Buying all #332 Tony Bartirome 1952 Topps cards + his Gold Canary + Griffey + Tiger

[jason.1969]

I believe I have figured out the scam, thankfully thwarted early by Leon.

Naturally, all of us wondered the same thing, "Why Bartirome?" as opposed to Hall of Famers or other notable cards from the set like Pafko. Well, here is the key...recall that this collector said several times that he is very young.

We know today that a great number of N54 members, perhaps even a majority, have seen the great stars of the 1950s play in person or at least met many of them at shows. However, think about kids who are just today developing a love for the game and its associated cardboard treasures. Will any of these kids even know--not by name but by face--the great Hank Aaron from Joe Pepitone, or Bob Feller from Johnny Antonelli?

So imagine now that in 30 years, with most of us dead or in homes (sorry!), that a fellow takes out his stash of 500 Bartiromes, does a little state-of-the-art card doctoring (which is really, really good in 2045), and makes just a few small modifications. And presto!!!

Sure, you'd be able to tell the difference, but think of the kids today who never saw or met the guy!

Tony Mantle.jpg