Six-Pack Breaks: 1991 Topps Archives "1953" Baseball

Topps has been playing upon its history for quite some time. Even when you go back to the 'Turn Back the Clock' subsets from the 1980s, you'll see that they've long been happy with showcasing their past. Topps took it to new levels in 1991 with the inaugural Topps Archives set, which would pave the way for the dozens of old-school themed sets that have followed in the nearly two decades since.

1991 Topps Archives Baseball reprints all but one of the original 1953 Topps Baseball set (174. Billy Loes is absent due to rights issues). It also adds several "new" cards including Ted Williams and Hank Aaron. While the original cards maintain their painted fronts, the added cards come in the form of black and white photos. 

I've had these cards sitting on top of my desk for some time. I grabbed a few packs online, I think for about $0.75 a pop. Seeing as how I'll never be able to afford some of the originals from the 1953 set, so this seemed like a cheap and convenient way to look at a few.

Pack 1:

55. Maurice McDermott, Boston Red Sox
309. Leo Durocher, New York Giants
72. Fred Hutchinson, Detroit Tigers
314. Joe Garagiola, Pittsburgh Pirates
262. Bob Oldis, Washington Senators
19. Mel Parnell, Boston Red Sox
238. Cal Hogue, Pittsburgh Pirates
222. Vic Janowicz, Pittsburgh Pirates
208. Jim Wilson, Milwaukee Braves
266. Bob Cain, St. Louis Browns
189. Ray Jablonski, St. Louis Cardinals
27. Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodgers

  
Pack 2:

112. Ned Garver, Detroit Tigers
17. Billy Hitchcock, Philadelphia Athletics
323. Wes Westrum, New York Giants
139. Sammy White, Boston Red Sox
82. Mickey Mantle - I guess it's all down hill from here ; )
143. Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox
182. Bob Hofman, New York Giants
137. John Rutherford, Brooklyn Dodgers
193. Mike Clark, St. Louis Cardinals
324. Vern Law, Pittsburgh Pirates
155. Dutch Leonard, Chicago Cubs
183. Stu Miller, St. Louis Cardinals

 Pack 3:

169. Dizzy Trout, Boston Red Sox
66. Orestes Minoso, Chicago White Sox
166. Bill Hunter, St. Louis Browns
296. Gil Hodges, Brooklyn Dodgers
104. Yogi Berra, New York Yankees
232. Dick Kokos, St. Louis Browns
22. Howie Fox, Philadelphia Phillies
282. Ralph Houk, New York Yankees
178. Jim Waugh, Pittsburgh Pirates
158. John Logan, Boston Braves
98. Cal Abrams, Pittsburgh Pirates
180. Virgil Stallcup, St. Louis Cardinals

Pack 4:

6. Sam Jones, Cleveland Indians
301. Harvey Kuenn's wad, Detroit Tigers
219. Pete Runnels, Washington Senators
250. Bob Wilson, Chicago White Sox
234. Ray Murray, Philadelphia Athletics
287. Mickey Vernon, Washinton Senators
209. Jim Greengrass, Cincinnati Reds
136. Ken Heintzelman, Philadelphia Phillies
115. George Spencer, New York Giants
252. Henry Foiles, Cincinnati Reds
243. Carlos Bernier, Pittsburgh Pirates
212. Jack Dittmer, Milwaukee Braves

  
Pack 5:

227. Morris Martin, Philadelphia Athletics
32. Clyde Vollmer, Boston Red Sox
2. Luke Easter, Cleveland Indians
36. Johnny Groth, St. Louis Browns
318. Curt Simmons, Philadelphia Phillies
13. Connie Marrero, Washington Senators
8. Clem Koshorek, Pittsburgh Pirates
91. Ebba St. Claire, Boston Braves
305. Carl Furillo, Brooklyn Dodgers
124. Sibby Sisti, Boston Braves
56. Gerald Staley, St. Louis Cardinals
3. George Crowe, Boston Braves

Pack 6:

