Observations while hunting for a Ryan rookie....

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

We are all just primates and we naturally are drawn to the alpha males. In all sports that manifests in the allure of physical power. The 500 foot home run, the slam dunk, a slapshot goal, a knockout. All of the 'overrated' athletes have power in common. My favorite basketball player is Wilt Chamberlain. He holds most of the scoring records in the NBA and is the greatest force of all time by a staggering margin. First in career rebounding % (him and Russell are 25% better than the next leaders). Led the league in Win Shares 8 straight years and is #2 alltime (Russell is 20th). #2 alltime in scoring %. He's Goliath come to life. We had a big debate on the boxing page over Tyson. There are probably 8-10 heavyweights with better resumes than Tyson (he lost to two guys who are better than him by all objective measures, Holyfield and Lewis) yet his card valuations are second to Ali. It's the power. All the collectors who came of age during his reign remember the savage KOs (against mostly tomato cans, but that doesn't seem to bother them). Joe Louis, who was a much better fighter (Louis and Ali are neck and neck for GOAT), is far behind Ali and Tyson in collecting terms. One of the iconic postwar cards is Jim Brown's RC. He was the personification of a smashmouth fullback who led the league in rushing every year of his career except one and still is the alltime record holder for yards per game. At his best he just ran through defenders. There are objectively better backs but none with the aura he has.

When he was on Ryan was the most dominant pitcher I ever saw. I watched him throw a complete game shutout (one of 61 he had) and never saw a pitcher make an entire team look amateurish like that. That ability to dominate your foe is manna to our monkey-minds and makes legends.

I still need the damn rookie card.

Well said and I agree 100%. That's why we also like Mickey and Sandy. Power. Even though Mick struck out a gazillion times and Sandy took a few seasons to learn how to pitch. You came out to the park to see them perform more than all the other players on the field put together. The same for Bo Jackson.

We dig the long ball - and the strikout and knockout. More so than the stolen base, double play or winning a fight on points.

[deweyinthehall]

Public Service Announcement - for any of you looking for 1968's #177, look no further...and the item description even highlights the fact the card has "no flaws" - get it quick before I decide to take the plunge!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35383242941...QAAOSwC29hxWnC

[butchie_t]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Public Service Announcement - for any of you looking for 1968's #177, look no further...and the item description even highlights the fact the card has "no flaws" - get it quick before I decide to take the plunge!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35383242941...QAAOSwC29hxWnC

huuuuboy, Facepalm on isle eBay....

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Public Service Announcement - for any of you looking for 1968's #177, look no further...and the item description even highlights the fact the card has "no flaws" - get it quick before I decide to take the plunge!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35383242941...QAAOSwC29hxWnC

In a tux, no less.

I'm surprised the seller didn't mention SGC.

[deweyinthehall]

Looking at this now and thinking about it - good dealer whom I've bought from before. Do we think there is any chance this is a Milton Bradley version because of the yellow-looking back?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13397296476...53.m1438.l2649

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Looking at this now and thinking about it - good dealer whom I've bought from before. Do we think there is any chance this is a Milton Bradley version because of the yellow-looking back?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13397296476...53.m1438.l2649

I don't know if this is 100% foolproof but every genuine 1968 MB Ryan I've seen has a small splotch of black ink in the T of Stars. That card doesn't have it.

[deweyinthehall]

Originally Posted by Jim65

I don't know if this is 100% foolproof but every genuine 1968 MB Ryan I've seen has a small splotch of black ink in the T of Stars. That card doesn't have it.

Thanks - I've done a quick ebay and google image check and this does seem to be a consistent feature. It's the first time I've heard of it - usually its the white line on the front and yellow coloring on the back. Wondering if anyone else on these boards has information as to whether or not this might be 100% foolproof?

[tschock]

Originally Posted by deweyinthehall

Thanks - I've done a quick ebay and google image check and this does seem to be a consistent feature. It's the first time I've heard of it - usually its the white line on the front and yellow coloring on the back. Wondering if anyone else on these boards has information as to whether or not this might be 100% foolproof?

Not sure if it's 100% foolproof, but both MB Ryan's I have have the black blotch inside the T (near the base), and first I've heard of it as well.

FWIW, you won't see the white line on well centered cards MB baseball cards. Likewise on well center '67 FB or hot rod cards, you won't see the burlap.

[horzverti]

Originally Posted by Jim65

I don't know if this is 100% foolproof but every genuine 1968 MB Ryan I've seen has a small splotch of black ink in the T of Stars. That card doesn't have it.

Hi Jim (and everyone else),

The black ink in the letter T is indeed a 100% sure tell that the card is a Milton Bradley. There are other indicators, but use this the one if you only have a front scan and it is a nearly perfectly centered Ryan RC. Of course, a regular issue 1968 Ryan could have a stray tiny black mark which just happened to land right in that exact spot, but those odds are long.