October Pickups
 

I started the October pick-ups thread on the pre-war side, so I figured I'd start it on the post-war side as well. Admittedly, I received this card in late September, but it was my post-war "white whale" and I have finally nabbed one! I've been looking for one for years! It's autographed to boot!

'67 Cincinnati Reds Team Issue PC - Johnny Bench:
http://photos.imageevent.com/derekgr...67%20Bench.jpg

Nice card Derek!

Some Hammerin Hank bric-a-brac:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ue%20Aaron.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...es%20Aaron.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ox%20Aaron.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ge%20Aaron.JPG

Thanks to a couple board members. Just got these in the mail. Looking to pick up a few more. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...47abba5b54.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...28385ebef6.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...128f99a85d.jpg


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Very nice pick-up on a tough regional card, Derek.

56 Clemente is one of my all time favorite cards. Nice group of cards.

Thank you. I've always liked that card too.


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Derek that is a very nice pickup of the JB postcard. Congrats on finding it!

I just picked up a collection of miscellaneous Transogram figures as I wanted a companion piece for my Mantle Transogram card. Now if I can only find someone willing to trade me a Mantle arm/glove for a headless Brock... Anyone know who the complete figure is of? There is no name on the back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNj...UKHro/$_57.JPG

Also picked up another Venezuelan. Its a duplicate but the price was right. And, as I always love, it is fresh from Venezuela:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTMwWDczMQ...UKz19/$_12.JPG

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

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

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

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

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

Nice pickups Matt! That '64 Mantle looks really nice.

Nice Mantle's and Clemente's to start off the month. Happy to add this one....

This is from the 1954 Topps set break…
Attachment 163133

Love that Williams...some nice pick ups all around to start the month... Got another few for my Hall of Fame and personal Hall of Fame rookie collections.

Strong Seaver. That one's a cut above the norm in the centering and tilt department. The Allen is a sleeper card.

Thanks, Matt! Was absolutely thrilled to get that Seaver - couldn't believe it when I got it. Definitely one of the nicer cards I've been able to snare since re-entering. Agree on the Allen - it's a great card - great player - will be interesting to see what press he gets in the Golden Era nomination cycle that's coming up. Always had a soft spot for him and wish he hadn't been run out of Philly...Scary to think how good he could've been had he been more mature, less sensitive, and if he was treated a little bit better by the fans.

My best friend and I were just talking about Allen while drinking last night-- pretty funny. His power was remarkably consistent.

Some of you may recall I was chasing this a while back. Just picked it up about 30 minutes ago! I dare say there aren't many of these left....

regarding Dick Allen
 

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. When Dick came to us in 1972, we were not prepared for how good he quickly showed himself to be. He was kinda eccentric, but his play with the Sox won us over. Us White Sox fans adored him, and he ate it up and just kept up the great play all year. Inside the park home runs, hustle, and so on! The Chicago press were careful with him, as were the Sox announcers. Manager Chuck Tanner was perfect for Dick, and he just exploded out of a dull stretch that had plagued him for several years. It was beautiful. The lady organist played a bar from "Jesus Christ Superstar" when he would come to bat. The fans belted out their appreciation for Dick. He was happy, very happy.

Which led, in turn, to the flat out finest item ever done of Dick. I mean, for visual appeal, there is nothing close to this Dick Allen collectible. White Sox management had Fan Appreciation Nights once in a while, and they would hand out a quality sticker of one of the top players. Lo and behold, at some point in 72-73 they did one of Dick Allen. Shot from the waist up in his home uniform, he's smiling with a genuine "I love it here and I'm loved here" facial expression. I mean to tell you, he just glows. I was able to get one late in the 72 season at Comiskey Park and would like SGC to grade it for me. Wouldn't trade it for a GEM MINT anything of Dick. I think it will grade pretty high, as I've kept it undisturbed in a baggie for all these years.

As you know, the love affair with Mr. Allen eventually vanished when he deserted the team. Maybe the Sox should have employed a good psychiatrist and moreover, Mr. Ed. With his penchant love for horses, Ed could have told Dick to "just cool it" and helped him relax and get on with the show. I know this is just nonsense, but most Chicagoans felt bad how it ended. Be that as it may, 1972 was the year of Dick Allen. He will never, ever be forgotten, Hall of Fame or no.

