny Mize, sporting STL as a NY Giant).

Obaks.com pointed out that Jefferson Burdick's R346 catalog number for these "Blue Tints" gets an "R for recent" prefix instead of "W for strip cards" because they're a postwar release and thus a generation removed from their 1920s progenitors. By the 1940s, kids expected packs of gum with their baseball players; based on modern scarcity, I assume these didn't sell very well. (See my #5 profile for more, including a "mirrored ink" example.)

Card companies sometimes confuse teams or player photos; Mize hadn't played for St. Louis since the early 1940s, so this card uses an image that's both several years old and sports a curious team logo.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN: My R346 lot from eBay included a duplicate of the aforementioned Johnny Mize, so I'm sending the extra to one lucky entrant. (Then we can both be stumped by the origin of his STL hat.)

HOW TO ENTER: Add a comment to this post with your favorite card goof. It could be Frank Thomas's missing name, Billy Ripken's bat handle, Lew Burdette pretending to be left-handed in 1959, or any other shenanigans preserved forever on cardboard. [UPDATE: Contest is over; find the nominated cards and winner of the Mize here.]

Sports Cards for Insane People, Nolan Ryan Edition

2011-08-25T12:53:00.001-04:00

SB Nation editor and professional suit-wearer Jon Bois runs a regular series of columns titled Sports Cards for Insane People that peeks into baseball's cardboard excesses of the 1980s and 90s. His most recent investigation plumbed the depths of Nolan Ryan oddballs and their casting call of plain blue hats, which featured two #5s.

1991-92 Bleachers Promos #5

Look closely and cringe: card editors added "BLEACHERS" to Ryan's hat with cheap digital tools, just before they blew money on 23K gold foil. Must've been a crazy post-production session.

Bleachers specialized in minor league cards, player-specific sets, and stamping gold foil on things. Lest they seem feckless and reckless, dozens of early 90s card makers competed in those same events. Don't know if any of them "won," but we lost.

1993 Bleachers Promos #5

Jon proposes this is the first time any card featured a real skull. I also wondered: is Nolan the first to wear riding chaps in what's nominally a baseball set? Check out his article for maximal insanity.

1980 TCMA Quad City Cubs Baseball #5, Tom Morris

2011-08-24T08:09:00.000-04:00

TCMA produced 45 numbered team sets in 1980 and the Quad City Cubs mark my 21st blog post about them, so we're almost halfway done. Today's set used the economical black-and-white player photos, a fairly plain card compared to teams like the sun-drenched Hawaii Islanders (#5 profile).

Best thing about this card: Tom Morris and ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., separated at birth.

Tom Morris's pro career ended after just two seasons in the Quad Cities, a four-town metro area that spans the Iowa-Illinois border and our fair Mississippi River. It's not clear whether he stuck with baseball in another capacity after he hung up the spikes. (See the 1975 Quad City #5 profile for more about my Quad City baseball experiences and its mid-70s squad, the single-A Angels.)

I'm surprised this card doesn't include any 1979 stats, since Tom kept the same uniform in 1980 and TCMA had printed cards for Iowa franchises since the mid-70s and knew the area. Perhaps the team itself kept dodgy stats; his career stats page shows few details outside of an 0-7 record.

Value: This #5 cost a couple of dollars on Beckett Marketplace, like most non-star minor league singles.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any reprinted TCMA cards.

1938 Kellogg's Baseball School #5, Infielding

2011-08-23T08:40:00.002-04:00

Scavenging through oddball tables at the 2011 National in Chicago turned up today's Corn Flakes box panel, an educational refugee from the late 1930s. This set of tips on handling grounders is just one of a series on position defense, pitching, and hitting that Kellogg's added to their cereal in an effort to compete with General Mills' huge success of players endorsing Wheaties. (See 1936 Wheaties set profile for one example.)

8" x 10" box panel (blank back)

Best thing about this card: Kids trimmed away actual "K"s (from FLAKES) to send away for baseballs, which some probably took right off boxes on the shelves. ("CORN FLAES," anyone?)

I was immediately curious about Kellogg's promotional tie-in with Lew Fonseca. Why sign a former player/manager three years out of baseball to a cereal deal? Did people know him better as an announcer in the 1930s, like Bob Uecker today? The answer was yes, but with longer-lasting significance.

Lew's little mentioned today, but his work with cameras and baseball highlights looms large over modern sports, particularly our TV-driven era. After helping with a Hollywood baseball film in 1927, Lew saw its potential both as an on-field tool for managers and way to share the game to fans around the country. By 1938, most of America knew him for traveling newsreels of World Series stars and All-Star highlights.

1930s Chicago teammate (and future HOFer) Al Simmons picked up the nickname "Bucketfoot" because he stepped out and away during each swing, leaving his front foot "in the bucket" and seemingly far from the plate. Curious why this didn't limit his reach, Fonseca used his camera to figure out how this unusual approach still allowed Al to reach pitches anywhere in the strike zone.

