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Post an obscure card that interests you and explain why
Let's have some card fun! We all have our interests that run far afield from mainstream issues. What obscure little issue piques your collecting interest? I will start with these:
1946 Sports Exchange Trading Post Pin-Ups. One per issue, ran for several months, then were replaced by the for-sale W602-W603: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20DiMaggio.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Feller_1.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...t%20Musial.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Newhousel.jpg I like them because they are very early postwar, obscure/rare and have images that are not on other cards as far as I can tell. |
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I'm not sure this is sufficiently obscure, but it's certainly interesting that otherwise the set is all Reds. To me, one of the best images of DiMaggio out thee, on many he looks a bit goofy.
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The DiMaggio image is on his Berk Ross card.
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/16548848763...QAAOSwiG5ihTx3 |
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Banana
I like the Bob Feller Banana Peel image !!
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Here is one from my collection that I've never been able to figure out. It is of Walker Cooper in a NY Giants uniform. The card measures 3 3/4 x 9 3/4 and has a blank back. It is autographed by Walker. He played for the Giants from 46-49. It seems to be on standard card stock and may have come folded as it appears to have light creases where it was been in quads. The colors are very vivid and quite impressive to look at. It has always baffled me about its origin. The pose, uniform and facial expression and everything about the card kind of grabs you. If anyone is familiar with this card please let me know.
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I like the 1914 E&S series of Postcards
There are only a handful of the Joe Jackson card and a hand full of other cards including Ty Cobb, Frank Chance, Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker, and Buck Weaver to name a few. This is mine the Joe Jackson One. I like the unique look of it. I like the pose and I also like the little cartoons around him. |
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I was about 15 cards shy of putting this 1954 N.Y. Journal American set together, but sold them with the rest of my collection. But I loved looking for these, and most dealers had no idea what they were. One of the sets I wish I had kept. (not my cards pictured, but internet images for illustration).
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I like the New York Journal Amercan's...
That particular Sports Exchange Bob Feller is EXTREMELY rare. |
Chief Meyers Philadelphia Evening Times Supplement
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Here is my Chief Meyers Philadelphia Evening Times Supplement, which I won in a Lew Lipset Auction many years ago.
I have only seen one other, which had pin hole damage at the corners. Patrick |
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Ok, actually a second set I wish I hadn't sold - 1958 San Francisco Call Bulletin. I was also about 10 shy of the set (one or two were extremely hard to find). Again, pictures from the net.
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Great idea for a thread.
I'll go with the 1914 E224 Texas Tommy. I'm fascinated by the stories of West Coast cards. This set is made by the Cardinet Candy company of Oakland Ca., founded in 1909, maker of the Abba Zabba, Baffle, and U-No candy bars. The name of the set is named after a dance invented in the Barbary Coast "red light" district of San Francisco. Around 1910, the Texas Tommy was a hit at a lowlife hot spot called Purcell's, a Negro cabaret, but it became respectable when it was danced at the upscale Fairmont Hotel, the most popular venue for ballroom dancing in San Francisco. There are so many fascinating stories surrounding this set, from who took the pictures used, why they chose the players they did in the set, and whether it is one set or two. Fun Stuff... - |
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Wanted one of these for a long time; recently stumbled across this one and snagged it. Because I searched for so long and because it has a small town, blue-collar feel, it immediately became my favorite card.
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I like these -- the W.W. Smith Post Card set. To my knowledge, there are only three in this set, which was issued for the 1909 World Series between the Pittsburgh and Detroit. There is a Wagner and Cobb/Wagner, both posted here, and a Cobb. The Wagner is a bit more common (7 SGC), compared to the the Cobb/Wagner (2 SGC and 1 PSA) and Cobb (1 SGC), but still quite obscure and rare, with only 11 total on the combined SGC/PSA pop reports
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T206's....GOUDEY's....LEAF's....etc. are all often found with missing colors. However, N162 cards are seldom
seen with missing colors. This Dunlap is missing the Blue and Pink ink. I find this quite interesting. https://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan...n162dunlap.jpg TED Z T206 Reference . |
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Here's another you don't see everyday, 1907 Winthrop Moving Postcard, basically it is one of the earliest flipbooks features baseball players. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c51ea12f_c.jpg |
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I will post a couple that intrigue me. I believe that they are post-vintage productions, but I always thought they were so different from normal run of the mill reprints that they deserve a little limelight.
Brian |
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https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...op%20Dixon.jpg |
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Here’s this one. It’s a 1910 Bresnahan Book Cover. Despite its age, the colors remain vibrant . I especially like this because it is a different pose from his Turkey Red and it came at a cheaper price. Otherwise, I don’t know much about this.
