Aw Mike, don't get hung up on centering-itis. Don't get me wrong; I like dos guys, but they just so obsess over the frame that I feel sometimes they lose sight of the precious part of the card---the photograph.

Look pal, I cannot ever recall seeing a nicer picture of Mick on a '53 Topps than yours; the picture registry (painting registry ?*!) is a 10, as crisp and sharp as can be. You even have the dreaded bottom left corner with nothing to dread over; it's all red and all there. Hooray for you! Come on, if you so much as slit it to even up the borders, the red would probably chip off in chunks. You'd be bangin' your head against the wall in major self-recrimination.

Though I know you were just kiddin' about taking a razor to it to even up the borders, I couldn't resist setting the stage of doom.

It may be slightly off-center, but the card has everything else going for it to such an extent that were it centered, you'd of had to pay so much more for it it's not funny. And, somebody else probably would of beat ya to it. Or, the seller never would have offered it and kept it as a prized gem for himself.

Feel very good, bro. "Ya done good, Maynard."

Take care, Mike. Enjoy that great Mantle. It's a killer where it counts the most. I know, I'm repeating myself.:o It's 3:07 in the morning and I'm very tired. Time to shut up and get some shut-eye. --Brian Powell

Okay; I swear I am done for April. No more $. Next buys come at Heritage in May.

Always loved the pure smile on Hank in the 74. That's an expression seldom seen in the adult world. The card has such flavor, but it seems to surface either OC/tilted, or it's a MINT 9-- and man how I loathe paying for high grade! So seeing this one on an eBay cruise last night was a thrill.

The Banks was just hanging out on ebay with like 30 watchers, and the price was so right, there was the desired sliver of space above the name, with centering...it was only a matter of time before someone sacked up and hit the BIN! We've all had those listings where we like a card, watch it, really are a hair from pulling the trigger-- then one day you hop on eBay and it says 'ENDED.' Then we go, 'Man, what a schmuck I am. Why didn't I just hit the BIN?' I hate that feeling.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-ernie-banks

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-hank-aaron

Great pickups from baseball's greatest generation! Very rare to see that much white above Banks' name. Usually the cut of the card touches the lettering, from what I've seen.

And that Aaron to me is maybe the second most iconic Topps card behind 52 Mantle. The fact that perfectly presentable copies can be had under $20 makes me think it's one of the most underpriced as well.

I agree; I mean that crown they designed is so fresh-- they even put it on a tilt, which is a great stylistic touch.

I further agree with you on the economics of that card. Seems crazy (at least to me) to ever pay for a 10 or 9 of that card when a gorgeous 8,7,6, and below costs a mere fraction. So many cards like that in the hobby. I also liked a higher-grade Banks that was running well over 10x what this little one cost. I thought, 'No way does the more expensive one present $4k better than this little guy. I'll take the 3 and the cash for more cards, thanks!'

Nice EB there Matty. Mine is much like yours in a low grade too!
I too have HA circled in, actually got like over 30 items i am gonna watch- OMG!
Tons of pre-war stuff.
So there is need for me to sell some items really quick!
(Click my link in my signature for my BST items)

Let's keep the Hank theme going. Get ready for a GIANT purchase!! [emoji1]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...eb535c638f.jpg

Keeping the Aaron theme going, I just got these three variations that I didn't have - 1962 Braves Team (green tint), 1966 Braves Team (no dot between Place and National, and a unperforated 1964 Standup.

just finished up at 2 night run w/ widespread panic in columbia, to return to full mailbox...lil hungover and late to finish scanning, but here's a few

http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...9_original.jpg
http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...0_original.jpg
http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...5_original.jpg

I agree with you Brian, I do like the color on the Mantle. That's why I got it despite the centering.

Now in regards to:

Having the red come off isn't that much of a problem, is it? Isn't that what red magic markers are for? :eek:

Nothing substantial, but these two guys are centered better than 99.9% of the other Blues and Schaals produced that year…

Attachment 186838

Maybe it's opening month of season that has us all so active this month?

Never saw the Aaron Stand Up or big boy before. Cool cards.

