Nice, Darren -- you're on fire this month!

Good luck with the set, John. '67 is one of the best looking sets from the 60's.

WOW!

If I had a Nolan registry set, I would be PISSED that this thing exists.

I guess it just shows how little the people who get paid for their opinions care about the people who pay for their opinions, in comparison to their bottom line.

That's a funny one,
Doug

Last arrival

http://i55.servimg.com/u/f55/11/52/54/64/56topp10.jpg

Great cards, guys-- how awesome is it to see the postwar thread ON FIRE?!
2013 is closing out with some fireworks.

Grabbed the 61 from Chris. Thanks buddy!

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8a1cc7df.jpg

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...psadff0142.jpg

Chris, those Post Cereal backs are so nostalgic. I hope you keep and display them the way they are. What precious conversation pieces! Nice pick-ups! Well done, bro!

Agreed on both counts, Matt.

I will have plenty to contribute here in 2014. :D

Great cards, guys. Greg, that '68 Topps Mays is sharp!

Thanks Brian! They are a little outside my normal collecting focus, but I could not resist and was happy to add them both within about an hour of each other. They will definitely be staying as is, and, if I am fortunate enough, not making their way out of my collection for many, many years. I love that they have stayed intact for so long.

Thanks again Chris for parting with the 61! (If anyone is looking for one for their collection Chris had another 4 card panel with a couple great players for sale).

Phase I
 

The second phase should be here in a few days. I have gone a little hog wild lately. Will have the 50's Mantle Run done soon...

The 52 Bowman is dead 50/50 left/right, despite how the left inner ridge of the holder is obscuring a sliver of the left edge (a main reason that holder is such a chafe when it comes to scanning).

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ckey-henderson

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

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

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-george-brett

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

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

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

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

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

Great cards, Matt!!

I've been looking for an ungraded Henderson card that nice for a while. In fact, that's what I was looking for before checking this thread again.

Thanks, Stache! I'm kind of addicted to buying high-end 9 Hendersons. When I look at Gem Mt 10s (some of which really are not worthy of the grade) sell for 10k, and then I see some 9s that have but one tiny flaw, usually a fisheye, selling for $330...it just seems like a great value. I could never see paying 9700 to essentially remove a tiny fisheye that is hardly as noticeable in hand as it is in a hugely blown up scan. High-end, centered 9s just hit my eye as gem, and the composition of that whole card is beautiful, IMO. The lighting, the stance, the banner design, the light blue framing, the crispy white borders...a tiltless, centered Rickey RC is to me a thing of beauty! Here is my PSA specimen...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...y-henderson-rc

Matt, I'll see your '78 Brett, and raise you a '78 Yount. Just came in today.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/4349/44ns.png

This '79 Yount will eventually go in for grading, too. Really nice example. Perfect centering, nice sharp corners and edges. A really beautiful card for considering it's 34 years old.

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2250/6853.png

Wow those are two sparkling examples. The 78 is CRISPY. Must say that card hits the eye as a GEM 10.

And what I love about that 79 is how, when you focus on the lower banner horizontally, it has no tilt. So many 79s seem slanted when you look at that banner on the bottom. Great cards! Now I need some more Younts! Here is a 79 card I have in the collection that has a similarly straight lower banner...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-paul-molitor

I'm with you. Those two Hendersons have just as much eye appeal as any 10, and to me at least, it's not worth spending all the additional money. I'm not out to impress anybody, and I'd rather buy more cards. I love the late 70s Topps cards, as they're the first ones I got into as a kid. When I add my 9 Henderson, I'll be thrilled.

I'm working on developing my eye on ungraded cards. I've started getting some real beauties in the 70s. It just takes time and patience (plus good scans, and good sellers willing to answer questions/provide additional questions).

I've noticed that, too. So many of the 70s cards have a tilt, and the 79s are some of the worst. The '77 cards are awful, too. When you do find a card with decent centering, there's little white space between the bottom border and edge, and the tilt really jumps out when present.

I'm convinced the '77 Yount is going to be the hardest to find. There are 110 PSA 9s, but they rarely hit Ebay. It looks like the collectors that have them are stashing them away. PWCC sold one in mid December for $207.50. The last 9 before that was sold two months earlier. That's at least 3 x his second year card.