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I feel like I keep showing this photo in various threads but this is the obscure set that most intrigues me. I know that we all call them Colgan’s Square Proofs, but exactly how they were issued and by whom (with certainty) is a mystery.
My theory is that they were issued to retailers each week to affix to a poster to advertise players that could be found by buying Colgan’s Chips gum. They are blank backed and the paper is an odd stock, similar I feel to that of a poster. I have Wagner, Addie Joss, Hal Chase and Home Run Baker. Between the top TPG’s, pop reports are fairly low for this issue. |
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I have no clue about this Cooper card and have not seen it before, but what a great image and an awesome piece.
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1968 Atlantic Oil. There are 40 cards that are regular issue and ten cards that are prize-winners and extremely short-printed. Also a game piece that was redeemable instantly for a booklet of baseball records and stats. it is also a short print but only because so many of them were redeemed and destroyed. The ten cash-money cards (banks, davis, osteen, agee, etchebarren, fairly, freehan, mccraw, williams, wilson) are rarely seen and since some were for more money than others (Osteen was a buck), there are degrees of SP, but all ten are flat-out rare. Condition is also a challenge on these cards because they came two to a packet and were glued around the edges. Finding one without glue damage and/or hairline creases from being twisted to open the packet is also difficult.
Here is a common with typical glue damage: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Clemente.jpg Here is a common card in high grade: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20PSA%206.jpg Here is the SP redemption card: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ard%20Card.jpg These are prize-winner SSPs: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...A%203%20MK.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...c%20Wilson.jpg This is not a prizewinner but it is an SP. Swoboda was supposed to be part of a $10 match; this variation has him part of a $5 match. https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...5%20dollar.jpg |
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Not sure if this would be considered obscure, but I don't see them very often. One of my favorite prewar cards because it looks so similar to the t206 Wagner. Portrait image and similar background, but reasonably affordable, especially by comparison. The ship has sailed on the possibility of owning a t206, so this will have to do.
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Rittenhouse is not a very popular set among collectors as folks typically aren't drawn to playing card sets. However, since I enjoy collecting color and back variations, I've been trying to collect all of the distinct letter variations from the Rittenhouse set using only Ruth cards.
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I spent over a decade on/off looking for a 1930 Baguer Chocolate - Cliff Heathcote for my collection because it's the earliest non-oversized card of his with a Cubs uniform that I know of (I may have missed others out of lack of knowledge).
Rare, but not valuable. I treasure it. Heathcote spent 9 years as a Cubs regular+part time player...good fielder and hitter. |
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This one interests me bc so far I can't find anyone who knows what it is.
Previous thread asking for thoughts: https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...ghlight=mostil . |
Awesome Rittenhouse cards Gary!!!
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Many thanks to James for posting the article from the paper regarding the Cooper card I posted. Interesting indeed because it is the exact photo. I think my only recourse is off to PSA for auto authentication and card identification.
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Diamond Dust Punchboard cards. Basically, they were issued inside gambling devices as tickets. The trick is that there is only one punchboard that actually has the cards in it. The myriad other DDPBs do not have cards. The cards were accordion folded into the slots and punched out with a metal rod. Of the 37 total cards slabbed by PSA and SGC, only three have gotten numerical grades because it was routine to trim off the borders.
The Averill is the nicest known card: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Averill.jpg Joe D is typical of the trimmed cards: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20DiMaggio.jpg The images are drawn from the Salutations Exhibit cards. https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...e/DiMaggio.jpg |
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Self-explanatory.
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Another card that I believe is a fantasy piece, but just strange that it has different artwork that I have not seen in any other examples except for a Hoyt card (no saved image). I have had this card for at least a dozen years. Here is a link to a previous thread about it, which itself contains a link to a thread about ten years previous. One more chained link and I will have created a fence.
https://net54baseball.com/showthread...ighlight=adams Brian |
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The image on the Howard Photo Mays is Willie's best imo. The first time I had seen one of these I was hooked
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Here are a few rare ones from the 1969 Rawlings promo set. I remember getting these at a sporting goods store in Canoga Park CA when my mom took me to get new cleats for Pop Warner football. There are a few known cards of Brooks Robinson and Reggie Jackson as well as these three. I find it odd that something that was issued in my lifetime is so little known.
Attachment 518932 Attachment 518933 |
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1886 Hancock Clothing Phil Tomney. In the mid-1990s the first and only three cards from this set were discovered. The three cards represent three different players making each a unique specimen. The three players are from the Syracuse Stars, an International League team from the period. These cards represent the first minor league card set and the first card set of any kind to put player information on the back. Along with Goodwin’s N167s they can also be called the first baseball card set of any kind. They are also arguably the rarest type cards in existence.