Re: those 72s, I just love it when you look at hundreds of examples of a card on eBay, and they are all woefully OC, and then you find that diamond of centering in the rough!

Picked up this gem from itjclarke.

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...psvf5ptvsj.jpg

I think you've got it all figured out :)

Every time I study Musial's stats, I marvel and am grateful for how attainable his cards are. And he has some real beauties. Hope to add a few this year.

I thought you might like that.

Nice 2 card mailday

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b6...ps4it5dskb.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b6...pshn17jzl2.jpg

They announced the office closing this past Wednesday, so I could be on card probation for a while. So, I am glad I got the 56 set finished this week. Larsen came in the mail today. 34 HOFers in the set I have 33 of them graded. I will get Giles, just waiting for the right price.

This started in early August and I got a ton of help from Steve Wilk, Brian Horne and a few others. It has been a true labor of love and has overtaken 59 and 67 as my favorite. I have to upgrade Giles, Checklist 1/3, Tigers, Hodges, and Martin but it is solid all the way through

Larsen & Yankees rounded it out this week

love those 56's. beautiful!!

Just picked this lot up today as I needed a Kosher Coke Mantle bottle cap. I'll be selling the rest if anyone is interested. I believe they are all Kosher caps.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODM0WDE2MD...UnrRt/$_57.JPG

ok, absolutely thrilled with both of these pick ups. both, imo, blow the label away and the exact kinda cards i aim for. the 53 is kinda a whale for me with the centering and solid bottom left corner. i have literally spent years looking for one i'd be happy with. no creases or surface wrinkles...how is this a 5?

http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...5_original.jpg


and then we have this 72 aaron. i have inspected this thing with a fine tooth comb and can not figure out how this card is a 3. must say i would take this card all day long @ $15.

http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...1_original.jpg

That Aaron at $15 is just amazing. As a collector, call me nuts, but I get more fired up by a find like that than by simply throwing loot at a high grade example. Real nice eye and nice catch!

and then there's this one. another whale for me, as there hasn't been one of these posted in a long, long time! she was on ebay for all of about 8 minutes when i ran across her. i am still waiting on an original with decent eye appeal. there was one listed about a year back asking crazy money and it was a complete eye sore, both card and autograph wise. i do have the 91 national version, however it doesn't have the original back and reluctantly picked her up solely because i thought i'd never run across a decent original or the 83 topps version.

i was a little skeptical that the card would show considering how low the bin price was (dirt cheap, imo). even in the "a" holder, it's only a pop 4, 2 higher. so, with all that considering the time i have been looking, the price, the rarity, the fact she actually showed up, i am pleased to pick up and present the official topps reprint...still in awe that i picked this one up and my 53 in the same week.

http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...1_original.jpg
http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...k_original.jpg

Your post looks very similar to mine 1953 Yankees hof outfield and a 1972 hof both psa graded. Stop copying off me. Jk

begsu1013, congrats on landing the 83 Mantle auto. Has to feel good landing a rare signed card like that.

MattC, That Gibson rookie is centered beyond belief and looks as good as any I have see. Congrats for landing that bad-boy. Almost forgot about that Killer Carew rookie. The centering once again. Wow!!

T206Fan, Nice pickups with the Mize and Killebrew card. Killebrew certainly one of the most underrated hitters.

I was very happy to land this 66 Mays. Hard to find this card with decent centering. I was amazed to find this card sitting out there on Ebay.
http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...illie-mays-new

t206,

i certainly will not! you keep posting those blazer cards of blazer years and i will be on your coat tails for a very, very long time!!! ; )

Sweet mantle!

Where do we begin on that 66 Mays? I mean, does it get any better looking? This is why I love seeing no flip-- is that a 9? If it is, then great. If it's not, MUCH BETTER!

It's nice to see this section of the board (pre-1980) thriving and more active than ever. Great cards and thanks for sharing!

Mick's auto on the 52T image is so awesome.

This below is tied for the biggest misgrade I ever came across. Pumped. I love my other example of this card because it does not have the black print issue in the upper left area that so many have. I love this one because it feels like one in every 200 examples of this card has great centering.

