Vintage Racing?

[phlflyer1]

Don't know how I missed this thread until now but, since its been brought back to the top, I have to post the following Richard Petty item. My father was a huge Petty fan so I became one as well growing up.

The picture is from a 1971 race won by Petty that my father took our family to back when they raced at Trenton, NJ. My father took the photo at the end of the race when Pettys car was in victory lane. Sometime during the 1980s I found an address for Petty Enterprises and sent it hoping to get it signed.

It wasn't long before it came back with Pettys unmistakable autograph along with a nice note that seeing the photo brought back good memories as he enjoyed racing at that track before it was closed.

[Bored5000]

I am glad to see the thread coming back to life. I don't have any information to add on the Andretti card that Justus posted. The card looks like some kind of handout to hype the Champ Car race at Pocono that year.

I was able to find a site online that showed nine of the cards, but does not list any other information.

http://3-2-1indycar.blogspot.com/201...ck-friday.html

To me, the most interesting driver depicted on a card is Johnny Hubbard. Hubbard was from Johnstown, Pa., and was primarily a Midget driver. He tried for several years to break into the Champ Car world, but was usually resigned to underfunded rides. Hubbard was killed in a dirt Modified crash at the Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds less than three months after the race at Pocono. The Reading Fairgrounds was only 10 minutes from my house and I have very vague memories of the Hubbard crash. My father was on the track crew at Reading and talked several times over the years about how horrific the Hubbard crash was. Hubbard's car that he was killed in was owned by a guy named Bob Seidel from Boyertown, Pa. Seidel never returned to Reading after Hubbard was killed in his car.

Kinda weird that Hubbard was included in the cards, since he did not even run any Champ Car races in 1976.

[Justus]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I am glad to see the thread coming back to life. I don't have any information to add on the Andretti card that Justus posted. The card looks like some kind of handout to hype the Champ Car race at Pocono that year.

I was able to find a site online that showed nine of the cards, but does not list any other information.

http://3-2-1indycar.blogspot.com/201...ck-friday.html

Thanks Eddie! You are wealth of racing knowledge. Of the 9 cards shown on your link, I only have Andretti, Foyt, and Bobby Unser. I also have Bettenhousen, Johncock, Kinser, McCluskey, Rutherford, Al Unser, Vukovich, and Walther.

I love a good hunt and you've given me at least 6 more. Thanks for the info!

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Justus

Thanks Eddie! You are wealth of racing knowledge. Of the 9 cards shown on your link, I only have Andretti, Foyt, and Bobby Unser. I also have Bettenhousen, Johncock, Kinser, McCluskey, Rutherford, Al Unser, Vukovich, and Walther.

I love a good hunt and you've given me at least 6 more. Thanks for the info!

Wow, when I found that link showing nine cards, I figured those drivers were included in the 11 you have. Wonder how many cards were issued? The Pocono race started 33 cars that year. I had never previously read anything about those cards, nor seen them before.

A couple other points about Johnny Hubbard: Sadly, he was decapitated in the crash that took his life. I read Lew Boyd's excellent book on Dick "Toby" Tobias that came out in 2017. The book makes brief reference to the Hubbard crash. After the crash, Hubbard's car was taken to the Reading infield and left there while the show continued.

Tobias then went and looked at the car to see what had failed structurally. Tobias looked inside the car, then instructed one of his crew guys to get a tarp to cover the car with, saying "No one should have to look at that."

I remember my father saying how sad it was to see Hubbard's personal vehicle sitting alone in the Reading Fairgrounds parking several days after the race.

[Theodderthebetter]

I want to add to the thread. I have 32 different Schaefer 500 cards with a few autographed. They are very hard to find and I think businesses gave them away. I have 2 cards with woolworth of Allentown Pa. stamp on the back. It took me almost 30 years and buying them when i saw them to aquire the 32 different cards. Scott

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Theodderthebetter

I want to add to the thread. I have 32 different Schaefer 500 cards with a few autographed. They are very hard to find and I think businesses gave them away. I have 2 cards with woolworth of Allentown Pa. stamp on the back. It took me almost 30 years and buying them when i saw them to aquire the 32 different cards. Scott

Wow, awesome post. I would not have ever guessed there were so many cards. I guess that makes sense, though, since the existence of a Johnny Hubbard car shows the set included some pretty obscure drivers who made limited Champ Car starts.

[Justus]

Originally Posted by Theodderthebetter

I want to add to the thread. I have 32 different Schaefer 500 cards with a few autographed. They are very hard to find and I think businesses gave them away. I have 2 cards with woolworth of Allentown Pa. stamp on the back. It took me almost 30 years and buying them when i saw them to aquire the 32 different cards. Scott

Wow, that is cool! Do you have a list of them you could copy to here? I'd love to have a complete list. Thanks!

[Theodderthebetter]

i"ll see what I can do this weekend. I think they are way undervalued because so few people know they exist.

[indy500autographs]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I am glad to see the thread coming back to life. I don't have any information to add on the Andretti card that Justus posted. The card looks like some kind of handout to hype the Champ Car race at Pocono that year.