---Just my nickel-pack's worth.:o --Brian Powell

I'm giving you a standing ovation right now, STLCARDSFAN! Congratulations buddy! Way da go! Blow it off, clean it with lens paper, and send it down to SGC. They'll probably AUTHENTIC it, but it will be an authentic king-sized ruby of our hobby. I'm so happy for you, bro.:D ---Brian Powell

Musial
 

Great item STL

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img147.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img145.jpg
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...539/img146.jpg

Starting a new project with this one.

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/...psqec4gtmo.jpg

Thanks Brian and Al. I'm not sure about grading it, but it will definitely remain as is and uncut while in my possession!

Credit to MattyC for his pickups last month, I had to get one of my own.
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16471

Thx. You got one of the best looking cards ever right there-- and finding one centered like that is tough. Props!

Thanks Matt; it's tough trying to keep up with you. I guess it's cheaper just to sit back and admire.

Thx-- had to grab this guy. Centering was money and it's a great value in this grade because the price jumps huge in 9.

Also, this card has to be considered alongside the Molitor/Trammell in the "two great players on same RC" discussion. Cecil Cooper had some NASTY seasons. Especially in 1980 when he was overshadowed by Brett's insane performance and the star wattage of Yankees like Reggie and Goose for MVP consideration. Power with a .350+ avg, 200 hits, this was a damn good player.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...arlton-fisk-rc

Great memories, Brian, thanks for sharing. I never got to see him actually play, he was a bit before my time, but tales of his power from eyewitnesses I have spoken to are like modern day Paul Bunyan stories...can you share a picture of the sticker premium?

Love that Fisk...that rough cut is awesome, too.

Nice Clemente RC, Erick!

Not perfect but I like it. Just a few more Maz's to go.

Carl, it may take a while, but I'll see what I can do. I'd love to share a picture of it with you. ---Brian Powell

Piling up some Yankees
 

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

....I'll keep these until I can find replacements with better centering but hey we're talking 1957 Topps so it may be a while.... these are okay for now though...

Here's one ya don't see every day...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...hank-greenberg

Talk about one of the most slept on players in baseball history...

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/x...psabfcee21.png

Thank you Pat for your help toward my Clemente goal. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...90310fbb96.jpg


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Say Hey Willie Mays
 

This is a replacement of the 59 Mays my grandpa bought me years ago. I ended up trading that one for God knows what, maybe an Eric Karros or Todd Zeile rookie card.
Anyways, glad to find a well centered replacement and one worth hanging on to.
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16476

That Mays card is outstanding. Been looking for a few cards from that year and centering is all over the map. Card looks way, way better than the sticker number.

Thanks Matt. The grade is due to the lower left corner crease; but yes centering is tough on these '59s.

Jason nice score on the 59 Mays. The eye-appeal is much higher than the PSA 4 grade.

I have been looking for a centered 57 Mays and this is the best I could come up with. It was one of those pictures that was shot on an angle so I had to guess how good the centering was so I took a gamble (price was right) and it turned out to be decently centered. Does anyone have a dead-centered 57 Mays? I cannot seem to find one. This Aaron rookie arrived today. I am very happy to add this one to my collection. Made a best offer price and got it for well below VCP.
http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...57-willie-mays
http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...k-aaron-rookie

57 Mays
 

Nice pick-up, here's mine centered as you asked:

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...opps/3878/mays

I saw it just a few minutes ago, actually, on the pre-war board. ;)

By the way, very nice Cooper rookie. Yes, he was an incredible hitter, and he still has the biggest hit in franchise history.

I've said it a few times. If he'd been able to play full time just a little earlier in his career, he could have received some very serious Hall of Fame consideration. But he was 27 years old before he ever got 450 at bats in a season. Too bad, because between 1976 and 1985, he averaged 199 hits, 66 extra base hits and 104 RBI per 162 games played. He's one of the best hitters from that era to never win a batting title.

Coop was just smooth. Great fielder, great hitter, great run producer. Look at his career peak numbers. 7 spectacular years.

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8768/ia4zV6.png

Very nice centering on the 57 Mays Patrick. That is exactly what I have been looking for. I will keep looking and upgrade when I find the right one. Thanks for sharing.

