A collecting theory: the wife test

[nwobhm]

In order….

Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Brooks Robinson
Gene Stephens
Lon Warneke

[brianclat11]

I was very impressed with my wife naming several players until she got to Nolan Ryan…….”you know, the bloody sock guy”

[Peter_Spaeth]

It's astonishing how many are not naming Jackie Robinson.

[here2havefun]

Started off with:

1. Ohtani
2. Juan Soto
3. Aaron Judge
4. Brandon Marsh ("The wolf-man, the guy that doesn't shower")
5. Mookie Betts

She initially thought I meant only active players. I asked her to name ANY mlb player and she rattled off:

1. Satchel Paige
2. Jackie Robinson
3. Roberto Clemente
4. Babe Ruth
5. Honus Wagner

[todeen]

My wife's answers in this order, with comments. Context: We live in WA state.

Jackie Robinson
Jose Altuve (my son cheated and told her this one)
Bryce Harper
Alex Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez
Ichiro
Derek Jeter ("the guy we went to see, good looking guy")
Barry Bonds
McGwire
Ken Griffey Jr
Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig (my wife's favorite because of PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and Gary Cooper)
Ty Cobb
Cap Anson
Barry Larkin
Tris Speaker ("the guy you collect")
Mickey Mantle
The guy who hit 61 HR (could not name him)
Willie Mays Hays ("hahahaha")
Jimmie Dugan ("avoid the clap")
Felix Hernandez ("King Felix")
Keith Hernandez ("thank you Seinfeld")

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[Cooper1927]

This is the list I got in order with her commentary:

Don Mattingly
Lou Gehrig
Goose what’s his face
Derek Jeter
Kirk Gibson
Babe Ruth
Duke something
Arod
Ivan Rodriguez
Alan Trammel
Michael Jordan - he didn’t do it for long (she asked for bonus points on this)
Pete Rose
Whitey Ford
Christy Mathewson
Addie Joss

She ended with I’m done…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bored5000]

I am shocked to see Cap Anson, Addie Joss and Christy Mathewson among the names listed. I would have thought Ruth, Gehrig and maybe Cobb would be the only pre World War 2 players known.

[Bigdaddy]

Since it's been six years since my son finished playing HS baseball and we haven't been to many games lately, my wife struggled to come up with the following:

Babe Ruth
Roger Clemente
the guy with JLo (Arod)
Big Papi
Ernie Banks - where did that come from???
Roger Maris
the steroids guy - turns out it was Sammy Sosa
Skipper Jones
Don Mattingly
the guy that married Marilyn (Joe D)
Pete Rose

Not bad and representing quite a smattering of baseball greats.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I would immediately divorce any woman who did not know baseball better than that.

Originally Posted by perezfan

Rose
Morgan
Bench
Perez
Foster
Griffey Sr.
Griffey Jr.
A-Rod
Ichiro
Felix
Buhner
Olerud
Dan Wilson
Edgar
Randy Johnson
Piniella
Mays
McCovey
Mantle
Babe
Lou
DiMaggio
Ted W.
Cobb
Honus
Jackie
Gwynn
George Brett
Sosa
McGwire
Bonds
Realmuto (friend of a friend)

Comparatively, she did pretty well!

my wife then wanted to know how other wives did and became very competitive. she said "I want to be the best!" She got Griffey Jr, but not Albert Pujols.

She also was disappointed she forgot Ted Williams, Dizzy Dean, and Don Mattingly, and Cal Rpiken.

Then she saw Perezfan's wife's answers that had multiple other Mariners players that she forgot: Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Lou Piniella. She did not name any current Mariners. And other than Barry Larkin, she didn't name any other Reds players. I have failed her.

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[todeen]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

My wife’s list, and she’s hot, too.



Babe Ruth

Walter Johnson

Ty Cobb

Lou Gehrig

Hank Aaron



(It helps that we named our puppy Walter Johnson.)

My wife got mad at me that I didn't tell everyone she is hot. You got me in trouble.