I was able to find a site online that showed nine of the cards, but does not list any other information.

http://3-2-1indycar.blogspot.com/201...ck-friday.html

To me, the most interesting driver depicted on a card is Johnny Hubbard. Hubbard was from Johnstown, Pa., and was primarily a Midget driver. He tried for several years to break into the Champ Car world, but was usually resigned to underfunded rides. Hubbard was killed in a dirt Modified crash at the Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds less than three months after the race at Pocono. The Reading Fairgrounds was only 10 minutes from my house and I have very vague memories of the Hubbard crash. My father was on the track crew at Reading and talked several times over the years about how horrific the Hubbard crash was. Hubbard's car that he was killed in was owned by a guy named Bob Seidel from Boyertown, Pa. Seidel never returned to Reading after Hubbard was killed in his car.

Kinda weird that Hubbard was included in the cards, since he did not even run any Champ Car races in 1976.

I know this is a bit of an older topic but I am almost positive that these Pocono cards were handouts for an autograph session. I was originally told they were inserted in the newspaper but I am leaning toward the autograph session handout as being more accurate.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by indy500autographs

I know this is a bit of an older topic but I am almost positive that these Pocono cards were handouts for an autograph session. I was originally told they were inserted in the newspaper but I am leaning toward the autograph session handout as being more accurate.

Thanks so much for the info on the Wilbur Shaw game and the Schaefer 500 cards. There is not a lot of information to be found online about either set.

I can believe what you are said about the Wilbur Shaw game board being far more common than the driver cards from the game. I did see that Ripley Auctions had a Shaw game (without any cards) for auction back in May.

By the way, is the http://www.indy500autographs.com/ site your website? I have spent a ton of time looking at the autographs pictured on that site.

[indy500autographs]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

Thanks so much for the info on the Wilbur Shaw game and the Schaefer 500 cards. There is not a lot of information to be found online about either set.

I can believe what you are said about the Wilbur Shaw game board being far more common than the driver cards from the game. I did see that Ripley Auctions had a Shaw game (without any cards) for auction back in May.

By the way, is the http://www.indy500autographs.com/ site your website? I have spent a ton of time looking at the autographs pictured on that site.

Hello, I was at that Ripley auction and hoped to win the board but it went for more than I wanted to pay at the time.

I have several of the game cards but I am looking for more, I think those, as I mentioned to Kin, are really an untapped collectible.

The website isn’t mine unfortunately. That is my good friend Jim Vogel’s site. He’s also a fellow member of the “500 club” , those of us who have autographs of at least 500 of the 784 Indianapolis 500 starting drivers. He has a great website, great resource.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by indy500autographs

Hello, I was at that Ripley auction and hoped to win the board but it went for more than I wanted to pay at the time.

I have several of the game cards but I am looking for more, I think those, as I mentioned to Kin, are really an untapped collectible.

The website isn’t mine unfortunately. That is my good friend Jim Vogel’s site. He’s also a fellow member of the “500 club” , those of us who have autographs of at least 500 of the 784 Indianapolis 500 starting drivers. He has a great website, great resource.

I apologize for the mistake, but collecting autographs of as many of the Indianapolis 500 starting drivers as possible is such a neat niche of the hobby.

[indy500autographs]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I apologize for the mistake, but collecting autographs of as many of the Indianapolis 500 starting drivers as possible is such a neat niche of the hobby.

No apologies necessary! I appreciate your interest!

I have been fortunate to have my collection featured in the Indianapolis Star and Autoweek among others and I am one of the Vice-Presidents of the National Indy 500 Collectors Club. I write a column for the newsletter on autographs and the pursuit of collecting them.

I am always buying and selling vintage Indianapolis 500 autographs if people have any interest in that part of the hobby!

[indy500autographs]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

Thanks so much for the info on the Wilbur Shaw game and the Schaefer 500 cards. There is not a lot of information to be found online about either set.

I can believe what you are said about the Wilbur Shaw game board being far more common than the driver cards from the game. I did see that Ripley Auctions had a Shaw game (without any cards) for auction back in May.

I found a few more of the Shaw game cards over the weekend from a dealer, so I have Merz, Mackenzie, Triplett, Shafer, Arnold, Meyer, and Bergere coming in.

Excited to have a few more on the way.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by indy500autographs

I found a few more of the Shaw game cards over the weekend from a dealer, so I have Merz, Mackenzie, Triplett, Shafer, Arnold, Meyer, and Bergere coming in.

Excited to have a few more on the way.

Awesome. Glad to have another collector with a love of racing cards in the thread.

[carbking]

Just found this thread, as I normally stay on the non-sports side.

I have collected automobile/auto racing/motorcycle/motorcycle racing cards since 1966.

Have a fair collection.

Also have LOTs of reference material.

Cannot help with current prices, or graded scarcity (none of my cards are graded, nor will they be), but may be able to help with questions about some of the sets (Hassan/Mecca, Stark & Wetzel, Marhoefer, etc.).

I have what was sold to me as a complete set of the Pocono 500 cards; there are 31 different.

Jon

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by phlflyer1

Don't know how I missed this thread until now but, since its been brought back to the top, I have to post the following Richard Petty item. My father was a huge Petty fan so I became one as well growing up.

The picture is from a 1971 race won by Petty that my father took our family to back when they raced at Trenton, NJ. My father took the photo at the end of the race when Pettys car was in victory lane. Sometime during the 1980s I found an address for Petty Enterprises and sent it hoping to get it signed.

It wasn't long before it came back with Pettys unmistakable autograph along with a nice note that seeing the photo brought back good memories as he enjoyed racing at that track before it was closed.

Thanks for posting that Richard Petty photo and sharing that story, Scott. Good stuff. Wonder how many autographs Petty has signed over the past 60 years?