Al Simmons, stepping into the bucket on a hit to left field

Lew's camerawork discovered that Simmons went for the bucket on inside or middle pitches, but stepped straight ahead on pitches away, keeping his bat in the striking zone throughout. (The swing above comes 2:04 into the 1934 All-Star Game highlight film on YouTube.)

This kind of film review seems second nature now, thanks in large part to Fonseca's promotion of traveling highlight compilations. The phrase "highlight reel" came literally from Lew filming, editing, and screening his 16mm films around the country and to troops overseas throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Read more about Lew in The Innovations of Lew Fonseca, which describes how he built initial support for in-game films, measured the speed of Bob Feller's fastball before radar guns, and captured essential pieces of history like Jackie Robinson's steal of home (above) in the 1955 World Series. It's great stuff.

Value: This low-grade box panel cost $40. They appear so rarely that it's hard to set a market price. (For comparison, the more popular Wheaties panels go for $15 and up, depending on the player pictured.)

Fakes / reprints: Doubt there are any fakes out there, given its lack of a specific player.

1978 Cramer Salt Lake City Baseball #5, Kim Allen

2011-08-22T08:46:00.000-04:00

Today's guest, a former Seattle prospect, could hit minor league pitching, but performed especially well once on first or second. He stole 259 bases in the minors and another dozen in limited big league action before moving to Japan for lack of playing time.

I remember the Mariners fielding several speedsters back in those days, so maybe Kim didn't stand out like he would've on another club. Unfortunately, "failing" for Seattle in the 1970s gave you few other MLB options; not many teams scooped up guys who couldn't make an expansion era roster.

Best thing about this card: That's great color tone on the bat; I love those coppery Louisville Sluggers with a pine tar patina.

Cramer Sports Promotions, better-known as 80s/90s card maker Pacific, competed with TCMA in the 70s minor league team set market and these full-color cards still look sharp today.

Washington-based Cramer also produced a set near and dear to my heart, the 1980 Baseball Legends, which I bought new at the general store a few blocks from school. Check out my profile of #5 Joe DiMaggio and BA Benny's Pack Rip Cafe for more details.

BA Benny prepares to rip this pack

Value: Kim Allen cost $2 at MinorLeagueSingles.com, about right for late 70s minor leaguers.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1979 Family Fun Center Padres Baseball #5, Gene Richards

2011-08-19T10:03:00.002-04:00

I remember the San Diego Padres mostly for their 1984 World Series run, as an otherwise moribund franchise blew away the rest of the western division by 12 games. Tony Gwynn and Kevin McReynolds keyed a lineup that, though successful, seems like smoke and mirrors today, with only one great hitter, a handful of decent ones, and no starting pitcher with more than 15 wins (1984 team stats at B-R). My 12 year-old self rooted for Steve Garvey (and thus, the Padres) that post-season and took quite an emotional hit when they lost the series to Detroit. How could someone as American as Garvey lose a World Series? It was simply unfair.

Today's postcard set casts San Diego back a bit further, highlighting those chocolate-and-banana uniforms my 1970s brain likes in spite of itself. The Padres collaborated with local Family Fun Centers (now Boomers San Diego) and Dean's Photo Service (now closed?) on this team issue and gave them away at designated home games. In all likelihood, Family Fun Centers put up sponsorship money and Dean's printed the actual cards, with wood grain borders that evoke 1962 and 2011 Topps.

2011 Topps Heritage, reprint of 1962 Topps #5

Family Fun Centers sponsored several Padre sets in the late 1970s and early 1980s and its checklists include HOFers like Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, Rollie Fingers, manager Dick Williams, and coach Billy Herman. Complete sets probably exist, though I've only seen singles at shows.

The 1978 team honored by this set produced San Diego's only winning season prior to 1984 and #5 caught Gene Richards at the start of his peak as a high-average, high-speed player with the glove to play any outfield position. His playing time dropped off soon after age 28, right when most guys play best, so I suspect injuries shortened what could've been a great career.

Value: Found this autographed #5 at the 2011 National in Chicago for $4. HOF players would cost two or three times more.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

Jefferson Burdick has a Posse

2011-08-17T09:26:00.009-04:00

At this year's National Sports Collectors Show in Chicago, I met Chris Harris of StaleGum, who passed along five copies of his Jefferson Burdick has a Posse sticker, a great take on Shepard Fairey's street art featuring Andre the Giant.

Jefferson Burdick is the best-known early card collector and his American Card Catalog set a base for most of our hobby's organization and practices, such as set numbering, checklisting, and pricing. Tristar immortalized him appropriately (with a modified image) in their 2010 Obak set.

2010 Obak #66 (mini)

Fellow blogger Cardboard Junkie tweaked his own Shepard Fairey-inspired take on Burdick for the post (and image) COLLECT.

I gave a couple of StaleGum's stickers to vintage collector and writer George Vrechek, who researched Burdick extensively and could talk for hours about the American Card Catalog, Jefferson's collection, and other early contemporaries in the hobby. Here's the six minute version, recorded Saturday evening at the OldBaseball.com dinner. (Background noise from our hotel function room.)