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[orator1]

My wife:
Aaron Judge
Derek Jeter
Mickey Mantle
Pete Rose
Bob Boone
Ricky Henderson
Carl Yastrzemski
Reggie Jackson
Roger Maris
Jim O'Rourke
Mike Piazza
Daryl Strawberry
Dwight Gooden
Mike Schmidt
Barry Bonds
Don Mattingly

My daughter:
Babe Ruth
Jim O'Rourke (a family favorite )
Aaron Judge
"Mickey Robinson" (ha!)
"The one with the elbow".......Tommy John

[Collectorsince62]

I met my wife while we were both teenage ushers at Busch Stadium almost 50 years ago (gulp). Been enjoying baseball together ever since. It's strange for me to see so many short lists here because if I asked my wife to start naming ballplayers, she would go on for hours. She also has this ability to remember uniform numbers from the Cardinals teams of the 70's. As much as she enjoys baseball, she has zero interest and could not care less for my cards or memorabilia.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by todeen

my wife then wanted to know how other wives did and became very competitive. she said "I want to be the best!" She got Griffey Jr, but not Albert Pujols.

She also was disappointed she forgot Ted Williams, Dizzy Dean, and Don Mattingly, and Cal Rpiken.

Then she saw Perezfan's wife's answers that had multiple other Mariners players that she forgot: Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Lou Piniella. She did not name any current Mariners. And other than Barry Larkin, she didn't name any other Reds players. I have failed her.

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

How could she miss Lou Piniella? He is on TV every hour, promoting those "SHAG" Old Folks Homes (with the horrible acting!)

[rjackson44]

My sister is a big vintage collector and my mom art antiques. Runs in the family

[Kutcher55]

My wife:

JD Martinez
Mookie

That is it. She is Thai and moved here when the Sox won the 2018 WS. JD was always her favorite.

[Smarti5051]

Here is my wife's attempt:

Ty Cobb
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth
Joe Jackson
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Smoltz (technically "guy from the Braves named Smoltz")
Mike Trout
Aaron Judge
Nolan Ryan
Eric Hernandez ("Is that one?")
Alex Rodriguez
Barry Bonds
Clemens
Vlad
Salmon
McGwire
Honus Wagner
Michael Jordan (made clear she is remembering his one baseball game)
Cal Ripkin Jr.
Dave Ortiz
Cy Young
Jose Uribe
Justice
Roger Maris
Bo Jackson
Tommy Lasorda
Sheffield
That Japenese Angels pitcher guy (she kind of accidentally said "Ichiro")
The pitcher with the bloody sock
The guy that was all banged up and hit the home run for the Dodgers

And after 20 minutes, she surrendered. She is pretty competitive, so it killed her to give up.

[drcy]

I go by the family dog sniff test

[JimC]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I would immediately divorce any woman who did not know baseball better than that.

Nice flex, Peter. Here in North Carolina we have a one year waiting period so we can't divorce anyone immediately!

[Touch'EmAll]

My wife said:

Yogi Berra
Ichiro
Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa
Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron

Interesting to see all the replies.

[UKCardGuy]

My wife didn't do too bad...

1. Joe dimaggio
2. Sandy Koufax
3. Honus Wagner
4. Babe Ruth
5. Jackie Robinson
6. The mean guy (e. g. Ty Cobb)

My wife is English so baseball isn't her thing. Her knowledge is based on listening to me talk about baseball and from watching some of Ken Burns baseball with me.

To her credit, she's a lifelong soccer fan. If you ask her to name soccer players, she'd exhaust the capacity of Excel.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by JimC

Nice flex, Peter. Here in North Carolina we have a one year waiting period so we can't divorce anyone immediately!

Separation then. No amount of other qualities could make up for not knowing baseball. Not knowing football, I could forgive, but we are talking about BASEBALL.

[sforaker]

My wife did great:

1) Babe Ruth
2) Joe DiMaggio
3) Mickey Mantle
4) Honus Wagner
5) Jackie Robinson
6) Lou Gehrig

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

My wife:



JD Martinez

Mookie



That is it. She is Thai and moved here when the Sox won the 2018 WS. JD was always her favorite.

What province or geographical area is she from? I lived in Thailand two years. I loved it. I lived in the East, North, and Bangkok Metro Area.

How did you meet? Were you in the Navy?

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[bswhiten]

In order...

