March Pickups
 

Never seen one of these before until now.


Zach Wheat

Picked up this 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle. Got it from a friend that mainly collects 61 Topps. He knew it was not real, just could not figure out where it came from. Since I have it in hand now, it is just a home printer counterfeit on way to thick card stock.

Mantle Fleer Proof
 

Cool item Zach---apparently one of only 24 :). A genuine made to order Mantle

Not sure how I missed this--but Frank Robinson is ridiculously affordable Hall-of-Famer to collect.

I picked up one of the most important cards in my collecting life. It has changed the way I collect cards forever.

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...psa97878ae.jpg


It's not because it's a great card itself (but it is my hero), but I am a set collector. By getting this card I now have completed the 1958 set. By completing the 1958 set I now have every base set back to 1954.


http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps6ee15b16.jpg

The reason it changes how I collect is that I have always gone to card shows to pick up bulk quantities of commons for sets. Then I use ebay and dealers for the stars. You can't get bulk quantities of 40's cards at shows. So I may never have to attend a show again. I can get everything on ebay or this site.

Now my focus is on the 1940's and to get a set from every year from that decade. I'm 1/2 done with 1941 Play Ball, completed 1943 MP&Co, About 12 cards away from a Salutation exhibit set (minus the 1939 short prints). I'll soon delve into 1947 Bond Bread and the 1948 and 1949 Bowman.

Congrats darkhorse9. That's one very impressive accomplishment. I completed the '41 Play Ball set a few months ago and it's one of my favorites. Good luck on your next collecting endeavor.

Agree with above, very impressive accomplishment!

:eek::eek::eek::eek:That is great!

darkhorse9, that's just awesome! Congratulations.

How I'd love to sit down, and look through your binders one at a time. I could spend a whole day looking through just a few of them.

March Pickups
 

Picked up this nice '71 Topps high number. The small scratch on slab is much more pronounced on the scan...

Attachment 135739

Impressive
 

Impressive accomplishment Darkhorse! Why didn't you complete the earlier Topps sets?

Z Wheat

Darkhorse....FRICKEN Awesome!! I'm quite a bit behind you but coming up strong...

I will. I have the 1951 Red Back set and the first series of 1953 Topps done. I just wanted to go different and work on the 1940's where the sets are much smaller.

Wiffle retail box with Lou Brock. This just came in, I have never seen one before. It also has Yaz, Garvey, Fidrych and Munson.

March Pickups
 

My small SGC submission just in... SGC is really tough on the Morrell Meats Dodgers. Both of these were cracked out of PSA 6 holders:

Attachment 135925
Attachment 135926

I got the grades I was looking for on these '57 Topps Dodgers; really like the centering. The Erskine was cracked out of a PSA 6.5 holder.

Attachment 135927
Attachment 135928

And I've always had a soft spot for Topps' '77 Burger Kings Yankees.

Attachment 135929

Well, its not baseball, Heck its not even a card!
Something i been looking for and not too expensive. Well i found a nice one here for about 1/2 on some i seen. CutomDisplay.com This is the 2 inch thick one, Choose from any velvet liner, which is foam padded. 4 different types of wood finishes. The glass lid gently pushes the object(s) onto the foam holding them safely and securely in place.
http://www.customdisplays.com/construction.html
http://www.customdisplays.com/images/18x24.jpg

I got a nice price on this yesterday. It should be here by Monday. '62 now checked off the list. I have '57 lined up. Now, I am just trying to find a reasonably priced mid-grade '61 and I will have everything back to '57. From there, I will buy lots for 53-56 and fill in the stars since the sets are smaller.

Darkhorse...how long did those sets take you to complete? I myself am a set builder and I feel like its been forever. I only do EX or better. What about you?

Great looking Labine! That is a tough card to find centered! I still need one.

It probably took me about 15 years total. I had the recent stuff and then decided to do the 1969 set (my childhood favorite) After that I decided to fill the gap between 1969 and the current stash.

When that was done I started working backwards. My original goal was to just do back to 1962 (my birth year). I also had a huge start on 1954 so I finished that.

Then, of course, I had to fill the gap between 1954 and 1962. That's how I got where I am today.