126. Billy Connelly, New York Giants
249. Ed O'Brien, Pittsburgh Pirates
27. Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodgers (One of those times when doubles are fine by me.)
189. Ray Jablonski, St. Louis Cardinals
134. Rube Walker, Brooklyn Dodgers
208. Jim Wilson, Milwaukee Braves
229. Rocky Krsnich, Chicago White Sox
94. William Kennedy, Boston Red Sox
220. Satchell Paige, St. Louis Browns
171. Bill Glynn, Cleveland Indians
295. Phil Cavarretta, Chicago Cubs
233. Al Aber, Cleveland Indians

 I'll be the first to acknowledge that the slick feel of the cards isn't the same as the cardboard touch of old. Plus there's no rounded corners, added scribbles or faint initials to be found anywhere. Today's sets that celebrate the past, both in design and in content, are missing the ghosts of years past. They don't have the stories that the originals do.

Even still, these cards are gorgeous. The design is one of the best Topps has ever put out. I would have liked the additions to the checklist to have been done in the same painted manner, but the black and white photos are still very classy. It's not an ideal scenario but it works for me.

Today, the set is largely ignored.At least there doesn't seem to be a huge demand for it. Even still, 1991 Topps Archives is something of a milestone release, showing that the hobby loved heritage enough to warrant its own standalone release. The lack of lasting popularity might be in part to the fact that this set was somewhat ahead of its time.

Although I like this set a lot, I don't think I'll be building the set at this time so if anyone's working on a set or needs some of these, please send me an email and we can work on a trade. My wantlists are linked at the top of the page or you can click here.

Awkward Cards: 1936 World Wide Gum 112. Zeke Bonura

So I'm taking a look around some auctions last night and came across a Canadian seller with a bunch of pre-WWII stuff. It was all priced out of my range but it was fun to browse and do a little studying up. Here's a 1936 World Wide Gum card that caught my attention, largely because I wasn't sure if it was a baseball card or not. With the newspapers in the background and the suit and tie, I wondered if it was a profile mugshot and some non-sport news set from the day.

If you ask me, Mr. Bonura looks like a youthful Joe Torre.

Here's the back:

"By golly, that looks an awful lot like the style of Goudey backs," I think to myself. I'm very unfamiliar with really old cards, so this was new. If you're taking an SAT exam and you get one of those relational questions, here's what Wikipedia is telling me:

Topps is to O-Pee-Chee as Goudey is to World Wide Gum.

I learned something new last night.

Here's where the awkwardness comes in. Let's zoom in on the text on the back, shall we:

So that's what they called it back in the day.

I guess I learned two things last night.

Slideshow: 1888 Goodwin Champions

I did a little experimenting and created a slide show for 1888 Goodwin Champions in preparation of Upper Deck's retro-themed set. I'll have a gallery posted in the coming days.

Enjoy!

Unfortunate Names on Cards: 1888 Goodwin Champions "Glasscock"

 

1888 Goodwin Champions Glasscock

Old Cards Rule: Is That a Pot Leaf on His Shirt?

I love old cards. I received the following today:

I did a double-take the first time I saw it. Did burnouts really exist in 1910? Maybe, but I'm not sure Percy Sellen here would have made nice with Jay and Silent Boy. It's my country's national symbol (the official one), the maple leaf.

Sellen was a runner who, according to the back of the card, came to Canada as a 27-year-old and was a fast runner, "defeat[ing] such good men as St. Yves, John D. March, Crowley , and many others of the professional crowd." Apparently runners at the tun of the 20th century were one-name wonders like Madonna, Prince, Shakira and Twiggy.

The bio on the back continues, "He has run fast races with Alfred Shrubb but has always been beaten by the latter." Uh oh. Percy no win all his races. Schooled by the Shrubb-master.

I do believe that this is now officially the oldest card I have in my collection. I received another really old card, but I'll hold that one aside for another day. There's some creases, rounded corners and a little bit of writing on the back, but for about the price of a pack of 2009 Upper Deck Spectrum, I was able to grab a little piece of century-old hobby history.

The card comes from Mecca Cigarettes Champion Athletes series (T218). Released in 1910, the complete set encompasses athletes from several sports. There's 153 cards in the set, including many boxers, which seem to get the most attention. The design, like most sets from this era, carry a certain beauty even if the image of Sellen on the front doesn't show a lot of action to it. Although looking at some images doing a little background research I came across two cards that have an uncanny resemblance to two of my favorite characters from the last decade.