1- Babe Ruth
2- Dale Murphy
3- Mickey Mantle
4- Pete Rose
5- Jose Canseco
6- Ken Griffey Jr.
7- Who was the guy married to Marilyn Monroe?
8- Hank Aaron
9- Sammy Sosa and the other steroid guy
10- Mark, his last name starts with an M
11- Randy, the tall guy with a mustache and a mullet. Reminds me of my sister's husband. He was good, I remember him.
12- The guy that hit the home runs this year? Aaron Judge
13- Cal Ripken
14- Lou Gehrig

Pretty good list! haha. I collect Dale and Mick, so I am sure that is why they are near the top of her list.

[darwinbulldog]

Roger Clemens
Altuve
Mickey Mantle ("I don't know if he counts. Your mother just mentioned him. Would you have thought of him anyway?" "Yes.")
Ty Cobb
Sammy Sosa
"The guy that we saw play, from the red team, St. Louis? He's really good. He's getting old now." [Albert Pujols]
"The guy with long hair from Boston who had blood on his socks" [Johnny Damon/Curt Schilling hybrid]
Derek Jeter ("Is he a baseball player? From New York. He seems like not a good guy.")
Honus Wagner

[Bridwell]

My wife quickly named these:

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Cy Young
Jackie Robinson
Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (was not expecting this one, but we are from Michigan originally)

After I laughed, she was distracted and started looking at baseball stuff in my office, so those names don't qualify for the list. When I complained she wasn't following the rules, she walked away. So I only have 5. My new "Big 5". Ha!

[Rich Falvo]

My wife:

Ted Williams
Mike Trout
David Ortiz
Jose Canseco
Babe Ruth

I collect and have mentioned Trout often, we're in Red Sox country so Williams and Big Papi make sense, and Ruth is famous on his own. I have no idea where Canseco came from.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Rich Falvo

My wife:

Ted Williams
Mike Trout
David Ortiz
Jose Canseco
Babe Ruth

I collect and have mentioned Trout often, we're in Red Sox country so Williams and Big Papi make sense, and Ruth is famous on his own. I have no idea where Canseco came from.

She remembers Jose from his 91 Score Dream Team card.

[JollyElm]

I nominate this as the Thread of the Year.

A rare feat, indeed, when a fun thread has virtually everyone jumping in to add their better half's responses or to read other people's highly entertaining (and insightful?) accounts, without rancor or frickin' WAR being shoehorned in.

Bravo!!

[Rich Falvo]

Originally Posted by bnorth

She remembers Jose from his 91 Score Dream Team card.

Possible.

Being she's from GA, I thought for sure Hank Aaron or any Brave would be one of her names.

[Nugen]

Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Pete Rose
Derek Jeter
Jackie Robinson

[rats60]

Here is my wife's list
Roberto Clemente *
Honus Wagner *
Ty Cobb
Cy Young
Joe Jackson
Babe Ruth *
Pie Traynor *
Paul & Lloyd Waner *
Dizzy Dean *
Joe DiMaggio *
Ted Williams *
Bob Feller
Stan Musial *
Yogi Berra
Jackie Robinson *
Satchel Paige *
Duke Snider
Mickey Mantle *
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Ernie Banks
Sandy Koufax *
Bill Mazeroski
Bob Gibson
Lou Brock
Pete Rose
Nolan Ryan
Rollie Fingers
George Brett
Dale Murphy
Ozzie Smith
Cal Ripken Jr
Darryl Stawberry
Dwight Gooden
Roger Clemens
Kirby Puckett
Mark McGwire
Jose Canseco
Bo Jackson
Barry Bonds
Ken Griffey Sr & Jr
Frank Thomas
Sammy Sosa
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Ron Jackson (worked with his sister)
Tom Brunansky (her sister liked him)
Deion Sanders
Michael Jordan

* These are all players who I had autographs of in a hallway in our house for years and she remember them all.

My wife use to get autographs for me at card shows and met many on this list. She has a really good memory.

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I nominate this as the Thread of the Year.

A rare feat, indeed, when a fun thread has virtually everyone jumping in to add their better half's responses or to read other people's highly entertaining (and insightful?) accounts, without rancor or frickin' WAR being shoehorned in.

Bravo!!