I'm EX or better on everything from 1956 to today. I went VG/EX on the 1954 and 1955 Bowman set. I'm working on the 1955 Topps set as well (still 9 cards away) but I'm a little looser on the grade there since it's the second set from that year.

For the 1940's I've opened up my grades to G/VG just to give the wallet a break. I can always upgrade later. My goal is to have a set from every year. That's not possible with the 1940's so I'm doing the best I can

1940 Play Ball
1941 Play Ball (1/2 done)
1943 MP&Co (done)
1944-1946 represented by Salutation Exhibits (12 cards away minus 1939 SP)
1947 Bond Bread
1948 Bowman
1949 Bowman.

Of course once that's done I'll have to fill the gap between 1949 and 1954.soooooo.

There is a seller on eBay that was selling a ton of play balls that looked really nice. Seller by the name of battlefield056 or something. His feedback was kinda iffy so I didn't buy. Has anyone dealt with this seller?

Beauty, Adam.

1945 M114 Baseball Magazine Premium

http://i61.tinypic.com/oh4qhy.jpg

Had some luck in Leon's auction last night.

The first one is one of my favorite images of Mantle. I think it is the same picture used for the 51 Wheaties? The wrinkles and everything else are identical, only this is missing the pinstripes.

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...s8f5a03c4.jpeg

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...s4c7abf57.jpeg

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...sebac5eae.jpeg

While we're posting premiums, I'll throw this one out there. Pretty rough condition, and fairly cheap.

Nice pickup. I love premiums. It amazes me what you can get for your money compared to cards.

Battlefield's business model.
 

They buy graded cards and crack them out and create terrific scans and use words like '' breathtaking'' ...it seems to work for them . They bought two PSA 6's from me and four days later my cards were up for auction but not slabbed anymore and they looked quite a bit brighter and sharper than when they were in the ''6'' holders. In fact they looked breathtaking .

That classic Mantle photo:
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...BIGPIC_NEW.JPG


...........there was an entire thread last fall on that pose....look over on ''Memorabilia''.....mine is from '' Moss Photo'' ; also no pinstripes.

Consensus was iffy but maybe 1952 ???

March pickup
 

Found a nice stash of 67 high numbers at a local show this weekend. Able to knock off a few tougher cards. But this oddity grabbed my attention. It looks totally different than the normal Red Sox team #604. The background is pink in color, the normal background color is red. And the Red Sox letters are lighter pink instead of orange. Kind of cool I thought... Has anyone seen this card before?

NOTE: The border might appear an off white, but it is bright white like the rest of the cards in the set. So it is not faded.

Thanks
Nate Mack
Attachment 136589

Hey Mike,

I remember that thread. I was actively arguing for it being a 51, although without any facts whatsoever to support that position. There is a very strong possibility I am wrong though, particularly since a lot of people with a lot more knowledge than me disagreed. I have to go back through the thread to figure out whether it should have pinstripes or not.

Thanks for sharing your photo. Mine is a Moss Photo as well, only with a different tagline at the bottom. I am looking forward to having it in hand so I can read what it says. It is one of my favorite pictures of him. I am a variation guy, so if you ever decide to part with yours please let me know.

Chris

In my opinion that card is 100% faded and did not leave the factory like that. Looks to have set out on display for a long time. Notice the darker square in the bottom right side were the price sticker was.

Nate...I would agree with bnorth, that clearly looks like a price sticker and faded around it. Not withstanding...a truly TOUGH card, one of the hardest of the 67 Topps highs for sure. Congrats on the pickup! Wish I had your same luck on Saturday...pretty bleak on my end for 67s...your whipping this set out!


Edit to add that fading might not account for the color in the Red Sox letters? Not sure if yellow would fade to pink?

The pink in the Red Sox letters is because the letters are not pure yellow. They have an orange to red tint on most cards that fades to a very light pink(magenta).

Makes sense to me...

I thought about that, but why would the card have a complete pink uniformity? I do assume that there was a sticker on the case as well. But why would that not be red where the sticker was. That is one super consistent fading if it was done in a case due to sun... Why would only 1 color fade? I would have to think it was taped up in a window to get all the color to run fade away.