Could not resist centering...

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

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...eve-carlton-rc

[QUOTE=MattyC;1332489]Could not resist centering...

Geez Matt, looks like your cards are more OCD than you are. That is Off Centering Deficient to be exact. Nice pickups!

Thx-- I compared that 6.5 Mick to the centering of every 7 on VCP and it won me over.

Now was that Aaron RC 4 up above posted by JB added late? I cannot believe I missed that card on the bay! Awesome pickup, bro. Maybe 1 in every 20 Aarons have borders balanced like that.

And both 57 Mays' are strong, but man that second one has got to be the top .000001% of centered examples of that card.

i agree with the Hank Aaron..nice, maybe the bottom left corner was not as sharp, Still take it any day.. Its as nice as mine. Congrats on the new addition.

@MattyC: well i missed out on last nights auction H&S and got outbidded after dark.
I see you like 707, was a nice Mantle grab there, but doesnt he have a premium price on his merchadise? I looked pass his stuff on Ebay all the time. Nice items he has.
I guess you didnt like my SGC60 i have for sell, i gotta sell my stuff to buy new stuff. Needless to say, window shopping is free, just controlling my ooh and ahh's.

Levi has a premium for sure, but when the card truly merits it, I have no problem buying it. For example, the 6.5 Mick 1962 ran me higher than any 6.5, but still less than what 7s cost-- and it looked better than all the 7s I could find. That's when I am okay pulling the trigger. Of course would rather win it for less at auction, where most people shop by VCP grid like it's The Bible. That's when you can pay less of a premium, as opposed to when a collector or dealer knows what he has and doesn't have to sell, unless they get the premium they feel the card deserves.

I gotta say that aside from amazing service, communication, and just being nice to talk to about cards and stuff, the cards I've gotten from Levi are all specimens where the centering simply cannot be improved. For someone who looks at his cards for enjoyment as much as I do, I gotta have that even framing-- plus I just love the rarity of a centered card as compared to all the other copies of it out there.

MattC.

I have no problem with paying the premium as well. When you find them centered with the eye-appeal like the 62 Mick and rookie Carlton it is well worth the extra. I added the Aaron late and was very happy to add my first Aaron rookie card to my collection.

JB, trust me: you absolutely KILLED it with that Aaron. And for UNDER VCP? That don't make no sense. That's a card that gets a mad premium at auction. Major score for your collection bro.

Spent a bit more on this than I'd have liked but I did want one for my Aaron collection:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0Aaron%201.JPG

Since I got rid of the slabs and started trying to have fun again I can't resist these 'silver age' Topps HOFers in decent shape when the price is very right:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...1%20Snider.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...20Drysdale.jpg

I don't think I ever had one of these when I was a kid:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0Mays%20IA.jpg

One more for the personal HOF
 

Pretty happy with this one....

Nice El Tiante!

Whale Ho!
 

Finally after a long search: a nicely centered, tilt-free '52 Topps Mick to pair with the rookie! Thanks Sean1125 for an amazing deal. This is a keeper forever.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9b6473ed.jpg

Nice cards all. MattyC - always solid eye on those pick ups. jb67 - that Aaron rookie is ridiculous. Very envious.

Mail today today - received a '53 Bowman color Eddie Mathews to (basically - that '52 Topps remains outside my budget; if anyone has one and is looking to deal, please let me know) complete my entire basic Mathews run. Always a favorite of mine and, in my opinion, an extremely overshadowed/undervalued player.

Would love to post my entire run at some point, if anyone would be interested.

On that subject, can anyone recommend a solid scanner for my collection? Nothing too fancy as I would probably just utilize for my cards. If I need to start a different thread, I can.

Thanks

Yoss-- I got a very cheap Epson Perfection V300 (I think that's the model number). Ran me like $75 and works great.

And yes, you gotta post the Mathews run! I think he is almost tragically under appreciated, but the secret is kind of out on his 52T. I know lots of guys who want one of those centered. It's a real monster in that regard.

Congrats on the 53B. I don't know if there's one card in that set that's not beautiful. Whoever took and decided on what photos to use just killed it.

There are several good discussions on the forum about scanners, with members posting information about price, operating system, etc.