Example 1

Example 2

If you've seen There Will Be Blood, you'll probably remember the last scene, which makes the resemblance even funnier.

So there you have it. Old cards rule!

"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich Baggie and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted."

The title refers to a quote in this Fresno Bee article about a senior who stumbled across what is considered one of the first ever baseball cards. It's a cute read that captures both the innocence of the hobby and the business side. Who am I kidding? The lady is very happy to be cashing in. She drove to California to have it slabbed. That's dedication.

Link to the full article.

 

(Images from the Fresno Bee.)

For the BIG Spenders: Clemente Jersey, Ruth Bat and Huge Photo Lot Hit the Auction Block

To me, dropping $20 is a lot for a single card. Needless to say, I won't be taking part in Lelands' latest auction. Their just released fall catalog includes a ton of items for those deep-pocketed souls not left reeling from the recent stock market roller coaster ride. I'll just window shop.

Here's some highlights:

• 600 lots of historical photos.
• Photo collection of Dallas Cowboys team photographer Ron St. Angelo.
• Hand-written letter from Roberto Clemente signed with his nickname "Momen."
• Clemente's game-used bat from the 1972 All-Star Game.
• Clemente batting helmet, circa mid-60s.
• Clemente game-worn winter league uniform from the San Juan Senadores, circa mid-60s.
• Signed document transferring Ted Williams to the Boston Red Sox from 1937, which is signed by Williams.
• Boston Red Sox World Series rings from 2004 and 2007 in their original boxes.
• A program from the first modern World Series in 1903 between Boston and Pittsburgh.
• Team-signed Yankees balls from 1927 and 1928.
• Three Babe Ruth signed balls.
• A 1932 hickory game-used Ruth bat.
• A whistle from James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
• A Cleveland Browns game-worn jacket from Otto Graham from the 1950s.

The photo lots include images of the Chicago Black Sox, including Joe Jackson, deal-ball era images of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Edd Roush, Evers, Eddie Collins, Chief Bender, John McGraw, Frank Chance and Ed Walsh; original Carl Horner images used on the T206 tobacco cards, Nat Fein’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Babe Bows Out,” vintage photos of Ruth and Lou Gehrig, , a large Jackie Robinson collection including photos of him in his first game with Brooklyn in 1947, famous moments like Sandy Amoros’ 1955 World Series catch and Willie Mays’ 1954 World Series catch, and vintage boxing images of John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, Jack Johnson, Jess Willard, Stanley Ketchel, Tom Sharkey, Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe Gans and Battling Siki.

Historical photography includes a vast civil rights movement collection, crime photography depicting Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Ma Barker, Albert Anastasia, Lucky Luciano, Legs Diamond, and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. There are also several Ansel Adams vintage prints.

Lelands fall auction ends November 21 should you win the lottery before then. Here's a link to the auction's index should you want to browse and dream.

Trader Crack's Book Club: The Card

When you're talking the Holy Grail of trading cards and sports memorabilia, the T206 Honus Wagner is it. And when you're talking about the Holy Grail of T206 Honus Wagners, the "Gretzky Wagner" is it.

Michael O'Keefe and Teri Thompson not only trace the history of Honus and the card that would become the first to sell for more than $1 million, but also raise some hard-to-ignore questions and observations about the darker side of the hobby. The book is a slick journalistic read filled with outlandish characters, strange happenings and an eye-opener for those looking to dabble in the high-end arena of sports collectibles.

The Card spends a lot of time building up the legend of the T206 Wagner, beginning with Bill Mastro buying it in the 1980s for $25,000 (with thousands of dollars worth of other rare cards thrown in) to PSA grading it an 8 to launch the company to Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall buying it to it being given away as a prize to three subsequent sales since. There's no denials about the beauty of the card, yet many questions are raised about the pedigree of the card. O'Keefe and Thompson make some reasonable claims about how the Wagner may have been a part of an uncut strip and then cut down to size. That would explain its sharp edges, lack of tobacco stains and how it survived some 90 years before being uncovered.

These claims and suspicions are backed up by plenty of experts.Ironically, they're the ones who are eager to speak in the book. Unfortunately these same people carry grudges with them against those who have profited from the card. This makes it a lot harder to fully trust any of these claims as it comes across at times like they just want to see their rivals fall.

Whether or not the claims about the Wagner card are true, The Card is an eye-opener into the lengths people go to make cash in the hobby. Anyone who's been in the hobby for any length of time knows that there's swindlers looking to take people for their money. They're all over eBay right now with the over-hyped auctions filled with wild claims and 1-of-1 labels, fake patches and forged signatures.

The number of card-related books that aren't checklists or price guides are slim in number. That alone should make The Card a must-read for hobbyists. The fact that it's a solid read, despite its sometimes questionable sources, should further entice collectors to pick a copy up.

Goodie for Goudey!

When you're talking dream cards, mine is a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth. Will I ever have one? Doubtful. But my vintage Goudey collection officially started yesterday with the arrival of this:

171. Charley Jamieson, Cleveland Indians

Sorry for the crappy scans. I'm in the process of switching over to a new computer but my old one still has the scanner hooked up and the old monitor is horrid. Instantly Charley becomes the oldest part of my baseball card collection. I've got a couple of non-sport and boxing tobacco cards that are a little bit older, but not by much. According to BaseballReference, Charley was never a superstar but he was a solid hitter holding down a career average of .301 in almost two decades of playing. In 1924 he hit .359 and finished third in AL MVP voting.

The card itself is in solid shape with no creases. It has been loved over time as the nicely rounded corners show but it was never manhandled. This card was inserted as a Buy Back from 2008 Upper Deck Goudey. I'm not sure what Goudey commons are worth but when I saw the Buy it Now of $8.00 I figured a pretty little piece of pre-WWII vintage was more fun than a random pack or two of the new stuff.

Upper Deck also inserted a card of congratulations indicating this is indeed a Buy Back.

What I find interesting is the language used. 

You have received a trading card that was originally released in a previous product and is now being re-released for your collecting pleasure.

Can Upper Deck not take a couple of extra seconds and state what set it's from? And maybe even go a step further and discuss the history of the 1933 Goudey set? Gasp! One would think that seeing as how Upper Deck has the rights to call the new set "Goudey" they'd also have the rights to point out the origins of the old cards as well.

It's not that I care that much. I'm just excited to have the first of hopefully a handful of cards from this set.

Random Pack Breaks - Old School Edition: 1974 Fleer Crazy Covers

It's Sunday morning. I'm hungry. The kitchen cupboards are too far away. I scour the desk to see what there is: cards, files, bottle of water, more cards piles and some random indie DVD I'll watch later this week. Score: gross baggie of random old non-sport packs that arrived earlier in the week - old non-sport packs with gum. Let's reach in and see who the winner is.

1974 Fleer Crazy Covers...

...with a 34-year-old stick of gum! Prepare to be amazed. Turn away if you're easily disgusted (or have a Sunday hangover.)

I don't know much about this set. A quick Google search turned up that the set comes from the mid-1970s and is Fleer's take on Wacky Packages. It's a sticker set. There's 30 in the set plus a puzzle.

Here's the back of the pack:

I peel the wax panels back carefully and reveal (second warning - look away now if you're going to puke on your keyboard):



Breakfast is served. Actually, there's no chance I'm eating that nasty stick of whatever it is. It's sort brownish pink with spots I can only assume are moldy bits. It's stuck on good to the sticker so it looks like I'll be making a sacrifice to the old school pack gods.

After much pulling and tearing the gum has been removed:

Oh, well. Let's take a closer look at these satirical stickers.

This is the destroyed sticker that's been wrecked by the gum. They're unnumbered. I'm guessing this is an ode to "Sport" and the Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Although a little worse for wear, it'll be filed away in the vaults for reference materials.

Next!

Expire, a take on "Esquire". Looks more like a "New Yorker" cartoon that doesn't make sense.

Finally, it's an honest to goodness card. Of what? I'll let you decide.

It's obviously a puzzle piece. I'm guessing it's probably Fleer's take on Alfred E. Newman of "Mad" fame. On the back is the checklist:

And there you have it. One Old-School random pack. I may not have eaten anything this morning, but after seeing (and manhandling) that thing that used to be a stick of gum, my appetite is gone.