Whatever happened to the card, I was glad to get it for $5 bucks...

I like the pink just fine :)

Very cool card for $5. Actually 2 colors faded a lot. The yellow and Red(magenta). The sticker was only there for part of the fading. Except for the beginning stages of fading a card the fading is uniform. The first stages of fading produces more fading at the edges.

If interested in more details PM me.

http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...earlywynn1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...inroberts1.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...bobgibson1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...hankaaron1.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...unleaders1.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...rniebanks1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...aloubrock1.jpg

Jerry - Big 6 - Those are some nice looking Excellent condition cards.....

Cards
 

+1

Thanks Guys, it's nice going back and reliving my childhood some after collecting Pre-War for so long.
And it doesn't cost near as much.

+1

Fading
 

I would tend to agree with the others. If some color ink ran low in the printing process you should be able to find other examples like it, like for example the 1982 Blackless misprints. Also, what does the back look like ?

But, it is sometimes hard for me to tell. Is this fading or a missing color ?

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img366.jpg

Back
 

Maybe after a sun tan on one side, it was rolled over


http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img367.jpg

1951 Topps
 

Picked up this yellow wrapper to go with my 51 sets and other 51 wrappers/packs. Back then, the cards were intended mainly to sell gum, or in the case of the Current and Connie mack All Stars, candy


http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1394478495
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img071.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img072.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...psa7bc2f4d.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img070.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img069.jpg

For some reason that is a very popular card to fade. Light color on the back is a bad sign because the fronts and backs are not printed at the same time so the chances that both are missing color a very slim.

With out it in hand I would give that card a 90% chance of being faded because all the colors are lighter on the front not just no yellow. With pictures it is hard to tell but it also looks to have a duller finish front/back, another sign of fading.

Missing color cards are some of my favorite errors so I have done a lot of experimenting to be able to tell the difference.

Here is a picture of a real missing yellow card, top card. Look how bright the other colors are. The bottom Mantle is lightly faded from sitting out.

Missing colors
 

I have a set of the 82 Blackless ( and several gray signature transition cards) and a bunch of other color oddities from other years, but I suppose it would be best to pursue that subject in a separate thread

66 Mantle
 

Picked up this 66 Mantle:

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa0ab558b.jpg

It finally arrived today..but kinda dissapointed :confused:
it says it tightly fits 3/4 where the glass locks in down onto the foam pad...this is not the case on the 2" model here...maybe the 3" one work??
anyways i took out the foam padding, i may decide later try and find a thinner one.
2. I had to decide: A. go with ALL mantle cards here or B. go with my rookies.
I went with the rookie route, despite leaving some oddball ones out like Bradshaw & OJ (football guys)

Here is a pic of it (i am not the best with a camera--but i learned on this forum the do's and dont's-kind of :p
[IMG]http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/...psa3e9f0a3.jpg[/IMG]

Chris, if your choice gems do not fit tight enough, you can do something about it. It will require a bit of time, careful measuring, and a small amount of money.

Here we go. Go to HOBBY LOBBY. In the back of the store they stock their Crescent Matt Boards. These hefty cardboards are a good 1/16" thick. You could carefully measure the inside of your glass case (but allow a bit of room as clearance, draw your lines, and cut with a utility knife. Add as many as needed beneath your current pad, and viola, that should provide plenty of extra height to secure your gems in place when you close the lid. BUT DO NOT ADD TOO MANY, AS TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE GLASS LID COULD CRACK IT IN TIME!

If you want to fashion your own pad, go to a fabric store and purchase a few yards of their highest quality or mid-quality white cotton batting (sp?). Using the crescent board as a base, make as many layers of batting as you wish, gluing them one at a time with something like Elmer's spray glue. Always make each batting piece over-sized so it will be easy to attach. Then trim the excess batting with good scissors. Also, don't go crazy with the spray glue. You don't need a lot to attach the batting. Now, you may wish for a sturdier pad. Simply make your base thicker by gluing as many of the crescent boards together. I would stop at 3, but that's up to thee. To crown your pad, Hobby Lobby stocks some quality velour that looks and feels terrific. They have an assortment of colors, including a nice red, though you may wish to employ their slightly darker red, which is almost a maroon. Their green is nice and dark. The midnight blue is my personal favorite. Or, you could do the same thing with crushed velvet, which comes in other colors. When you cut the velour, allow an extra 1 - 1 1/2" of room all the way around. As always, allow 30 minutes for the glue to reasonably dry, perhaps longer, and then fold over and secure the velour flap on the back with good gray duct tape. That's right----duct tape. Or you can cut each corner at a 45-degree angle and then your board will lay a bit better. Just don't cut too close to the corner; leave a quarter-inch buffer. When attaching, it stretches nicely and gives the board a smoother and more professional appearance.