Agreed. Great thread, and I've been checking it every time I log in!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by rats60

Here is my wife's list
Roberto Clemente *
Honus Wagner *
Ty Cobb
Cy Young
Joe Jackson
Babe Ruth *
Pie Traynor *
Paul & Lloyd Waner *
Dizzy Dean *
Joe DiMaggio *
Ted Williams *
Bob Feller
Stan Musial *
Yogi Berra
Jackie Robinson *
Satchel Paige *
Duke Snider
Mickey Mantle *
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Ernie Banks
Sandy Koufax *
Bill Mazeroski
Bob Gibson
Lou Brock
Pete Rose
Nolan Ryan
Rollie Fingers
George Brett
Dale Murphy
Ozzie Smith
Cal Ripken Jr
Darryl Stawberry
Dwight Gooden
Roger Clemens
Kirby Puckett
Mark McGwire
Jose Canseco
Bo Jackson
Barry Bonds
Ken Griffey Sr & Jr
Frank Thomas
Sammy Sosa
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Ron Jackson (worked with his sister)
Tom Brunansky (her sister liked him)
Deion Sanders
Michael Jordan

* These are all players who I had autographs of in a hallway in our house for years and she remember them all.

My wife use to get autographs for me at card shows and met many on this list. She has a really good memory.

My faith is restored.

[judsonhamlin]

My wife’s list, although she claims to be really tired:

Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez - because of J Lo more than anything
Pete “that cheater guy” Rose
Yogi Berra
Hank Aaron
Cal Ripken (we drive past his little league complex regularly)
Thurman Munson
Mickey Mantle

I know she knows more, ah well.

[RCFire82]

Mantle
Ruth
Wagner
Cobb
"A guy named Duffy"
"Something like Alonso"
And a few more..
Not too shabby. Duffy because she had a childhood dog named Duffy and the Polar Bear because she probably has a crush or something.

[terjung]

Oh man, this was fun to do. Here is my wife's list.

1) Manny Ramirez
2) Ken Griffey Jr.
3) Honus Wagner

not 4) Mark Price (that's basketball babe. He was with the Cleveland Cavs)
4ish) "something" Robinson (never did come up with Jackie's name - but meant him)
5) Cal Ripken

1 again) Manny Ramirez
6ish) Omar Vasquez "Isn't that his name? ... the guy your mom liked" (Vizquel)
not 7) Scotty Pipken (umm. I think you mean Pippen and he was basketball again)

7) Oh! Babe Ruth
8) That disease guy ... ummm, Lou Gehrig!

"I guess you can tell how much I like basketball" (You mean baseball?) - followed by tears of laughters from both of us
9) Mark "What's his face - the steroids guy. Our mailman looked like him" ... Mcgwire

1 yet again) wasn't there a Manny Ramirez? (Yes, dear)
10ish) That guy Rodriguez who dated J-Lo.
5 again) "That blue eyes guy who was good looking before he went bald... was that Cal Ripken?"
not 11) That guy who owns that big property on Davis Island (meant Jeter)


I gotta tell you. This was such a fun exercise! I've loved reading other people's answers and we got the giggles doing it here. Thank you to the OP for this thread!

[h2oya311]

In order. Disappointed a little. She was blanking, but to her credit, it’s almost 10pm.

A-Rod (ugh) (as others mentioned, almost certainly due to the J-Lo connection)
Mickey Mantle (I didn’t expect that)
Dustin Pedroia (he lives near us and one of his kids was in my son’s class and see below)
Big Papi (we lived in Boston for 15 years)
Jose Canseco (why???) (she has no idea why she said this name)
Rickey Henderson (my favorite player)

When I reminded her of Babe Ruth, that was the name she couldn’t pull for some reason.

Lots of PED and greenie-heavy players here. Not many pitchers named in any of these responses. I guess chicks really do dig the long ball.

[Kidnapped18]

When asked my Wife responded as follows:
Justice (David Justice)
Big Papi (David Ortiz)
Robinson (Jackie Robinson)
Judge (Aaron Judge)
Sosa (Sammy Sosa)
Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth Jr)

[36GoudeyMan]

It was a snap -

Ryan Zimmerman (family friend)
Gio Gonzalez (family friend)
Chad Cordero (family friend)
Jayson Werth
Bryce Harper
Max Scherzer
Pudge
Soto
Bryce Harper ("arrogant POS")
Wilson Ramos

then followed much of the 2005-2007 rosters of forgettable players... this went on for twenty minutes,maybe more...

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

My faith is restored.