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

Just closed a deal for this with our good friend Jerry! Thanks, brother!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-babe-ruth-144

Thanks Matt. It is certainly not a 9. Picked it up for under 100. I could not be happier. Might be under graded. Will have to wait until I get it in hand to see overall condition but I do not think I will be disappointed.

BTW the centering on the Bowman Mick is outstanding and The Ruth card is crazy good. 2 very nice additions. That Ruth is exactly what I will be looking for one day when I decide to get my first.

Posting for my brother. This is his biggest and most money he has ever spent on a card. I am really pushing him to get back in the hobby.

http://www.sterlingsportsauctions.co...29535a_lg.jpeg

With an eye like that, I cannot wait to see what he picks up if he gets into the hobby! Left right centering and amazing deep yellow!

Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Koufax and Ruth. Ridiculous pick ups this month.
Excellent work, gentlemen.
April has been a hell of a month around here

Recent RC pickups

that santo and blyleven are bananas!!!

congrats!!!

DanP, those are some very nice rookies you have scored on. Congrats! They looked great for the grade.

That is one enormous rookie haul up there, DanP! That's a mini collection in one shot.

And let's single out that Blyleven-- hits the eye so far better than the grade. A prime candidate to be shown in a scan with its pesky flip cropped out LOL!

Here's one that gets really slept on and needs more hobby love: a 1959 card that memorializes one of the most famous moments in the history of the game. I realized that when I take my son through the collection, and he meets the players and learns of them, this great moment should definitely be in there. It's also a toughie to find centered. I went shopping for this one and went down the line of VCP past sales in its grade, and couldn't find one as centered going all the way back to 2013.

The first panel is so iconic-- an image I somehow knew of even as a kid growing up in the 80s. And the hat falling off in the second panel is just mad flavor.

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

This is the in-hand scan of the 51 Berra PSA 3 scooped off eBay last week. So bright and clean. Have two now so have a feeling my brother's collection is about to get hooked up with a great Berra.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...man-yogi-berra

Just got this off a fellow board member in the BST.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-hank-aaron

As a continuation of my 'nothing substantial' run, here are three more 72's that can never be found this well centered…
Attachment 187345

That is gonna be some 72 Set! Imagine all those centered cards in a binder? I'd buy that and keep it on the coffee table to look through every single evening to unwind.

Nice addition to The Festival, Adam, and ya gotta love the crazy "M" in Reginald's early signature, plus the OPC reverse.

Matty, love that 1951 Berra. In the late 80s my Dad bought me a whole bunch of reprint cards, and this was one of them. I think he knew I loved baseball cards and this was a way of seeing those old cards of his that got thrown away. For whatever reason that 51 Bowman was "the card" for me, even over the 52 Mantle reprint which sounds crazy. I love the hat on his head, and especially the grandstand sign in the back. The artwork on that card is crazy.

As a devout Christian family, we went to weekly Saturday evening vigil. My sister told me "it wil go by quicker if you think of something else" so I used to think about my cards, and especially that 51 Bowman Berra. I always said I was going to get one when I was all grown up. Heading over to ebay shortly.

That grandstand sign with the arrow is a big part of the aesthetic appeal of the card for me, too. Plus the portrait/facial expression just nails his persona. It's a really charming baseball card and always popped for me, too.

Matt a definite +1 on the Mays catch card. That is one of the games if I could go back in time and watch I would put that one towards the top.

Also that 70's Aaron was a sweet pickup. I almost pulled the trigger on that one as I contemplated and went back it was gone.

Thanks for the reminder on the Berra card. I remember seeing a near perfect centered one a while back and did not pull the trigger. Kicking myself for passing on that one. You continue to lead the way. Well done!!!

Thanks, brother. There have been some real nice cards on the BST lately, and after I snoozed on the 56 Mick that I loved but just saw too late, I realized ya gotta check the BST every now and then. Thankfully that Mick came back around shortly thereafter and I moved quickly then.