In time you may want to go with a 37" X 22" All-State case. Expensive, but think of it this way. You spent a lot of time and money on those gems. Allow yourself the luxury of viewing them in a quality presentation. Honestly, I think you will discover it's well worth some of your "card" money.;)

Naturally, I want to express to you: Nice collection you have there! -Brian Powell

super great idea there Brian..i dont have a hobby lobby, next town does. But i do have a Michaels craft shop that will do.. I had to completely take the foam out, it was like 3/4 inch thick i belive..Yeah i was looking so where the cards wouldnt move. I should of selected a wall hanger version instead, but i wanted to show off the photos too.
Thanks for the tips.

Chris, I love the new display. It turned out great.

I just received this very early Mantle photo card and could not be happier:
http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps19e66366.jpg

I just received this very early Mantle photo card and could not be happier:
http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps19e66366.jpg[/QUOTE]

Congratulations Chris. That rookie photo of Mickey is a honey. Do you have any idea what set it came from, or if it was sent from the first Mickey Mantle Fan Club? Probably not, as I think about it, since he's not wearing his home uniform.

I've never seen that image of him before. Also, any clue as to which ballpark it was shot at? It would be kinda neat if it was Comiskey Park, since Mick hit his first major league home run there on about April 30, 1951. Doesn't really matter, and I'd feel the same way had I bought it.:D

Thanks for sharing your new Mick with us! -Brian Powell

Brian,

The following is from a SCD article written by Kelly Eisenhauer and refers to the Mantle postcard pictured by Chris -

"Back in the 1950s, it was very common for players to distribute
postcards or photocards to their fans seeking their autographs. Two
different stories have circulated about the origin of the card (Photo
No. 155). One such story is that when Mickey had the cards made,
he actually paid an individual to hand them out to fans at the ballpark.
The other story is that Mickey used them to boost his popularity,
so that he might make the All-Star squad. In any event, the 1951
photocard is a legitimate, vintage item that Mickey had made."

Thanks Brian! And, thanks for posting that Austin. That is where most of my info came from. The only other insight I have is that the original was likely shot by either Burke or Brace (I forget which one was active at the time).

Oh shit Bestdj777 (the other Chris)..That is a cool piece..You deserve to be called a Mantle 'nut' I think you got the best collection i ever seen put together.
Like i told ya--- When i started going thru my collection, i couldnt believe how many Mantles i had...and I know you got me by a landslide.

Haha, thanks Chris. you can call me a nut if you want. And, thank you for the complements regarding the collection. The quality is nowhere close to what you have, but I love it.

1962 Wax Museum Postcard. Not really a picture of Mantle, but a picture of a wax statute of Mantle is good enough for me.

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps45e921c8.jpg

Finally have a Clemente RC!
 

Super excited to add this to my collection. The off center doesn't bother me as much as creases. The surface gloss is still nice and no creases! Big day for my collection.

Attachment 137296

Nice pickup!

Congrats, love the Clemente rookie. I also accept poor centering in favor or clean/crease-free.

I recently added this Bowman in "off eBay" side deal (OC but otherwise clean). It's my first '53 Color Bowman. They really are gorgeous up close.

<a href="http://s209.photobucket.com/user/TopekaPalms/media/68Carlton_zpscb134096.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb212/TopekaPalms/68Carlton_zpscb134096.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 68Carlton_zpscb134096.jpg"/></a>

57 now part of the collection! A successful net54.com transaction

March Pickups
 

Picked up this nice '58 Topps All Star Jackie Jensen...