Yes, but how many have made the effort to get their wives involved in their hobby? She knew from the beginning that cards and card shows were going to be a big part of our lives. Our first vacation after our honeymoon was flying to San Francisco for the National. I told her to pick out a set to collect to have something to do and she chose t205.

I was impressed by her recall. Her list shows a heavy 1986-1996 hobby bias. She is not a sports fan. When she was done, she said, "Don't ask me to name any football or basketball players." Although she did ask if Kobe Bryant or Shaq had played baseball (because Jordan had?). I said, "Surely you can name a few football players. She replied, "Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders."

[GoCubsGo32]

My wife & I attend games all of the time.

She agreed to do it but changed it to how many she could name in 1 min

These were the players:

Babe Ruth
Javier Baez
Max Scherzer
Justin Verlander
Shoeless Joe
Kyle Schwarber
Joey Votto
Johnny Bench
Jackie (Robinson)
Rizzo
Bryce...*bad sigh* (Harper)
The Griffey's
Mantle
Dusty (Baker)
Soto

[jsfriedm]

My wife started with the two players whose cards she has on her desk:

1)Rube Waddell
2)Ramon Laureano (long story)

She could probably name hundreds more now, including all the current Mets and probably most of the rest of the NL East, and she's even gotten to the point where she recognizes all sorts of cards. We were watching an old Seinfeld rerun and there was a scene in George's office and it turned out there was a baseball card poster on the back wall. She asked, "Isn't that a T205 Christy Mathewson?" Indeed. Three years ago, she didn't know anything about baseball - hadn't even heard of Babe Ruth (we met in Moscow, so baseball wasn't exactly central). Now even the days of "Sammy Koufax" and "Bill Seaver" are long gone.

Seven weeks ago, our son was born, and she agreed to the middle name "Mays."

[Eric72]

My wife could have named many more; however, I asked her to name the first five baseball players she could think of. No warning, no time to prepare. Here was her list, in order:

Mike Schmidt
Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Curt Schilling
Ty Cobb

We're both Phillies fans, so Schmidt and Schilling make sense.

[Bobbycee]

My girlfiend ran off three quickly:
John McGraw (old cell profile screen saver)
Ty Cobb (current screen saver)
Jim Thorpe (read his latest biography:"Path Lit By Lightning" in front of her all Summer)

Then Joe DiMaggio
ShaQ (buzzer: wrong!)
& needed hints for: Babe Ruth

[brian1961]

Let's cut to the chase; I will present to you my wife's test of a lifetime for me.

It was the winter of 1988, late January to be exact. My wife and I were evangelical missionaries to the Lakota Sioux Indians, living in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our work kept us pretty busy, but I needed a safety valve outlet to relax with, and so I chose collecting vintage baseball cards. At this point in time, I was concentrating on Mickey Mantle, collecting cards of him that had eluded me in the 1970s, when I was involved in what proved to be the ground floor of the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby. I was praying fervently for Mickey's anguished soul, after reading how much his father's early death had affected him so terribly. You see, I had lost my Dad when I was but 13. It's never a good time, as some of you know .....

I had been getting Sports Collectors Digest for a few years, and it was always a treat when it came. So, on this crisp, cold Saturday morn, the SCD arrived, and I took the issue downstairs to be alone with it. Back then, an SCD was about 240 pages chock full of good stories and ads. I marked a few pages, but was saving Mr. Mint Alan Rosen's 2nd. phone auction for last. The Mint Man always had the finest, choicest, and simply the most desirable cards on planet Earth. I had never dealt with him, but his weekly full-page ad(s) made it succinctly clear who was at the center of the hobby playing field.

Finishing the rest of the issue, I directed my attention to Mr. Mint's auction. He was using ground-breaking technology for the time: with each item, he included a postage stamp-sized (that's being generous) black 'n white photo of it. His lead-off, marquee items bore no such tinzy-weezie pix. He led off with a T-206 Honus Wagner, followed by the big 3 of the 1951 Topps Current All-Stars: Konstanty, Stanky, and Roberts. Wow.

Upon turning the page to see the other items, I audibly gasped and drew the magazine six inches closer to my face. I could scarcely believe what I was seeing----a 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle! Moreover, Alan Rosen classified the rare gem to be in MINT CONDITION!