I liked the 51B Berra so much I actually copped two of those bad boys. This was the one with sick centering on ebay a little while ago. When I saw it I kind of bugged out because it's not one that's seen dead nuts centered...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...man-yogi-berra

Sorely-needed uprade : !954 Bowman
 

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

...great guy , great ballplayer . He still has family here in Berks County , Pennsylvania, where he's from.

..I had never really tried too hard to replace the original card because it had so much character but when I saw the minty new one I fell in love all over again. Old Brooklyn Dodgers fans are a strange lot. As are baseball card collectors.

..

Nice upgrade Mike! Carl was a great guy.

Some real nice pickups there, guys. Congratulations to all. I hope to get back to collecting again soon. My heart just hasn't been in it as of late.

53T Mays and 74T Aaron
 

Two of my favorite cards from two of the best...
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=18105http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=18106

Furillo was my grandfather's favorite. His cards have much personality. Must be thrilling to make such a big upgrade.

Congrats on two huge cards for a collection in the 53 Mays and the Hank Crown! Both are so clean. The Mays is legendarily tough.

picked up 2 more aaron rooks and my first clemente rook. all 3 low grade, but I have been overly picky on picking up a clemente. have been looking for a while and finally found one I think I can be happy with!!

hopefully, they show before may comes around, as I like using my own scans, which brings me to my question:

what's the consensus definition of a "pick up"?

the day you paid for the card....

or

the day it arrives and can be posted?

If you're pumped and happy enough-- Both! :)

mets,

so simple, it's brilliant! I like your style!!!!

In this week... nice '55 Bowman Dodger, '71 Topps high number and an early Fisk from my favorite Kellogg's set.

Attachment 187774

Attachment 187775

Attachment 187776

+1

Hi everyone-this is my first post here.

I got back into cards last year, totally as a bucket list item. I always wanted to have every set from the 70's. When I first started collecting as a kid in 1978 finding older 70's vintage cards was always cool, although I never ran into anything older than 1970, except for the 3 1968s that I have.

My April pickups include a huge lot of 1972s and all but 15 cards from the 1974 Topps set. With that, I now have on average 94% of every set from 1970-1979. Most of what's left is the remaining highs and high HOFers. Now the fun really begins :D

Welcome to the board. Make sure to post picts. of some of your favorite pickups. Sounds like you are going to reach your goal in the not to distant future.

welcome and lemme know what ya need for your 72 set...bought a couple thousand cards to complete my dads set at a steal. didn't have his checklist, but did complete it. anyways, might send ya some freebies!

Welcome aboard and whenever convenient throw up some pix! It's a great and positive group here.

I feel like the older I get the more I appreciate and am in flat out awe of Hank Aaron. Consistency at that high level is so amazing. Great thing about the game is there are so many wonderful players with compelling personal stories to get into and collect. And let me edit and add in that Hank's second-year cards are shockingly affordable! I remember the Bowman '55 as a kid-- something about his pose and the upwards look just is so simple and peaceful. Rockwellian. Those Bowman cards, from 51 to 55, are just so freaking cool. Tremendous personality in each of those sets, for their own reasons.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-hank-aaron

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...man-hank-aaron

nice pick ups matty! currently working on my aaron basic set. don't have the 71 yet, but did pick up the 55b a few months back. such an iconic card framed w/ the wood grain "color tv". reminds me of back to the future when marty sees the "honeymooners rerun" and although, I wasn't even thought of in '55, just imagine how cool it musta been to see "color tv". had to be pretty big considering it's the only invention that I can think of to frame a card.

just down right classic in every aspect!

and side note: other than perhaps berra, I agree that just about all of hank aaron cards seem to be waaaaaay undervalued...but don't tell anyone. still picking up all the centered ones i can beat you to!

Berra is another sleeper legend-- if those two words can even go together. I mean the man had several seasons with more HR than K's! And with power. Plus it's not like old Yogi played in a small market-- though I can see how he was somewhat standing next to the sun in terms of the star wattage of his stud teammates.