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I've never seen the Rawlings cards before; very interesting.
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This is an obscure 1952 Chicago White Sox team issue photo
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As I pondered the OP, my mind went back to this elegant card / photo.
This is an obscure 1952 Chicago White Sox team issue photo. It is printed on nice cardstock. Gorgeous color, with several fondly remembered stars of the resurgent White Sox--Minnie Minoso, Nellie Fox, Bill Pierce, and Eddie Robinson. I love the background scenery, the lush grass and particularly the familiar slanted Comiskey Park openings. All in all, saturated with ambiance. I do recall in the late 1960s during August - September, WGN Channel 9 announcer Jack Brickhouse would tell his viewers that the official team photo of the Chicago Cubs was now available. Just send a dollar or two to WGN, etc. Back in 1952, I believe Channel 9 broadcast the White Sox games as well. That's my theory as to the original issuer, at least. Anyways, I was at a show in the early 1970s when I came across this beautiful relic. I did not deliberate much more then a few seconds. I've kept it in a special notebook having large acetate pages ever since I bought it. Sorry about the glare in the center; we did the best we could. Thanks for listening. --- Brian Powell |
unusual
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leader cleaners
the real yoo hoo with tab the only known venezuelan tattoo the only known gold mine |
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Amazing Tomney card there. If you don't mind me asking you who are the other two players with a card? |
Dick Buckley and Doug Crothers are the other two players in the Hancock set. Buckley, like Tomney, played in the majors.
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Universal Toy & Novelty Surprise Box
Surprise! If you were a particularly lucky kid in the early 1920s you might have found one of these in your life:
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Box%201.JPG https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...prise%2013.jpg Open the box and look inside: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...prise%2017.jpg Yep, baseball and boxing cards. Not my stuff, just some illustrative images. More pics: https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...-Alexander.jpg Ruth-Johnson-Sisler-Alexander https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Kilbane.jpg Two guys I haven't ID'd yet (top row) and Johnny Kilbane and Benny Leonard (bottom row). There were some nonsports cards too but, frankly, who cares, you know? |
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Back-story, for me; keeps me passionate about collecting Pre-War stuff. Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
No, it does not have the big name(s) people are looking for;
my passion wants to identify the members of this American team which toured Venezuela; acknowledged by the cigarrillo company as, "players of York". I view our hobby from a different angle, lol. https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=33415 Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
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https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...201%20copy.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...a%20Vargas.jpg That bottom one is Telelo Vargas By 1927, when Vargas was 21, scouts from the United States and the Dominican Republic had noticed him. Vargas was Black, however, and he became a member of the Negro leagues' famed New York Cubans. Meanwhile, at home, he was signed by the Leones del Escogido, one of the four original Dominican Republic winter baseball league teams that remain in competition. Vargas gained recognition around the Caribbean and in New York City, establishing a Negro league record by hitting home runs in seven consecutive at bats. In 1932, Vargas went to play in Venezuela, where he became a star and remained until 1938, when the New York Cubans re-signed him. In 1940, Vargas played in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He eventually became an established resident of Puerto Rico. Vargas was once again signed by the New York Cubans from 1941 to 1944, his last year as an active player in the Negro leagues. Meanwhile, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Vargas established himself as an All-Star, playing in the Puerto Rican All-Star game multiple times during the 1940s. At the time, a series of different sports competitions preceded the All-Star game in Puerto Rico, all of them involving baseball players and for the All-Star game's public's enjoyment. Vargas, who won various stolen base titles through his career, won a number of sprint races as an All-Star player in Puerto Rico. He went on to play with the Guayama Witches and the Santurce Crabbers before heading to the Mexican Pacific Winter League in 1952. Vargas, in the twilight of his career, returned to the Dominican Republic's winter league also in 1952, this time with the Estrellas Orientales team. At the age of 46, he led the Dominican Republic league with a batting average of .350. Vargas retired from baseball in 1953, after having played 27 seasons in five countries. The stadium in San Pedro de Macorís, home of the Estrellas Orientales team, is named in his honor. Vargas holds the major league record for best batting average in a single season. He hit .471 while playing for the New York Cubans in the Negro National League in 1943. Apart from hitting .350 in 1952 in the Dominican Republic's winter league, Vargas also led the Puerto Rican winter league in batting average three times, hitting .410 in 1943, and winning back to back titles in 1946 and 1947, when he hit .382 and .362, respectively. Vargas played a number of exhibition games against Major League Baseball's New York Yankees, averaging .500 against Yankees pitchers. |
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Ever since I was a kid and watched the movie, The Winning Team staring Ronald Reagan as Grover Cleveland Alexander, I have been intrigued by the House of David baseball team. Now, I can't look at them without thinking Duck Dynasty of the diamond. I still dig the postcards, though.