Attachment 137464

Centering : 9.5
 

That is rare and awesome centering for those '58 All Stars...great pick-up.

I've been wanting a '67 Rose and picked this one up for a good price.

[IMG]http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...f484229346.jpg[/IMG]

That '53 Mantle is gorgeous!!

Regarding the black 'n white Mickey Mantle photo posted by BestDJ777 - Chris Mr. Burke and George Brace worked together out of Chicago. It would seem then than one or the other snapped the photo of Mickey at Comiskey Park. It's really neither here nor there, but it would not be surprising if the photo was shot during the Yanks first visit to Chicago that year.

Something special happened during that first visit. It was May 1. Mickey was in the throes of his first slump, hitting a pallid .222, with no home runs. All that promise was becoming a problem to the team and to himself.

Sox reliever Randy Gumpert faced Mickey in the sixth with one on. Gumpert fired him a "a screwball that evidently didn't screw too much" (Gumpert's own words). Mickey was batting lefty against the righthander. Mick killed the ball, a smoking line drive that sailed over speedy centerfielder Jim Busby's head, 450 feet away. Sox pitcher Hal "Skinny" Brown recalled that Mickey's blast "was hit so hard that it got there in one second and rattled around in the seats for what seemed like five minutes."

Thus it was for home run number one in the major leagues.

I cannot buy the idea that Mickey would pay anyone to hand out pictures of himself so people would know who he was, and especially so people would vote him to the AL all-star team. Both suggestions are simply out of the question when I think of Mick's character. He was too shy, proud, and hard on himself to do either of those stupid things.

However, people were already writing to him for an autographed picture, or a picture, period. George Brace I know for certain snapped pictures for the players so they could answer their fan mail. Louis Dormand was another, but he was strictly out of New York.

Still a fabulous shot of a shy, happy rookie playing for the team of his dreams. Again, nice going.:) ---Brian Powell

54 Strategic Air Command featuring Cardinals
 

I picked up this 1954 movie photo from the movie Strategic Air Command featuring the St. Louis Cardinals today. I know the one player is Stan Musial, does anyone recognize the other two? Also, I am very certain it is original, and I am willing to take offers on it, if anyone is interested.

other 2 cardinals
 

The guy on the left looks like Eddie Stanky, I think he was their manager at that time. The guy in the middle looks older than Stanky, so he might also be a coach.

The photo reads 1954 at the bottom I think...

You know, I think it is Eddie Stanky and Mike Ryba. Thanks.

I'm confused. Which player do you think is Stan Musial?? He's not in this picture and I'm pretty sure that's Enos Slaughter on the right.

Well, after digging a little into the movie, these were the players that appear in the film:

"Peanuts" Lowrey; Memo Luna; Stan Musial; Red Schoendienst; and Enos Slaughter

So, you could be right, one problem with profile pictures is they don't always look the same as full face. I still think that is Musial, the beak looking nose looks to me like Musial's. I am not an expert, to be sure. Anyone else out there, what do you think?

Dude, come on. That is NOT Stan Musial. It is in fact Enos Slaughter. Look at him!!
Two of these photographs show him older and pretty gaunt, but look how he has the exact same smile in each picture. Same ear, same nose, same small gap in his teeth on his left side, same cheeks, same sideburn cut and hair. And look at those hairy arms!! it doesn't look anything like Stan the Man!!

Attachment 137789

Just messing with you a bit, I had already been "corrected" from my original post, which I put in the wrong section:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showpos...&postcount=154

Like I said in that post, just looking real fast, and not really a Cards fan, and knowing that Slaughter wasn't a Card at the time (1954), anyway...sorry for doubting you. I bow to you as the more experter guy!

You are correct, Sir! (and who the heck are the other two dudes?)

Sorry, I get a little crazy with pics sometimes. On the other side of the board, it seems whenever someone asks, "Who is this?" in a picture, 99.99% of the responses are so off the mark and not even close, that it drives me nuts!!

Too bad you had to pay extra for the Mantle when all you wanted was the Alou:D

One of the disadvantages of being a Felipe Alou master set collector....

I just did a little research and Felipe had such an impressive family. At some point, I might do an Alou family rookie card collection.