Here are a few:
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...hlight=scanner
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?p=1148653

I have been using a Canon Canoscan 8400F which I picked up off of eBay for about $45 total. It was used, but it has served me well for about a year and a half. You absolutely want a scanner with a CCD scanning element, which stands for charge-coupled device. Your average office scanner has a CIS element. Avoid those, because they're awful for scanning graded cards. The reason? The elements are unable to scan anything with depth. Obviously, a graded card is slabbed in plastic. A CCD element takes care of that problem. It also has a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, which is great for scanning highly reflective cards (no streaks). I think some of the second generation led lighting elements have gotten better about this. They use less energy, and the scanner is just faster. But I love the scans I get. I leave the scanner top up, and either scan with no backing (for some graded cards), or I use black or white construction paper as my backing. Sometimes, I use the back of a steno pad for cards needing a neutral background.

52 Mantle RC
 

Holy Moly! Greg
Awesomeness...thats the version i been looking to get and about the grade area i been looking around. I would give a arm and a leg for that. You certainly had to be very proud when you finally opened the package and saw it for the first time in hand. When i got my (B var.) I was thrilled and overjoyed with excitement. It immedialtly went into my safe and eventally found the right spot for it. It is the most $$ i ever spent on a card or perhaps anything besides a car. How are you going to 'stash' the icon away? Keep in mind, i also dont show my collection or talk about but here, but i be more vigilant in letting people know i got one.

Congrats on the Mick Rookie! Presents much better than the grade.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...74f18b6b9f.jpg

Thanks to a board member I have another card toward my Roberto collection.


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http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...a4c02a7a8c.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...24af30a0b3.jpg

Low grade = inexpensive

Very nice looking 52 Mays for PSA 1. Congrats. Not sure why it is a PSA 1. How does the back look? You might be able to get a bump up of .5 grade or 1.

That may very well be the best 1.5 Mantle out there. Cannot envision a better combination of centering, lack of tilt, and with his face still being clean enough to appreciate.

eBay been berry berry good to me today...

The 59 Mick compared favorably to the centering of all the 6s I could see on VCP. Meanwhile I suspect the #250 Ted may be bump worthy. The 59 Sandy is the best centering I've seen in a long while of searching. There's something about that card that makes me smile. The Bench could 9 on a crack resub down the line, and I have always loved those AS Rookie trophy cards since I was a kid.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-johnny-bench

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

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-ted-williams

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-sandy-koufax

MattyC,
Unless the 69 (PSA 8.5) Bench has some issue on the back that is a sure 9. I have an 8.5 and a 9 your card presents better than any 8.5 I have seen and better than a lot of 9's I have seen. That is a very nice score. Was that an Ebay purchase? The Ted Williams is another outstanding find for the grade. You never cease to amaze me with your ability to find under-graded cards.

Thx, my friend. They all popped up on ebay in the last 24 hrs or so; the Ted was an auction. The Bench was listed by BBCExchange; I called them to buy direct and they worked with me on price. Always perfect customer service there and reasonable prices, too.

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

MattyC,

Nice pickups. I was going after that 54 Ted on ebay. Glad it went to you. Love the centering on it.

1953 R.G. Dun Cigars Milwaukee Braves
 

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16489

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16490

I haven't looked lately, but as of 2008 these were the only two listed in the SCD.

After watching his terrible announcing during the ALDS, I decided to pull the trigger on his card.

http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4e64b8b9.jpg

That Brett is outstanding. No smudge marks and centered. That needs to find it's way into a 9 holder at minimum.

Thanks for the the kind words on the Mantle pick up. Can't wait to get it in hand and introduce him to the rest of the Mantle Family!

Word up on Brett. Never found a Reggie with centering I liked until this, except for 9s and I just can't spent 6k on this card. Hoping for a 7.5 on this one, but 8 would be ideal. Name is not well registered and in a big scan makes me feel drunk (not a bad thing) but the centering was far too exceptional to let that get in the way. In hand will be less of an issue as well.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...gie-jackson-rc

Got an upgrade for my Furillo collection.

That is such a great shot of the Reading Rifle. Nice card!

Nice '57 Furillo. If you upgraded from a nicely centered 80 I'm interested...

