December pickups
 

I wasn't really ever planning on going after this set, but I came across a bargain that was too good to pass on. Now that I have this one out of the way, I figure the rest will be a little more easily attainable.

Very nice card!

I think I'd do the same with regards to that card and set. Always liked it but never pursued it, mainly due to that card.
http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/classiccard5/

Good luck with your set. :)

Great pickup, go for it the complete set is awesome!

Irv, great link.:)

My favorite set of all time! What a sharp copy of #68 that is. I landed a beater this year to complete my set and was thrilled. Good luck with your journey!

Thanks guys, the set is growing on me quite a bit. While there are some cards that I could do without (hunting, fishing, the weird shift card) there are some of the best poses of the Post War era in the set. Doesn't get much better than #63 "Ted's All Star Record".

Mail day today. My first '64 Topps Giants and wow they are cool and economical. I wants more... :)

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...rmon-killebrew

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ini-tom-seaver

'52
 

I have completed the '52 set with all 407 cards and most major variations. The question is - how close can I get to a Master Set...

Z

Nice!

From what I have read/learned, it would be quite the undertaking, but considering how many you have now, (most major variations) maybe it's not as big as I think?

Good luck with your quest! :)

Hey thanks Dale.

Not to diverge from the current thread topic - but the gray backs will be the issue. I have 11 of the key mid-series 60. I've always always wondered why some are so rare if they were printed in near equal numbers.....

Z

A couple of cards received today.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psell3zxc1.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psyfff0vlg.jpg

Nice pickups fellas!

I just got back from the Philly show, and grabbed this one

Attachment 253015

been considering a 52 Bowman set to go with my 53 Bowman Color

Always loved the Johnston Aaron!

A few recent editions. (November purchases, December scans/arrivals) :)

+1.

Dave, Exceedingly nice Johnston Cookies Henry Aaron! A real beauty. Honestly, that has to be one of Hank's most attractive cards---what a radiant smile. I'm sincerely happy for you.

The ultra-high grade is pretty impressive; I mean, a POP 27 with 10 higher is decent.

The cards left over from the Johnston Cookie promotion were offered in the catalogs of Wholesale Cards Co., run by Bruce Yeko when I bought cards from him in the 60s - early 70s. The provenance of your card might trace back to Wholesale, which would be cool. Just because Yeko and man who owned the company before him dealt with firms to purchase their left over promotion "free prizes" did not guarantee any or all of those cards would be pristine. So many factors played into preserving or harming their condition over these many years. For what's it's worth, I think you did rather well.:D ---Brian Powell

Thanks Brian! I know I can count on you to appreciate and lend your expertise to any regional issue no matter how obscure. I plan on tapping into that by buying your book soon. Dave

You're most welcome, Dave. I stand ready to answer any questions you might have on my book, and promptly service your order should you decide to buy a copy.:o Take care, and nice going again on the Johnston Cookie Henry Aaron. In the past, when I would speak with Wisconsin collectors, they were mighty proud of their Braves and those Johnston Cookie cards---and rightly so!

One of the themes I strove to bring out in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN is something I heard named Interpretive Investigative Collecting 501. Applying that to your gorgeous Johnston Cookie Hank, one of the brilliant facets of this set is its size---2 inches wide by 3 7/8" long. Now, most kids tended to put all their cards together, whether small or larger, though with over-sized items such as the 1960 Home Run Derby, 1967 Coca-Cola Premiums, and the majestic 1960 Post Cereal, a boy would tend to have other, much more destructive places to enjoy his "free prize". Back to Hank, with its length being 3 7/8", that is exactly 1/8" longer than BOTH the Topps and Bowman gum baseball sets. Ponder for a few moments Dave, the implications of that extra 1/8" in length. Whether a boy stored his cards horizontally or vertically in his shoe box, the top of the Johnston card would stick out by 1/8", making it most vulnerable to dings, corner creases, being noticed a lot by the kid so he'll wind up handling it a lot more, causing more card degradation. He might decide to ultimately trim the card so it would fit nicely with his Topps and Bowmans.

Isn't that a scream? Perhaps not in 1954, but maybe fifty years later in 2004 when he took it to a major show, or tried to consign it to a large auction house. You could just imagine the look of disgust and self-recrimination.

Applying this Sherlock Holmes deductive reasoning makes understanding how vulnerable the set was to heavy wear. Coupled with the fact the leftover "free prizes" via Wholesale Cards Co. brought the hobby a small supply of essentially pristine cards for posterity. A posterity that in time would gobble up Bruce Yeko's supply in short order!

Let's take this further. As for those '54 Johnston Cookie cards purchased from Wholesale, when we consider how feeble and all-too-often destructive the honest efforts to preserve the condition of these treasured sporting cards & coins were, as covered in NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, this then makes your PSA 8 Near Mint - Mint Hank Aaron all the more remarkable.