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Christy
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Same image as 1909 M101-2 Supplement, but different caption. Never seen another example.
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Martin Family Night set. Like them because my favorite team and player Brooks Robinson are represented. I also like the fact of the rarity and mystery behind how they were given out.
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Clint, I've never seen those before and I like them! If you're ever interested in letting one go, please let me know.
Paul paul.stewart@knobbe.com |
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Brian (having a bit of fun with research) |
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Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
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Brian yes there were a few Martin Day games over the years. With only 3-4 sets known I’m guessing they were given away as prizes. I have a score card from the 1966 game. |
Those are fun. I love to see stuff associated with a single game or event.
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...e%20Rivers.jpg For my oddball set of the day, 1960 MacGregor Advisory cards. These are 4 x 5 halftone prints on card stock. Some nice images. https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ry%20Aaron.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Robinson.jpeg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Skowron.jpg https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Kluszewski.jpg |
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https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=33433 Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
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I'm not sure how I missed this thread when Adam originally started it, there are some fantastic items posted, thanks to all of you who did. My favorite has to be the Christy image. Doug |
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Fun thread idea. Mine is definitely the 1958 Menko Doyusha JCM30a Jackie Robinson card. It's my holy grail card, and one that I was fortunate to have been able to track down earlier this year on my birthday. My copy is shown below.
Why do I like it? For one, I just love the look of the card. It's sized like a T card, but has the color and pop feel of an Andy Warhol art piece. It has a very bright and bold almost neon magenta background to it. I love the back as well. Just a classic piece of art overall. It's a stunning card in hand. In addition to how it looks, it's also a really cool historical piece. Throughout the entirety of Jackie's career, there was enormous tension between the US and Japan in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack and our retaliations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what most fans don't know is that in 1956, after the conclusion of the World Series, Jackie and the Brooklyn Dodgers (sans Koufax) traveled to Japan to play a 19-game exhibition series against Japanese players and teams in an effort to bring the two nations closer together and forge bonds of peace. They were invited by Matsutaro Shoriki, the "father of Japanese baseball", who was the man responsible for Babe Ruth's famous Japanese tour in 1934. 1956 was also the year that Jackie Robinson retired. His final game in a Dodgers uniform was played in this series, on Tokyo soil, and his last hit was a HR that erupted the crowd. Cool story, but why he has a Japanese Menko card is a bit of a mystery. The Kanji on this card reads, "Roberto Chico Barbon". At the time this card was produced, in 1958, Barbon was the only black player in Japanese baseball, and as indicated on the card, he wore #8 for the Hankyu Braves. But instead of picturing Barbon, the card features Jackie Robinson. It is assumed to be an error card that was likely pulled from production, although an actual "Chico" Barbon replacement card was never made. It is by far Jackie's rarest card, as there are only 5 copies known to exist: 4 on the PSA pop report, and 1 on SGC. Perhaps there are more that will surface in the future though, as they command steep prices whenever one hits the market. Sean, from Victory Investments, made a great documentary about this card last year. It's worth checking out if you're interested: https://youtu.be/VBDvF_dD5BU |
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Cool thread. I like this one because he looks like Dracula
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No explanation necessary this one, as to why I find it interesting. |
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I wonder if this gave Goudey Gum the idea for the Heads-Up '38 cartoons...?
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I find the 1935 Schutter Johnsons to be quite interesting. The set numbers 50.
Most cards have a total PSA POP between 10 to 20. I have 10 grandsons and great grandsons playing baseball from Tball to JV and I'm hoping the instructional tips will get them interested in collecting BB cards. |
Lou Gertenrich was a pretty good Chicago area ball player; he was also pressured to keep his family's confectionary business afloat during an era of tremendous competition; over 1000 candy companies in the Chicago area alone. I find it cool that the ad back actually depicts Gertenrich; Del Pratt is the MLB ball player on the front.
I had to have this puppy; as I am born/raised/live in the Chi area. Local Candy Company history is also of interest. https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=35872 https://www.net54baseball.com/pictur...ictureid=35871 Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
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Nice Gerty Ben.
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Thanks Phil. My druthers woulda been Hank Gowdy; I have a dive project on him. Can notta be picky with Gerty! Ben "I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards." |
unusual
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Olympic Gold medalist and the Father of Surfing as we know it......
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