MattyC and Bill - thanks for the comments/pointers on a suitable scanner. I will add one to my short list.

Speaking of which, now that I have completed my Eddie Mathews basic run, I am thinking of turning to that other criminally undervalued/non-appreciated teammate of his - Warren Spahn. Don't believe me? Check his career stats - yikes! I already have his '52 Topps, so the heaviest lifting is already behind me. Any other Spahn collectors out there? Any particularly difficult cards?

Greg - that '52 Mantle is awesome. Presents super fine for the grade. Well done, sir.

Those '76s (Eck and Brett) are both smoking. Interesting set with some oddly tough cards (Johnny Briggs comes to mind - supposedly one of the absolute hardest cards of the '70s. Anyone confirm? Anyone have in high grade?)

I think his 48B has such flavor with the big schnoz profile.

And his high leg kick 50 and 51B are awesome baseball cards-- will get one of those one of these days.

65
 

Picked up this '65 Clemente as an upgrade for my collection. Always reassuring when you get the card in hand and it looks as good as the scan...which is why I prefer and will a little more when I buy cards in person....

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa8b45fd4.jpg

Nice card!


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That's great. It's cool that BBC Exchange worked with ya on the price. I'm also not surprised. I've not had the pleasure of doing business with Steve yet, but I will be soon. I didn't know until a few weeks ago that he even dealt in individual cards. I stumbled across a 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson PSA 8.5, and I must have look at the card front for 30 minutes. I don't know if it sold or not, it was a real beauty. The left to right centering was about 45/55 from memory, and that was the only thing I could find that would warrant a sub 9 grade. The price was pretty good, too.

You're welcome :)

I was born in Milwaukee, and lived in Waukesha until I was 18. I'm one of the biggest Milwaukee Braves/Brewers fans you'll find. Spahn is criminally undervalued in the hobby, imho. That's a good thing for now, as I haven't started buying his cards yet. If they could hold off for another year or so, it would be appreciated. Why that is, I don't know. I mean, look at his career stats. 363 wins and a career 3.09 ERA. That's spectacular, especially when you consider that he pitched in 750 games, starting 665 of them. He won only one Cy Young Award, even though he led the league in strikeouts four times, ERA three times, and wins a whopping eight times. He was a 20 game winner thirteen times! In 1963 at age 42, he won 23 games with a 2.60 ERA. Unfortunately, when the Cy Young Award came around in 1956, Spahn only had ten seasons left. And there was only one award for all of baseball until 1966, the year after he retired. Knowing that, and knowing, too, that he was 35 years old when the award was introduced, he finished in the Cy Young top 5 voting five times. He also finished in the MVP top 5 four times.

Have you uploaded your Mathews run yet? Did you go with strictly Topps cards, or did you include Bowman, too? I only have the one Eddie thus far, a nice mid grade '61 Topps.

http://net54baseball.com/picture.php...ictureid=16003

Spahn spearheaded one hell of a rotation with Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl. That trio won 56 games in 1957 when we beat the Yankees for Milwaukee's only World Series win. The next season, we lost the Series. They really missed Buhl. He'd won 18 games in both 1956 and 1957 as our #3 starter, and in 1959 and 1960 he won 16 and 15. But he only started 11 games in 1958, going 5-2. I don't remember what happened. He didn't pitch in the post season, unfortunately. It was hard enough beating the Yankees. Losing a starter that would end up going 85-46 with a 3.07 ERA between 1955 and 1960. Without him, and a slight drop in power numbers from the season before (the Braves hit 199 home runs in 1957), we just couldn't drop them again.

Bill - all trenchant points. Glad to know Spahn has some other collecting fans out there. Spahn's durability and longevity are simply unmatched in the modern era. That '57 team had an outstanding roster. Other than his early Bowmans and that '52 Topps, his cards are extremely reasonable. I will be uploading as I go. As usual, I will just be shooting for a mid-grade set.

Re: Mathews - I will get him uploaded once I actually purchase a scanner.
I did both his Topps (except the '52) and all his Bowmans (only 3 of those). The run ranges in grade from PSA 5-PSA 8 (later year cards). I think I paid the most for his '53 Bowman, which is fine - it is just about my favorite of the entire run.

I will definitely share when I get uploaded.