Ah, the wonders of Interpretive Investigative Collecting 501 to be found in Never Cheaper By the Dozen. I actually didn't mention the term in my book, but when I heard it after it went to press, a chord struck within me---that's precisely what I brought to my book. Employing this method brings much more appreciation, probably in more ways than one;), of those pesky, gorgeous, fascinating post-war regional / food issues.

Really, Dave, I wanted to convey this to give you an even deeper understanding and appreciation of your new Hank Aaron. That extra 1/8" is a glowing facet to understanding the significance of this card. Most all of them that wound up in kids' hands and cigar and shoe boxes did not survive well at all. Nothing new in some ways, but again, the extra eighth inch compounds the matter greatly.

Sorry for the long post. All the best --- Brian Powell

Add me to this list Dave, that Hank is a real beauty. Great pick up sir !

Nothing but love for the Johnston hank Aaron from over here as well !

Been adding Mantles to the pile, and finally pulled the trigger on some Teddy Ballgames. Was also psyched to find a nice Lefty Grove, as I have been teaching my son about him lately.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...3-topps-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...3-topps-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-mantleaaron

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-mantleaaron

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...8-topps-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...9-topps-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...antle-all-star

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...owman-williams

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ranks-williams

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...3-delong-grove

Marty c ☠️Wow ridiculous pick ups love it

MattyC-- I too am a big fan of Lefty Grove. Early this century, I bought Jim Kaplan's excellent biography, LEFTY GROVE AMERICAN ORIGINAL, published in 2000 by SABR. I would heartily recommend this book to you and your son.

Then too, since you have the good taste to partake of a 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams, I would also recommend my own book on postwar / regional food issues, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. Mind you, it's an E-book on a CD, but at 478 pages, it's more than a multi-course feast of these "free prize" delicacies. I devote chapter 12 to the very card I just mentioned you purchased of Theodore Samuel. If you want more info, Google the title, and the press release written by SCD's Tom Bartsch will come right up.

Hope you find the Grove book. A dandy.

---Brian Powell

Great low grade examples.
Love the 58 Mantle PSA 1. That's a keeper!
RayB

Very nice P/U's, Matty!

Thank you very much, fellas! Great holiday month around here!

Those Teddies make me smile.

MrMantle! This card brings back so many memories. It was the first single I ever purchased. My dad brought me to a shop in the late 80s, I couldn't believe there was more to buy than packs. The idea that I could buy a single card blew me away! Just wanted to share.

MattyC, Wow some very nice pickups for December. The centering on those 53 Mantles are no joke. Not easy finding one of those not to mention 2. Congrats.

Picked up a few more 52s for my set....gotta love the 10% back via ebay$ on $50+ cards this week.

Today I got back this card from a private signing. It was a PSA 9 crackout. My 9th autograph for my 74 Topps Sox team set and the 3rd HOFer:

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...eda%20auto.jpg

Very nice, Dan!

Thanks Dale

Dan that is a great looking card. Very cool project you have going. Congrats.

Gorgeous piece-- don't see many perfect cards with sigs around.

Cepeda
 

Dan,

That Cepeda card looks really cool. I like how the card is in such great shape. I only have a few autographed cards and most of the cards themselves aren't in the greatest of shape. It looks much better to have a pristine card signed.

Really would enjoy seeing your run so far... Maybe a thread for progress on your team set?

From board member.

Peter, what a significant pick-up. Congratulations. Beautiful card. ---Brian Powell

Getting close to finishing off the '56 Topps set. Very excited to finally add this one (thanks to board member Larry).

One of my favorite Mantle cards.

Great P/U!

Congrats. :)

I just received these today. I plan to do the 1964 Stand-up set in PSA 8 or better.
James

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psbk8fuylm.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psislipicz.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psgs0wcoun.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psbpqwjhad.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pscehhkmda.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ps8sugu8yw.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...psoyxkd8u4.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pswdyxo4pc.jpg

Got these Eddie Mathews in the mail today.:)

--

........

To the raw binder...
 

A small addition to the collection...

Cool, Ben! Are you a Mathews collector?

Yes and no, I don't look for them but if I can get a good deal I pick them up.

A friend and fellow member wanted to bid on a lot of 3 bats that had 2 Joe Torre bats and an Eddie Mathews. I told him to bid and I would take the Mathews. We won the lot and after I done some research and found out what a awesome player he was I have slowly been picking his cards.

I recently purchased a collection that included 198 autographed baseball cards, more than half of which were Detroit Tigers. Here are some of the highlights:

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...gan%20auto.jpg
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...en%20autos.jpg

The Warden is a custom card, but I thought it looked good next to the Horton

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...up%20autos.jpg
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...an%20autos.jpg

1975 Twinkies
 

I've been looking for one of these for quite a long time. The ironic thing about this card is they misspelled his name on the front - but spelled it correctly on the rear!

In my experience, this is the rarest variation in the set.

Z

I guess you can take that one off your radar screen.