1954 All Star Photo pack questions

[whiteymet]

I still think it is strange that Bob Lemke listed Avila, Garcia and Eddie Robinson as being in the 17 card set in the 2004 SCD Standard Catalog.

Wonder where he got that info?

[sb1]

They may very well be, that would bring it to an even 24... Bob was usually fairly thorough to confirm things he put on a checklist.

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by sb1

They may very well be, that would bring it to an even 24... Bob was usually fairly thorough to confirm things he put on a checklist.

Originally Posted by whiteymet

I still think it is strange that Bob Lemke listed Avila, Garcia and Eddie Robinson as being in the 17 card set in the 2004 SCD Standard Catalog. Wonder where he got that info?

Again, in my 2008 catalog (the latest that I have), there are 24 listed included those Cleveland players. Agreed, Bob was fairly thorough, but I often find updates entered into his old blog, or an article here or there in SCD or other magazines in which he updated his checklists or made corrections.

We may not have the answer until someone finds an unopened pack of 1954 All Star photos. But I guess one has to be willing to then open it. I picked up what I believe to be an unopened 1948 Cleveland Photo Pack earlier this year, so there's a chance some untampered/unopened envelopes containing the 1954 All Stars still exist in the wild!

[sb1]

There is also the possibility that the ones included in a "complete pack" varied as the year progressed, that is certainly true of team issued photo packs as players were traded or a new star emerged. So perhaps the 54's were the same way.

[sb1]

So, a 1954 photo pack just sold on ebay and included 23 different, oddly no Jackie Robinson(perhaps it was pulled out decades ago) as the pack had been in storage since the 1980's, but that seems unlikely that someone pulled it out back then. Anyway it contained:

Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Al Dark, Billy Martin, Jerry Lumpe, Gerry Coleman, Bob Turley, Robin Roberts, Gil Mcdougald, Johnny Kucks, Elston Howard, Eddie Robinson, Ray Boone, Ted Kluszewski, Al Schoendienst, Yogi Berra, Andy Carey, Joe Collins, Duke Snider, Don Newcombe and Ed Mathews.

Several of these are new names(in bold) to the list above, however several of them are Yankees and appear to be slightly larger, so they may be the 1956 Yankees mixed in with the 54 All-Stars???

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11590157341...rue&nordt=true

Probably raises more questions than answers.

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by sb1

So, a 1954 photo pack just sold on ebay and included 23 different, oddly no Jackie Robinson(perhaps it was pulled out decades ago) as the pack had been in storage since the 1980's, but that seems unlikely that someone pulled it out back then. Anyway it contained:
Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Ernie Banks, Al Dark, Billy Martin, Jerry Lumpe, Gerry Coleman, Bob Turley, Robin Roberts, Gil Mcdougald, Johnny Kucks, Elston Howard, Eddie Robinson, Ray Boone, Ted Kluszewski, Al Schoendienst, Yogi Berra, Andy Carey, Joe Collins, Duke Snider, Don Newcombe and Ed Mathews.
Several of these are new names(in bold) to the list above, however several of them are Yankees and appear to be slightly larger, so they may be the 1956 Yankees mixed in with the 54 All-Stars???
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11590157341...rue&nordt=trueProbably raises more questions than answers.

No, I think the images give more answers than raise more questions. Based on his records to the midpoints of the seasons in 1953 and 1954 there is no way that Bob Turley would have been considered an all-star worthy of inclusion in the 1954 All-star set. Likewise, Banks' stats wouldn't merit inclusion either. Moreover, all of the 18 in my photo pack have the names in the same place: Lower right hand corner. The Banks and I believe all the others not mentioned in my earlier post do not have the names in the white box in the lower right hand corner. I believe they are from another issue, and maybe a couple of other issues.

[sb1]

I suspect the use of the "All-Star" moniker might have been loosely applied. Hard to say for sure why these regional stars might have been included??

I can say for certain, no 1950's Chicago Cubs Team issue photos have the players name in a white box like the Banks. I am pretty comfortable including the players with the box located in different locations as part of this issue.

I guess the only way we would know for sure is if one were to locate an opened or confirmed untouched pack. I do know that one sizeable group that I obtained with an envelope, touted as being original did have a Banks in the group.

We may never know, especially since they did print the names of the players on the envelope, just the teams.