January Pickups
 

Happy 2014 everyone!

I am not sure where this 5 x 7 Jackie Robinson piece came from. Probably some kind of picture pack.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0publicity.jpg

Happy New Year, Adam!

Nice way to kick off 2014! You can never go wrong with Jackie.

Beauty Banks
Drew

1955 Topps
 

Picked up 4 more 1955 Topps cards, and upgraded my Koufax RC. Down to only ONE MORE CARD! Can't wait...and of course I saved the Clemente RC for last. Here are the 4 new cards added -

http://i.imgur.com/g6IebBm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hlb3A4X.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9RXATMG.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xvwjcDs.jpg


Here is my new Koufax -

http://i.imgur.com/GfPdjWd.jpg


Love the 55s!! I think the Rizzuto card may be the coolest card in the set. LOVE the pose. Being a Killebrew fan, I probably have to go with that card though..iconic for me...

January Pickups
 

My first acquisition of 2014.

Attachment 127478

Bob C

That Sandy is awesome. What centering! I'm more blown away by a find and acquisition like that than winning a 9 at auction. Great score!

That Koufax is my kinda vintage. Great centering without a care about the rounded corners. Eye appeal for days.

Not scanned yet. Pretty nice jackson off Ebay
Attachment 127545

Nice Dave! Though that's a little more pre-war. :p

John, those '55 Topps cards are great. Definitely one of my favorite Topps sets. Congrats on getting close to your goal. All you lack now is my favorite card from the set!! :p

It's funny, a month ago, I had no idea who Jackie Jensen was. I made a point to start reading about him. Can't believe he pretty much gave up his career because of a fear of flying.

Greg-My dad was a huge Cubs fan growing up, so naturally, even though I'm a Brewers fan, I can't root against the Cubbies. I developed a soft spot for them. Ernie was such a great player, and he's a true class act. And he has a very genuine love for the game, much like me. I used to say "let's play two" when I was a kid on the diamond, and nobody else knew what I was referencing. So, I of course taught them.

Bob, you know I don't think I've ever seen a Bazooka gum card before. That's a nice card you've got there.

What a 1-2 punch the Dodgers had back then with Koufax and Drysdale. And if Sandy could have held out for just a little longer, the Dodgers would have had a 1-4 punch of Koufax, Drysdale, Don Sutton and Claude Osteen. :eek:

Nice pickups guys, I love the 55 set as well. I've often thought about doing it myself.

Bladow! Centered, tiltless ryan sighting!
 

Thanks to a mutual buddy of mine and Miller's, I was able to obtain this freakishly centered Ryan RC.

The eye appeal on this one, without the usual downward-right sloping horizontal tilt, blew me away. I have just never seen one so even. (In my scan, the left inner edge of the holder obscures the card's left edge just a sliver.)

Add in a clean image, and spot-free Mets circle, and I'm way over the moon about this card!

Also got the Ruth some new plastic clothes for 2014...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ryankoosman-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-babe-ruth-rc

Nice pick up John. Like you, I am a HUGE Killebrew fan but the Rizzuto card is very cool.

And Matty, nice Ryan. Poor Jerry Koosman, he gets no love.

Thanks for the kind words! Hopefully it won't take long to finish, getting the Clemente RC is a childhood dream (like I ever thought as a 12 year old I would have the 54-55 Topps sets?).

Stache...I have read I think ALL the Mickey Mantle books and Jensen was mentioned often, what a stud player. There are a few studs from that era that are now kind of forgotten...Jackie Jensen, Al Rosen, Wally Moon, Ted Kluszewski, Dick Groat...to name a few...imagine the contracts these guys would get today with the results they had back then? They made for some cool cards...


Here is my latest...I have a quest for an all SGC 7 or above Killebrew Collection. Nice tight Killer -

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1974-Topps-Ha...Sk-zJ/$_57.JPG


When I complete this I will have 5 different "collections" of Killer cards with some sort of theme...haha...obsession is part of our hobby, correct?

Matt...unreal cards...WOW!!

Great start to 2014, everyone!


http://www.huntington-rogers.com/img...test_busby.jpg

Ted Kluszewski especially was just a monster. That guy had some major guns on him.

And Wally Moon? Let's just say I've had nightmares about his unibrow. :p

Great stuff guys, Matt I have to give you the nod on that Ryan rookie - Awesome card! After Bill's reference to Ted's guns I have to show this card, not a January pickup, but still a cool shot of Teddy K showing off!

That Ted K card has always been a favorite of mine. Dude had pipes.

Loving how the Post War side here of Net 54 has been LIVE lately!

Now I gotta share this card on which I just closed the deal moments ago. I am pretty flabbergasted by this one-- as much as I was by the recent Nolan Ryan I came across above. As a centering and eye appeal guy, these two cards have me tripping!

I scoured 7s, 8s, even some 9s of this card-- and I was astounded by how TOUGH it is to find one centered like this. I have seen two 7s, two 7.5s, and two 8s that can hang with this centering...but when factoring in how much more those examples cost, I leaped at the value.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...emente-psa-6.5

Really nice Clemente.

Great card Matt. I have found that with just a little patience you can find 6's and 6.5's with all the eye appeal of the higher grades. For a non-registry guy this is the way to go.

Nice Clemente RC there MattyC
I been looking around for months for a decent low end-maybe a 3-5 becasue of cost...they are very hard to find centered like yours. most are O/C i seen. in fact, i almost forgivably gave up, and helping another board member with his search for one
NICE WORK MATTY C!!!

Attachment 127920

Big surprise, another 1972 for me. This is by far the best centered Bench IA I have ever seen. Normally the best you can hope for is just a hair of white space on the left side of the card. This one is just simply phenomenal!!!!

January Pickups
 

Nothing crazy but recent cheap auction winnings. Couldn't pass on graded cards for $2-3 even if they aren't worth much more.



http://i.imgur.com/dSU2wQH.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/WRSGnnc.jpg

Some pretty centered and sharp looking 7s up there.

The latest-- a cleaner scan shall replace this one when Ted is in hand. What drew me to this specific example is the square top cut; so many examples of this card have a sloping cut, that prevents the card from sitting flush in the bottom of the holder.

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

Matt, you are a maniac. You have been on a serious tear lately. Great Ted.

Likely the last card I will be picking up for several months. Pleased to add it to the collection though.

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2ebf4097.jpg

I have always loved that Mantle piece. Awesome pickup! He looks like a total rock star in that photo.

Mailman just came! This Mays might be one of my best values, in terms of eye appeal for the dollar. Centering goes a long way with the design of 51 Bowmans...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...willie-mays-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-nolan-ryan

Bench
 

Bench...

Wow
 

There are some great additions so far this month.

Matty, That Ryan used to be my card. I sold it to our mutual friend. Glad it found a good home. Its nice, I still scratch my head why I sold it, but I wasnt anticipating cards sky rocketing like they have over the last year.

Beautfiul Teddy Ballgame, Mays, Clemente and 69 Ryan.

I love the 74 Killer as well. I just like looking at ball cards, I am happy for all you guys. Its hard to include everyone in the kudos if your not able to get on everyday.

I will not be incredibly active this year as I purchased a major percentage of the business that I co-owned with a couple other gentleman, so my extra cash this year will be a little more tight than it has in the past. I did add this card, thanks to a seller willing to be flexible on his price, and some EBAY bucks.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...enderson-psa-9

That is a gorgeous Rickey. I need to get myself one of those. I think I was much safer collecting 80s Star Basketball and Jordan. I think getting into postwar baseball is going to be far more costly.

Matt, That 69 Ryan is awesome. That is far and away my favorite Ryan card. the colors are just stunning.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is that Mantle posted a few back? What an awesome card. I have to catch up to big brother and get my topps/bowman run going but some of the lesser known Mantles are really beautiful.

Great stuff everyone!

Crispy Rickey, there, Miller!

I knew that was you who originated the Ryan RC-- I told Dave I could not believe it somehow escaped the gravity of your beautiful collection, with that centering! It absolutely blew away all the 8.5s I've looked at including the one I had owned.

Congrats on the business move as well; hope it turns out huge for you, then you upgrade your Mantle RC and sell me your current one ;)

Assuming your talking about BestDj777 post.
It is a 59 Oklahoma Today
they were handcut/ insert from the magazine.
Here is mine i ***sold*** recently:

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1959-Oklahoma...BSw0tz/$_3.JPG

That OK Today piece is just such a simple design, and so attractive due to that simplicity. The layout, the font, it's just perfect. Cool card.

Thanks for posting that information about the Today piece, I was getting ready to ask the same question when you answered it.

The Duke of Flatbush
 

Great pickups all!! I snagged the '52 of my dad's all time favorite player..

NO DOUBT!

Love the Williams...man, I really want that card one day.

Keep the new cards coming! I had 16 yellow envelopes show up in the mail today...felt like Christmas...haha...mostly 67 Topps commons but I LOVE a good mail day!

It took a bit to find one with nice centering and bright colors, but I got lucky with this Rose.
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=13959

Thanks Matt. Yea, there is just something about the piece. In my eyes, the Oklahoma Today Mantle probably ranks in the top 5 Mantles as far as aesthetics go.

Guys, I may be sick with card addiction-- intervention may be in order.

If I knew the cure, my wallet would be full and my safe would be empty.

Haha...I resemble that remark!

January Pickups
 

Just a nice '53 Topps 1st series common.

I know this is past 1980, but...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-don-mattingly

Reasonable buy it now so could not pass it up.
http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6dae68ca.jpg

Matty beat me to it but still trying to go for the Mantle base run. Found this 57 Topps on eBay and it was perfect for me. I am not focusing on grades or registry, just solid eye appeal. The color and centering on this one blew me away, enough so that I could overlook the creases.

After adding the 51 Bowman, my set is on a tight budget so this was as a great bargain add.

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5e24072c.jpg

These all came in over the last few weeks.

Great card, Greg. I saw that on ebay and was very tempted to buy it myself!

I have heard the 69 Brock is a beast to find in good condition-- I think 69s in general are just a brutal set in that regard. Maybe card for card one of the toughest sets with tilt and centering issues.

Very nice, guys... from Ian's Duke to Matt's Henderson to Jason's Rose RC to Greg's new Mantle to the slew of cardboard Matt C has been picking up and everything in between... WOW! (lovin' that Clemente rookie, Matt!)

It's all good, fellas, ALL good!

Ok, last pick up for January. Saw this one on ebay and had to have it. Hits the eye so much better than the grade.

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/...ps67b29943.jpg

That's a gorgeous card. Gotta love the TPG game when it makes a card like that an affordable "3"!

I'm sorry to be drooling all over your Clemente rookie, Matt, but I can't help it. My God, that is one gorgeous card. The centering is just killer. You have such a great eye.

You guys just kill me. Beautiful cards, everybody. I'm seriously chomping at the bit right now. I've got an itch I can't scratch right now.

My First Barn Find!
 

I found the card below in a stack of 1950's cards that I rescued at a garage sale this weekend for $.50 each. They were just sitting on a pile on a table. Quite excited.


Attachment 128597


Unfortunately, no Mantles in the pile...

Nice Pafko find!

Man you Cirulnick brothers are tearing it up. That 54 Mantle is something else. I am not sure whats going on to give it that 3, but that card looks ALOT better than that. Congrats.

Thanks. Matt pulled me over from basketball and got me refocused on my Mantles and 80s baseball. Its much more fun on this side I must admit. The 54 is on route to me and I'll post some larger scans when it arrives. Unless there is some creasing I'm not seeing I can't see why its a 3. Gotta love when TPG helps you land a beauty for a great price.

Loving all these... i been hunting for some furniture for the house and unable to buy cards at the moment. In fact, going have to buy a new vacuum cleaner today.
Some things just have to wait...and when i do find a opportunity..You all know i pounce on it.
I am so much in love with that Clemente...i will keep searching for some nice low end ones or the Mays Bowman RC, which i desire.
The other day, i took time looking at Pafkos as well...doesnt matter which back (seems red get more value) One day i find a nice one to give to my brother.

Got these 3 in the mail today. The center card in the first pic is to compare the other 2 to. The top card is an awesome missing yellow 75 Topps #204 Frank Robinson/Roberto Clemente. The bottom card 75 Topps #200 Mickey Mantle/Maury Wills was printed with very low yellow ink. The other is a cool Nolan Ryan miscut.

my grail
 

Been looking for one for a couple years.. and being far more a "corners guy" than a "centering guy", this one was perfect for me... especially it's clean image and blue background. I'm floating right now.. but should probably take a break for bit.

Nice pickup Ian. Congrats!

Ben, Congrats on the 75's, the most addicting cards EVER! I love those cards.

Ian, Great Mantle, Congrats to you.

Ian :eek::eek::eek:

Simply Beautifull ! The color are so bright and crisp... sharp corner.. beautifulllllll card !!!

congrat

Awesome misprint/miscut collection! Brock fan??

Picked up in last night's JVSC Auction. Currently at 28% of the set in all SGC 7 or better.

http://www.jvscauctions.com/ItemImag...G_1134_lg.jpeg

Ian that is gorgous Mantle RC, despite being O/C and the top right corner..I wonder if it re-subbed with a qualifer..it get a 6. The colors are amazing and no visible wrinkles.
WOW!!
FYI...theres a really nice 6 coming up in Heritage...in case you wanna bump up.

David, terrific Ernie!! He is one of my favorites!!

A little..... :-)

see the thread " A year of Lou Brock"......

Any 52T 311 addition is a momentous event for a collector!

56 is my favorite set of that decade on sheer design, color, images. Well centered Ernie; a whole set with that eye appeal is a huge achievement!

Still shopping
 

I need help...............

[IMG]http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-brock-psa-8[/IMG]

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-murray-psa-9

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...emente-psa-8.5

Help how? Meaning you need someone to hold some of your cards for you? Okay, I'll take care of your Seaver and 71 Ryan.

Just got these today thanks to Tony.When I sold my
first collection 25+ years ago,I always regretted not
keeping my '56 Williams.Glad to add one to my current
collection.

Nice cards Steve. I LOVE the 1958 Topps Sport Magazine All - Star cards, they are my favorite subset of all Topps issues.

The Mick
 

Thanks guys... #311 is definitely my biggest ever pickup, and will probably remain so for a long while.

Funny, when I do ridiculous things like prop it up on the kitchen counter while cooking, I barely notice the centering. Like said, am still floating:D:D

David- love the Banks.. That's actually the first vintage HOFer I obtained, albeit in far worse condition.

A quick story...
 

So I started collecting baseball cards in the late '70's mostly by buying packs each year. My first card show was probably in the mid-1980's and it was a small Sheraton Hotel-type show...I get chills just thinking about it now. That said, my collection really only encompassed the years I bought packs. Neighbors two houses over from us had three kids (two boys and a girl) and the oldest - Michael - had a few baseball cards lying around that one day he decided he wanted to get rid of, so he gave them to me. He was in his early twentys at the time and I couldn't have been more than 13 or 14. One of the cards - the only card I remember - was a 1964 Topps Mantle. I have no idea what condition the card was in...all I remember was that stance...and those arms. They were the largest arms I'd ever seen on a baseball player and though I never saw him play, I knew Mantle was baseball royalty.
Anyway, I made a huge deal about his "gift" and said many thank you's and went home to show my parents my new cards...I also went to my old price guide and saw that the Mick was worth quite a few bucks...certainly the most expensive card in my collection!
Well...Mike had some remorse about the gift and made a pretty big deal about the card and wanting it back...so I guess I did the right thing at the time and gave the card back. It bothered me for a long time and my friendship with Mike cooled from that moment on. For over 25 years, I've wanted to replace that first vintage card in my collection...and with jjcollects' help, I have...

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

Banks
 

This is really it for a while! Banks are tough to see in scans, but this thing is dead nuts centered all the way around. So stoked to add this card!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-banks-psa-7.5

Always loved that card; something so pleasing to the eye, the colors, the Cubs logo... And that particular specimen is what I am all about as a collector. That kind of centering makes a 1954 Topps card really stand out from its brethren: when the three white borders are all the same exact size. Great eye selecting that card, Miller!

SERIOUSLY GUYS, this section is jumping off in 2014 hotter than the Pre War side! One of the best card/forum experiences I've seen.

You guys gotta see the nice Mantle Rc in 'Love of the game" auctions..
It is outstanding!!!
It is the best 2 i have seen in a long time!!
If i was a betting man..i can see this one fetching 6k+


As for that Mr. Banks....totally first class....i wish i could find a nice one to go with my Hank Aaron RC (which is the same year)

That Banks rookie is one of my favorite cards in the hobby! I love his youthful look. Those white 54s just look great! Someday....

Ok, most of this stuff was actually purchased in December, but I am just now getting it scanned and on here. You guys have inspired me! In addition, to these, I was very fortunate to pick up several other ungraded '57 Topps stars and many '59 Topps stars in solid mid-grade, pretty well centered. The '41s are the outliers of my collection. At heart, I am a 50s Topps guy (though those '53 Bowman Colors are looking better all the time), but I have always loved the '41 Play Ball set. I am 10 cards from completion...including Joe D. I bought a partial set of 60 back in late November, and I am paying on the layaway. Some of the '41s I have scanned here are from that layaway that I have already brought home, and some I have picked up outside of that layaway. I hope to bring the rest home late next month. Right now, some are in screwdowns, some in slabs, and some are in top loaders. Eventually, all will be in top loaders in 4 pocket Ultra Pro pages in a binder. The sleeves and screwdowns really obscure the images, but you get the idea. And that Drysdale's print quality is not that bad...

Wow! Thread still delivers! :)

And that's a fantastic childhood story about the Mantle card, Matt!

Very cool story Matt.