Really guys and gals, this will require a long time to convey. So, cutting to the chase of this virtually impossible chase card, I talked the situation over with my beloved wife, Esther. I told her in basic terms how much I wanted this card, that I never, ever thought I would see one this nice available, and I would use some funds I had remaining from the lawsuit over the wrongful death of my dear dad. This was in the days when a wrongful death lawsuit was much smaller than it is now.

Understand, my wife and I only earned $650 a month, plus rent-free housing. In essence, I had no business buying such an exotic, likely expensive card. Seven years earlier, I purchased Beckett 3 because it had several type card color sections, amongst which were small photos of the 1953 and 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle. Ninety percent of the reason I bought that guide was to get the tiny photos of the Stahl-Meyer Mantles, figuring I'd never get to own one. Well, her response surprised me and moved me deeply---she encouraged me wholeheartedly to pursue the card! Her tender understanding and blessing is something I will treasure forever.

By the grace of God, I won it, for $2,200. It was by far the most money I had spent on one card. When I received it via UPS, I took the large, thinly-padded envelope downstairs to my office. I could hardly wait to see it, sure. BUT, I had to look at it closely to see if The Mint Man knew what he was talking about, condition-wise. It DID look good, and as I turned it over, and looked and scrutinized all around it, I tried my best to detect anything that would say to me it wasn't mint. Finally, my body relaxed and I began to smile as big as I could. It was mint, all right! Thrill of a hobby lifetime.

About 2002, I knew I needed to get the card PSA-graded. I went to the Chicago National. Long to short, when I got it back in the mail from PSA, and unwrapped the result, the great card umpire had given it a MINT 9. I was bawling all the way upstairs to show my wife, who was so happy for me.

As I researched my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, about the immediate post-war regional / food issues, I devoted chapter 13 to the promotion from whence it came, and the provenance of this particular card, of which I gave it the name: "The Maltese Falcon of Baseball Cards".

For those of you a bit curious what a graded-Mint Stahl-Meyer Mantle looks like, someone loaded up the specially-staged photo from my book. Google Stahl Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle images, and when I just did now, it appears on the fourth row. Look for the Maltese Falcon movie statue replica in the photo--that's it. The image will take you to a PSA forum thread I initiated to get advice on how to encourage them to raise their long-antiquated value in their price guide. I got no help from the forum members, but after I posted the photo, well, their language took a more respectful tone.... Back to the OP, without the tender love and encouragement my wife gave me, I might not have been able to fight for it as I did.

Therefore, to be sure, my darling wife passed the most crucial test I ever gave her! Thanks for listening. --- Brian Powell

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Let's cut to the chase; I will present to you my wife's test of a lifetime for me.

It was the winter of 1988, late January to be exact. My wife and I were evangelical missionaries to the Lakota Sioux Indians, living in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our work kept us pretty busy, but I needed a safety valve outlet to relax with, and so I chose collecting vintage baseball cards. At this point in time, I was concentrating on Mickey Mantle, collecting cards of him that had eluded me in the 1970s, when I was involved in what proved to be the ground floor of the burgeoning adult card collecting hobby. I was praying fervently for Mickey's anguished soul, after reading how much his father's early death had affected him so terribly. You see, I had lost my Dad when I was but 13. It's never a good time, as some of you know .....

I had been getting Sports Collectors Digest for a few years, and it was always a treat when it came. So, on this crisp, cold Saturday morn, the SCD arrived, and I took it downstairs to be alone with it. Back then, an SCD was about 240 pages chock full of good stories and ads. I marked a few pages, but was saving Mr. Mint Alan Rosen's 2nd. phone auction for last. The Mint Man always had the finest, choicest, and simply the most desirable cards on planet Earth. I had never dealt with him, but his weekly full-page ad(s) made it succinctly clear who was at the center of the hobby playing field.

Finishing the rest of the issue, I directed my attention to Mr. Mint's auction. He was using ground-breaking technology for the time: with each item, he included a postage stamp-sized (that's being generous) black 'n white photo of it. His lead-off, marquee items bore no such tinzy-weezie pix. He led off with a T-206 Honus Wagner, followed by the big 3 of the 1951 Topps Current All-Stars: Konstanty, Stanky, and Roberts. Wow.

Upon turning the page to see the other items, I audibly gasped and drew the magazine six inches closer to my face. I could scarcely belied what I was seeing----a 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle! Moreover, Alan Rosen classified the rare gem to be in MINT CONDITION!