Just saw this one on eBay and had to grab it. Was priced high for an 8 but still just a fraction of the 9s. Ran through the recent 8s on VCP and they all had worse centering and most had white dots, and this one didn't, so figured why not? Also, if I ever needed to sell it for crack, it seems like the kind of card that could wind up with a higher sticker on it if re-subbed a few more times.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-hank-aaron

alrighty, so here's that 1st aaron. still fathoms me that you can pick up the natural home run kings rook in decent condition for $800 and on a good day much less...and a 52 mantle (non-rook) will run ya $10K+ for anything w. decent eye appeal. undervalued, indeed.

http://caimages.collectors.com/psaim...c_original.jpg

Gorgeous! I also think that's my old Aaron RC! Was bought raw at a show then graded. Fantastic card.

Continuing my variation-crazy ways, I grabbed up these three very tough to find '62 green tints and a '66 Johnson 'no trade statement' to boot…
Attachment 187879

So what's the story on that Johnson variation?

Just copped this bananas second year Aaron-- cannot wait to have in hand. Almost gave up on finding a centered one. Love the Bowman and Topps the same for the '55 Hank.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-hank-aaron

The overwhelming majority of these cards have "Alex was traded to Cardinals, October 27, 1965." appearing on the lower back. The earliest ones released by Topps in 1966 did not have this information included there and are incredibly tough to find at a reasonable price.

Very cool to learn. Always something new to discover with cards.

Bob, FANTASTIC Aaron Rookie. Congratulations!
Matt, real nice Aaron, beautiful centering.

Two recent RC additions

dan,

love that palmer. just picked up a signed one on friday to go w/ the hof rc collection, but your's is a beast...congrats!!! and not sure if you ever crack and resubmit, but that lemon grade looks to be under deserved!

picked up this yellow letter for my 1958 set today. it has some surface wear and centering issues, but such a tough card to find and it's slabbed. Getting oh so close on my 58 set including all yellows!

Has been a slow month but decided I needed another Clemente to go with my 1957 and 1973. Decided on the best I could grab for under $20. Honestly, I didn't expect to do this nice. The ball in mid-air is a nice touch.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...3c3d88833d.jpg

Great steal on the Roberto.

DanP-- more great eye cards. Palmer is tuff.

MattyC: the 55 Aaron is amazing. Screams 8 from here. Hardly see that card centered.

Lots of Aaron sightings 'round these parts. Nice 58.

And I agree Aaron's 2nd yr issues are tragically undervalued. Something tells me that won't be the case for too long.

Picked up a really nice 1962 Post Canadian Koufax as well as a PSA 7 1968 Kahn's Johnny Bench! These two had been on my want list for awhile.

Best to all,

Larry

http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...e/ashburn1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...%20bodreau.JPG
http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...0duroucher.JPGhttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...n%20dobson.JPG
http://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...orterfield.JPGhttp://photos.imageevent.com/ruckers...0wehmierer.JPG

Two more cool variations…

Attachment 188151

The Perranoski with the larger than normal blacked out area on his cap is quite a tough one to find.

Man, each of those '53 Bowmans is a piece of art. What a ridiculously beautiful set!!

I agree, I'm just getting into them. I think it's going to be a long fun journey.

You have indulged my occasional non-card posting, so here is a mag I just added to my Aaron collection. Admittedly my main reason for buying it was to solve the mystery of why the Hammer (about to get hit by a ball) would front a 1963 World Series preview mag when his team finished in sixth place, 15 games back. Well, I never found my answer, though a funny Aaron quote makes it into a feature on Berra: "Yogi is so cool you would think he was playing in a sandlot game."

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...ce428b7e10.jpg

I bought the card, not the holder. There's an ever slight pen mark on the white part of the right side of the card, which bothers me only in the slightest bit. The front shows very well, with sharp and deep colors and just about 60/40 centering. The back is clean and centered the same. Lets just say that I got this for about the price of a PSA 1.5 so I'll take it!

http://wilkiescards.weebly.com/uploa...1430231109.png

More like tragic moment
 

Humbug, says us crochety old Indians fans:D:rolleyes: