On that Home Run Derby Killer, you sure bought the card and not the number. What a killer of a Killer!!! Congratulations on getting that rare card. The eye appeal on that one makes it one of Harmon's top ten, easily. Again, way to go, collecting bro.;) --Brian Powell

Almost done with Mick run...

Never in my life saw a 52B like this one below. And ditto for the centering on the 69-- the 69 has amazed me with how brutally tilted and OC it usually is...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

Sharp 69 WL
 

I would definitely take rounded corners and a crease just to have good centering any day!

Word up.

Just found this little ebay gem in the mailbox-- usually so OC, cannot go wrong for $50!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-jim-palmer-rc

Let us know when you get it back, Patrick. That's a sweet Brett.

that deserves a 10!!!!!!!!! [Re: '76 Yount]

Nice pickup :)

Yeah that 76 Yount would look right at home if the sticker said 10, but we all know the dif btw the best 9s and any 10 is just the mood of a grader that day. Would much rather have the 9 as a collector.

You never see those Derby cards. The cool thing about that one is the photo captures a side of him that's cool and edgy, not just the smiling portrait so prevalent in that era.

That Brett would be a LOCK 9 or shot at 10 without that PD up top; regardless it is one of the nicer examples. No tilt. Left-right is just gorgeous.

Kept sifting through ebay like an old gold-miner last night came up on some more hidden gems... Bench will sit flat in holder when tapped and look sick; paying for an 8 or 9 would make me feel like a fool after seeing this 6 look the same for a mere fraction... Never saw a 75 Schmidt without PD... And have always loved every aspect of the 1980 Ryan-- colors, image, All Star banner...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ohnny-bench-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-mike-schmidt

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-nolan-ryan

Great pickups MattyC. I love the Ryans and look forward to seeing the Mantle run when it is finished.

that's a really nice Schmidt!!

That '80 Nolan Ryan is one of my favorite cards from the set. I just love the whole 1980 set. That will be one of the next sets I build.

Yeah 80 Ryan is one of the more beautiful cards around to me-- just the perfect storm of photo, colors, card design.

Just grabbed these off some ebay BINs. Love it when cards are sitting crooked in the holder in ebay listings; when you get them in hand and sit them flush for a scan they will look money. The Manager's Dream card is so slept-on-- the talent in that photo, and peep the background, is amazing. And finding a Molitor/Trammell with no PD or black dot in the Molitor box is always a treat.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-mantle-mays

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...tortrammell-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-cal-ripken-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-roger-maris

Remember in "the Natural", how Gus had the Magic Eye that "sees all". It could see the money in Roy's pockets, well the paper money, anyway.

You've got the magic eye.

First of all, there has to be something I'm not seeing on that '62 Maris. Because there's no way I'm seeing a 4 when I look at it. It's got really nice edges, which isn't easy with that wood grain, and the centering is nice, too. The '62 Topps are not quite the '71s with the black, but that wood paneling really shows edge flaws. That's a steal for that card. And secondly, as soon as I saw the Molitor/Trammell, I was looking for the black ink. That card is absolutely clean. Beautiful pickup.

You just got a bunch of nice cards.

Thank you, Davino. :)

I couldn't wait to get it in my hands. I raced over, turned on my fluorescent lamp, whipped out the loupe, and spent a good five minutes straight looking at it. I couldn't believe how nice it was.

9..10..I'm just happy to own it. That one's never leaving my collection.

It's been a good month so far

Cool Mays MVP!

Stache-- appreciate the good vibes and Maris props.

Just snagged this Ted; after studying the card for a while, observed that the majority have serious image clarity/focus issues, and the usual bad centering. Was hoping a rare focused one without that strange background patina would surface, ideally an example with some honest corner wear, so as to keep the price down. Finally one hit the radar...

Some others for comparison (which are much more expensive) are shown below, which is why this little 6.5 was so eye catching...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-ted-williams

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps460b2fe3.jpg

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/x...s0f596888.jpeg

Nice Teddy Matt. You're pick ups are on fire! Keep them coming, and keep posting.
Drew

Matt - wow that '62 Maris is a NICE card, can't see where PSA sees the 4, but either way I'd take that for my '62 set in a heartbeat!

This '61 Face came to day, it's an upgrade to my current one.

Just got a couple '55's and a '63 Fleer

Anyone know who won this?
 

Wondering who the lucky winner was (unfortunately not me :().:

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...&showauto=true

I'm working on doing some custom cards, so I needed to pick up a few cards for scans. I found a nice Don Money 1974 Topps that fit my needs nicely, and while looking for that, I found this nice Ernie Banks for $20.

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/1113/VWusx7.pnghttp://imageshack.com/a/img661/558/Bjb9Mt.png

My dad was a big Cubs fan, and loved Ernie Banks growing up. So, I thought I'd pick this up to pique his curiosity about the hobby. Here's hoping he'll get a little more interested. Regardless, I got a nice EXMT+ Banks. Until I add his rookie, and a few of his graded cards, this will tide me over. I like this card quite a lot. :) I happen to really like Ernie Banks, too. You'll be hard pressed to find anybody who loved the game more than he does.

"Let's play two!"

Indeed, Mr. Cub. Indeed!

Nice cards, Steve. I must say that I do like getting unslabbed cards.

Love the '68 Banks, your dad will love it! Next opportunity take him to a show, our older dad's who aren't into the hobby, like seeing the cards in person, he may get hooked seeing Mr. Cub smiling back at him!

Banks has some gorgeous cards. One day hope to add a nice low grade RC of his with solid centering.

Found this awesome centered Ted on ebay last night; hits the eye better than some 8s. The Mick is sitting crooked in holder but when tapped down will be perfectly centered, and a step closer to the complete Mick run...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-ted-williams

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

I am also putting the '75 set together. Beautiful set. Huge improvement from '74.

The start of my 1956 Topps set and a few others thanks to a fellow board member.

Great looking starter set. Please continue to post your progress on the 56. I think it will be the next set I start to tackle. Good job.
Drew

We know the two players facing the camera, who is in the background? I'm guessing ( left to right ) Elston Howard, John Roseboro, and Aaron. Nice card with lots of star power.

Hey bro.....FYI Hunts Auction has several lots that have 56 topps in them. Check them out.. Lots 892-952, yep over 50 lots, some with 20 cards in a group.

August Pickups
 

My small Dodgers sub back from SGC today. Two were cracked out of PSA 6 slabs, 2 were raw. The Sherry was an upgrade for my (8 of 12) set in progress. I'm having a hard time finding much wrong with the Podres...

Attachment 156646
Attachment 156647
Attachment 156648
Attachment 156649

Bob C

Found this centered Frank on the cheap. The Maris is now in-hand and the grade definitely is a head-scratcher-- but anytime such a nice card can be had for so little that is a good thing, so not complaining!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...nk-robinson-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-roger-maris

A few more rookies
 

The Hunter is crooked in the case, looks much nicer in person....and the Dewey is outside of my hall of fame collection purview, but I think he deserves admission, so he's in Carl's Hall of Fame rookies... ;)

Awesome pickups-- both super strong for the grade. That Dwight Evans is a slept-on RC for sure.

Thanks, Matt! ...and by the way, your posts have been influencing and increasing my eye for centering in a truly desirable card... I'm still gaga over that Bench rookie you got in a 4 that looks every bit as nice as my 8..

Thanks! Glad you are digging the latest additions. Just copped these bad boys on my now-nightly ebay treasure hunt for low-mid grade centered cards...

The 63 Mick will tap down in holder and look great; don't know why more seller scans aren't made sure to be flush with the bottom of the holder. But it's good for those of us who scrutinize such scans and realize it's not tilt but the scan. At first I was going to pass on it because I mistakenly thought I could find better centering, but then I looked at all the 4s and 5s on VCP and completed ebay sales and quickly realized this is about as good as it gets; these Micks are pretty hard to find centered, that's for sure.

The Ford is just such an awesome photo!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-whitey-ford

I may be addicted...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-sandy-koufax

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...frank-robinson

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-nolan-ryan

MattyC,

You never cease to amaze me at finding such great low to mid-grade cards that look much higher than the grade. Needless to say since joining this forum your postings certainly have changed the way I go about evaluating a card. Thanks for the all the posts.

Thx, brother. I remember when I first got back into the hobby after college, and fell gradually into the PSA Registry Set thing. I was having ton of fun-- at first-- but then this uncomfortable feeling began to dawn as I found myself buying cards that said GRADE "X" on them...but in my mind and heart I knew they were not as appealing to my eye as some cards in GRADE "X-Y." And the irony was that some of these special lower-grade cards were actually much, much less expensive than the higher graded ones that I felt were visually inferior, at least to my eye.

I also began to have a problem with paying exponential increases in price (i.e., the jump from 9 to 10) for what seemed to me an infinitesimal increase (and sometimes no perceptible increase, or even in some cases a decrease) in card quality. This seemed like a crazy inverse proportion in the economics of higher grades that led me to look at the the broad pool of lower and mid grade examples. I like rare things and I like a challenge, and I began to sense a fun and immensely rewarding challenge in finding the special, rare low or mid grade example that looks as nice as or nicer than a card that would have cost me much more.

All these musings led to the seemingly obvious epiphany that while there is no doubt utility in the TPG slabbing of cards, to embrace both a company's subjective grading standards and their rendered grades as law and gospel is a mistake. I felt that each collector, were he the one to set the standard, might place a much greater emphasis on certain aspects of a card over others, based on his own sense of aesthetics. Sometimes the collector will agree with a TPG's assessment of a given card, or which card is "better" than another, and sometimes the collector will disagree with the TPG. In the end, I believe the collector is always right when it comes to his collection.

If the TPGs always got it right when determining which card is "best," then logically we would never see a 3 sell for more than a 5, etc. And yet time and again we do.

For example, take a 9 that someone subsequently bumps to a 10. When the card was in the 9 holder, let's say a collector sees it and likes it, but is conflicted: on one hand he wants "the best" card, yet his eyes are telling him one thing while the stickers say another. Now if the collector lets the latter guide him, he winds up paying say $10,000 for the 10. Meanwhile, let's posit that another collector follows his eye, buys the 9 for $250, and subsequently reviews it and it becomes a 10. Now, with the two cards in the same numerical yet subjectively assigned grade (the TPGs are very upfront in stating what they render is merely an opinion), anyone can see the newer-minted 10 in this hypothetical is the superior specimen. And yet it was the same card whether it said 8, 9, or 10 on the sticker.

So once I unshackled myself from thinking the best card was necessarily the highest graded, I freed myself to seek the most beautiful card to my own eye, and also can save an enormous amount of money in the process-- which I would of course spend on more cards, LOL.

For example, for the price of a single card I owned in PSA 8, which I sold, I was able to purchase all of the cards I've posted on this month's thread, and even added a replacement of the card I sold that is three grades lower yet looks better to me (bolder color and better centering than the 8). I find myself constantly "upgrading" to special specimens of lower graded cards and thereby expanding my collection to include images I always loved but never had. But end of the day this is just how I approach cards and it's all about whatever works for each person.

MattyC,
Well stated. I have recently downgraded an Alcindor rookie PSA 7 to PSA 6. The 6 was just over half the cost of the 7 and looks much better because of the centering. I have also passed on upgrading some PSA 9's to 10's based on exactly what you mentioned. I will upgrade to the 10's if I see one that is better than the 9 but until then I am happy with the 9.

Thought this was a great commentary
 

MattyC,

Thanks so much for sharing how you now collect cards. Sometimes we get obsessed or caught up with a grade when we should just collect what we like. I agree with you when it comes to collecting and basically do the same when collecting cards. Of course with me it's a little easier since I mainly collect Brooks Robinson items; kinda narrows down what to look for in regard to regular issue cards. When it comes to his odd-ball cards it's never ending!

Regards,

Mark

Was after this for a hot minute, as we say back home. One of the funkiest cards to get centered properly. Love the lighting of his portrait. And the cub is flavor.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ernie-banks-rc

And I know this isn't Post War but this completes the month...for now.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...isty-mathewson

Eye candy every day, Matt. Nice month outta you, bro.

Matt - the '54 Topps Ernie Banks RC is one of my top 10 all-time favorite cards. You are absolutely correct about the funky centering on it. I have seen tons of them with wonky top-to-bottom centering where his name is basically sitting flush against the top border. That is in addition to the left-right centering issues endemic to that set.

Short version = very nice card. Good work.

Arrrrrrrrgh! I was lokking at a Banks RC the other day, it is difficult to find one especially with a bit of border at the top, not being cut-off. Plus its hard for me to see the beige background to look at centering, I think i found one yesterday, but held off on it.
MattyC- i'm so jealous!!

Seems strange to be excited about picking up what many would consider just a common, but....

I have been working on the 61 Post set, and embedded in a lot I recently won was one of the tougher cards from this set, the Chuck Estrada card. This card was a "company only" issued card, in other words it did not appear on a product box as most all of the other cards in the set. The card is in great shape (nice edges, crease/stain free), so I consider myself lucky to find a copy of this tough card in this nice of shape at a fraction of the typical price.

That is amazing about the Estrada-- at least with the Goudey Nap they allowed you to send in for it! So how do most set builders obtain the Estrada? Did a few manage to escape the factory? Fascinating card. As a former set builder I love cards with mystique like that. Must feel great to finally have it.

Chris & Yossarian, thx re: the Banks. Very few places one can go to find those who can appreciate the challenge of finding a properly cut Ernie Banks RC!

This card below is one of my favorite baseball cards of all time. Sacrificed a bit on top-bottom centering for picture clarity and color...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ackie-robinson

Thank you Matt....and yes, a relief to cross this card off of the need list. While the copies of the Estrada are available(there are several offered on ebay as singles), they command a steep price. In this shape, a $100 price point would be considered good(for a common?). While the 61 Post set has over 200 different players in the set, when the variations are figured in there are over 350 different cards. There are 160 "company issued" cards, and if I am not mistaken, 2 cards (Estrada and Shaw) were only issued as company cards. Here is a link to a REA auction for a set of the company issued cards from this set ....it also discusses how the company cards were issued:

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2011/918.html

Howdy Savedfrommyspokes,

A hearty congratulations upon getting that beautiful '61 Post Estrada for your set.

I think you are mistaken about the number of cards that were ONLY available by sending away for a particular team sheet. I am no expert, but I do recall a couple other examples of this---the Yankees' sheet having Bob Turley, and the Senators' sheet had Chuck Stobbs.

The other scenario I well remember from hobby literature was a couple players that were very hard to find, and only on the cereal boxes. You probably know of them: Bob Shaw of the White Sox; and Mel Roach of the Braves. What you might not know is that even in 1969, renown mail order dealer Bruce Yeko singled those two cards out in his catalog entry for the set, and put a hefty premium on their purchase price. The price is of course comical today, but at 1-2 dollars for each, that made them approximately 10-20 times the cost of a common single. In fact, he priced all the cards the same, save for Shaw and Roach.

As you can imagine, 1969 was a time when very few adults, teens, and youngsters sent away for cards. Had Bruce been buried with orders for certain stars, he would have adjusted his prices. When he didn't have the card, which was half the time for the admittedly star cards I wanted from him, he'd simply issue me a credit slip on the paperwork with the cards he had sent me. In a few short years, the price of all star cards was being adjusted on a monthly to a weekly basis by the now burgeoning adult card hobby!

Sounds as if you're having a ton of fun with the '61 Post. I'll always love those--the first baseball cards I saw in 1961, the year I began collecting. Have a great one. --Brian Powell

Hi Brian, thank you...
When I posted that previous message, I was indeed going by memory and not my checklist, thus my disclaimer. You are correct that the Turley and Stobbs were also only company issued....I received a copy of the Turley in the same lot as the Estrada. As far as the Shaw and Roach, the Roach arrived embedded in a previous lot. So, if you have not guessed this yet, I will be patiently waiting for both the Stobbs and Shaw cards to arrive via a future lot.

Interesting story about Bruce....he was probably one of the few people who handled enough quantity of and requests for these cards that he must have quickly recognized that Shaw and Roach were low pop type cards, based on his supply and demand.

Any idea why the Roach card was not numbered in sequence with the other Braves cards from this set?