Check out George's articles for much more, including a visit to Jefferson's original collection at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Part 1: The Greatest Collection That You Will Never See
Part 2: Burdick Revisited
Publication history: Collectors Searching for the Fountain of Completeness

Thanks to Chris for the Posse sticker, George for talking through Jefferson's history, and Junkie for COLLECT! I enjoyed assembling all of these pieces for other collectors and Burdick fans to find.

1992 Upper Deck Baseball #5, Jim Thome

2011-08-16T01:42:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Jim Thome on cresting 600 homers! Love his team jacket on this suitably named Upper Deck Star Rookie card.

Jim hit exactly 1 major league homer in 1991, 2 in 1992, and 7 more in 1993 across 114 total games. Thome's power stroke developed in 1994 and he went to enjoy 11 straight seasons with 20+ homers. (Career stats at B-R.)

For all his top-10 MVP finishes, Thome's only been to 6 All-Star games in 21 years, a low total for someone with such consistent power numbers. Like fans in Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Minnesota, I'm glad to see Jim getting recognition now and look forward to a few more moon shots before he finally hangs up his spikes.

1979 Mitock LA Dodgers Baseball Postcards #5, Andy Messersmith

2011-08-15T18:14:00.002-04:00

Today's postcard sits right in Night Owl's wheelhouse, as a night-time Dodger photo from the 1970s. Check out his blog's ongoing series of awesome night cards, if you haven't already. They remind you how different the game looks under man-made light.

Can't tell if Andy's throwing a real pitch, but the photographer caught a nice windup pose of his curve ball or close-grip heater. Nice design choice on that white-on-black autograph, too, something you don't see much on cards from any era.

The solid + green + mound card composition also reminded me of the 1933 Goudey set. All it's missing is that ad for BIG LEAGUE Chewing Gum and a 1930s patina.

Today's Mitock Publishing-made postcard turned up at the 2011 National in Chicago mixed in with many others published during the 1960s and 1970s. According to what I can find online, the KVB11955 tag line means 1979 and includes at least these Dodger players.

KVB11955-1: Bob Welch
KVB11955-2: ?
KVB11955-3: ?
KVB11955-4: Derrell Thomas
KVB11955-5: Andy Messersmith
KVB11955-6: Garry Thomasson

Let me know if you've seen others from this series and we'll fill out the checklist.

Value: I paid $4 for Mr. Messersmith, who grades a solid VG-EX.

Fakes / reprints: Don't know of any in the marketplace. I suspect it'd be hard to make money faking baseball postcard, unless you went back to the pre-war era.

Friday's Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who nominated a "best core lineup" for Friday's giveaway of this three-man 1961 Topps #25!

Read all 19 comments for the full list, covering teams from the defunct Federal League up to modern Astros and Phillies. I'm partial to Night Owl and Spiegel's nomination of the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers trio of Snider, Campanella, and Hodges, both for their golden age success and (*cough*) to make my Brooklyn-loving dad happy.

I fed all entrants into Random.org and it selected Greg Zakwin as the winner of this card and some moderns of his chosen team. (It looks like that'll also be the Dodgers.) Congrats to Greg and look for more giveaways soon!

Friday Giveaway: Your Team's Best Power Trio?

2011-08-12T09:03:00.004-04:00

This last featured pickup from the 2011 National in Chicago is cool for a few reasons.

Scan from COMC, where 1961 Topps #25 starts at $2

First, just 50 cents netted me Frank Robinson, Gus Bell, and Vada Pinson in a nice pre-game shot from 1960. Second, those sleeveless Reds uniforms always mean classic baseball; who can forget Ted Kluszewski in 1957? Third, Topps reused Gus Bell's own uniform number (25) for the card itself.

Seeing these guys together--the top 3 in total bases for Cincinnati in 1960--made me wonder what the best 3-man slugging combos were for Seattle, my hometown team from ages 6 to 26. Who would I want anchoring their 2-3-4 or 3-4-5 lineup positions, year after year?

This is how we all think about cards, right?

The Mariners are an easy franchise to build a best-ever trio for, given their inconsistent (i.e., lousy) 1970s and 1980s teams. By the mid 1990s, though...

Ken Griffey, Jr. hit 50+ homers regularly
Edgar Martinez picked up the nickname "Dr. Double" (35+ of them 8 times)
Alex Rodriguez started doing what he's always done

That trio of teammates from 1996-1999 gets my vote as Seattle's best. Thus, the giveaway question!

HOW TO ENTER: Who do you think is the best lineup trio for another franchise? Just add a comment with team, players, and basic rationale.

[Greg Zakwin won the giveaway of this 1961 Topps #25, but feel free to add more "best lineups" to this post.]

UPDATE: Vintage Sportscards is also running a National-based 1952 Topps giveaway! Entering both is like the Doublemint gum of vintage contests.