Really guys and gals, this will a long time to convey. So, cutting to the chase of this virtually impossible chase card, I talked the situation over with my beloved wife, Esther. I told her in basic terms how much I wanted this card, that I never, ever thought I would see one available, and that I would use some funds I still had from my small portion remaining from the lawsuit over the wrongful death of my dear dad. This was in the days when such lawsuits were much smaller than they are now.

Understand, my wife and I only earned $650 a month, plus rent-free housing. In essence, I had no business buying such an exotic, likely expensive card. Seven years earlier, I purchased Beckett 3 that had a color section with a little photo of a Stahl-Meyer Franks Mantle. Ninety percent of the reason I bought that guide was to bet that tiny photo of that card. Well, her response surprised me and moved me deeply---she encouraged me wholeheartedly to pursue the card! Her tender understanding and blessing is something I will treasure forever.

By the grace of God, I won the card, for $2,200. It was by far the most money I had spent on one card. When I received it via UPS, I took it downstairs to my office, to look at it closely to see if The Mint Man knew what he was talking about, condition-wise. It looked so good, and as I turned it over, and looked and scrutinized all around it, finally, I smiled as big as I could. It was mint, all right! Thrill of a hobby lifetime.

About 2002, I knew I needed to get the card PSA-graded. I went to the Chicago National. Long to short, when I got it back in the mail, and unwrapped PSA's verdict, the great card umpire gave it a MINT 9. I was bawling all the way upstairs to show my wife, who was so happy for me.

As I researched my book, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, about the immediate post-war regional / food issues, I devoted chapter 13 to this card, the promotion from whence it came, and the provenance of this particular card, of which I gave it the name: "The Maltese Falcon of Baseball Cards".

For those of you a bit curious what a graded-Mint Stahl-Meyer Mantle looks like, someone loaded up my specially-staged photo from the book. Google Stahl Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle images, and when I just did now, it appears on the fourth row. Look for the Maltese Falcon movie statue replica in the photo--that's it. The image will take you to a PSA forum thread I initiated to get advice on how to encourage them to raise their long-antiquated value in their price guide. I got no help, but after I posted the photo, well, the language took a more respectful tone....) Back to the OP, without the tender love and encouragement my wife gave me, I might not have been able to fight for it as I did.

Therefore, to be sure, my darling wife passed the most crucial test I ever gave her! Thanks for listening. --- Brian Powell

After that long story I was going to suggest writing a book until I got to the part saying you did.

Hope you are both doing well.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Great story very well told. That card in strict Mint, amazing. And thank you for breaking it up into manageable paragraphs, it's so much easier on the eyes and mind. Hint to some posters.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by bnorth

After that long story I was going to suggest writing a book until I got to the part saying you did.

Hope you are both doing well.

Howdy, Ben, LOL! Yeah, that's chapter 13, because Mr. Mint had given the Stahl-Meyer Mick Lot # 13. Bro, we're both doing well. In fact, yesterday was a special anniversary for us. The day we met was December 29, 1982, at the Rapid City Regional Airport. Unforgettable---just about love at first sight--for both of us. Not gloating; that's not my style, just very happy and thankful to God for bringing Esther into my life.

I truly hope you and your family are all doing well.

Say bro, I got a great idea for a fantasy alternative '54 Wilson Franks Ted Williams. Hope I can pull it off some day, with the help of my computer graphic artist friend.

Happy New Year! Ben ---- Brian Powell

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Howdy, Ben, LOL! Yeah, that's chapter 13, because Mr. Mint had given the Stahl-Meyer Mick Lot # 13. Bro, we're both doing well. In fact, yesterday was a special anniversary for us. The day we met was December 29, 1982, at the Rapid City Regional Airport. Unforgettable---just about love at first sight--for both of us. Not gloating; that's not my style, just very happy and thankful to God for bringing Esther into my life.

I truly hope you and your family are all doing well.

Say bro, I got a great idea for a fantasy alternative '54 Wilson Franks Ted Williams. Hope I can pull it off some day, with the help of my computer graphic artist friend.

Happy New Year! Ben ---- Brian Powell

Whenever you get something together just let me know and happy one day late meeting your wife anniversary.