Really nice Molly, by the way. And while we're on the subject of nightmare cards, Molitor's rookie card is really tough to find with a clean white surface. So many of his rookie cards have that awful smudge. I've got a feeling that card in true mint is going to command a premium before too long. :p

I agree on the Molitor RC, in terms of finding a clean one. It should command the kind of premium we see when a 51B Mick is somewhat centered with no print line, or when a Ryan has no tilt with good centering, or when a Rose RC has a print dot-free blue area. Here's my Molitor that's been with me for a while now...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...aul-molitor-rc

Thanks Bill! Really happy with it.

Feeling better and better buying raw cards. One thing I have learned is that just about everyone over grades what they are selling. I am learning what to look for and also how much to pay for each card.

Thanks for all the help you've provided me.

Matt your on fire wow a lot of nice mantle !!

Thx, bro. Here is the latest. Right edge of holder obscures a sliver of the card's right edge, so centering is a hair better than scan indicates. Needed to have a Maris card...

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

Geez...some awesome pieces there Matty C.
Wished i had known you were searching for Mantles, I have some nice ones for sale in the BST.
Overall, this thread is hot as a firecracker on NewYearsEve

Picked up some Exhibits and a '60 Bell Brand for my Furillo collection.

Chris,

Thx, bro-- where are those Mantles? Just perused the BST boards.

Here's the latest...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-pete-rose-rc

WOW...Great Rose RC...I was just looking at those today (63 Topps coming soon)


I had to settle for the soon to be freed 67 version as I continue to chip at the set -


http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1967-Topps-Ba...Sm90C/$_57.JPG

Just received. I like it.

[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps6266971a.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps47af7e8f.jpg[/IMG]

I was born in 76, and remember collecting the Rose tribute 1986 Topps subset-- and the 67 Rose always stood out to me. Something about the background of that card, it is so idyllic. Here's one I found on ebay earlier this year, below.

And thx re: the 63 RC. I think it absolutely belongs in a 7 or 6.5 holder, though!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...opps-pete-rose

Forget paying through the nose for a synthetic-looking gem mint version, that RC 56 looks great, well-loved, and I bet was gained at a good price! I may be in the minority here, but I have always preferred the 56 to his Rookie, in terms of sheer aesthetics. I am definitely going with the 56 to represent him in my collection.

Matty----if you are in the minority on preferring the '56 Roberto Clemente over the '55, you sure aren't alone. I much prefer the '56 Topps; the exquisite painting of him making the catch speaks so much of his value to Pitt. Have a good new year. ----Brian Powell

New member here. Been browsing the board a while and recently got more into post-war baseball. My older brother talked me into a big pickup this December, big thanks to MattyC!

Really some stunning cards being posted. Here are a few of my recent additions as I move away from my basketball collection and into baseball.

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/...psbe477cd4.jpg

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/...pse7345ba6.jpg

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/.../Mick52Bow.jpg

You're off to a great start, Greg, very nice.

That '56 is a nice looking card. Congrats.

Welcome, Greg, and nice cards!

Great month, everyone. Very entertaining thread!

Two more Mantles to round out the year (might crack the Dan Dee out as the holder is not flattering at all):

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-Micke...SuFhP/$_57.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1954-Dan-Dee-...SuR4R/$_57.JPG

That top Mantle image standing with bat is just powerful; captures such enormous potential and that raw star quality he had-- what made him so iconic.

Greg!

Welcome, bro! You simply don't see Mantle rookies centered like that every day-- or even once a year! At least not in such a relatively affordable grade. Great eye appeal on all those bad boys.

All the activity on the post war side here is awesome lately.

Welcome to the forum, Greg! A very nice start you have there. That '51 Bowman is gorgeous, incredible centering.

You guys are going to turn me into a Mickey collector yet. I just know it. A few of his cards are on my list for this year, starting with my favorite two cards of his: the '53 Bowman Color and the '57 Topps.

Put me down as another that prefers the '56 Topps Clemente over his '55 rookie. I will have both, as I am slowly working on his Topps master set. But the '56 i more appealing to me.

Great thread, guys. Let's keep this going every month. I promise to be a lot more active on the post war side.

Yeah, the centering on Greg's 56 Mick really deserves a shout out. For what that 4 costs-- what tremendous value and eye appeal.

To me, one of the greatest thrills our beloved hobby affords is a lower grade card with major eye appeal.

Thanks for the kind words on the pick ups. It's a real hunt to find lower grades with strong eye appeal but very satisfying for the collector on a budget when you get your card.

Won't be joining the Jan pickups thread after this recent haul but looking forward to seeing some more additions from everyone.